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Pilates for Pregnancy

Pilates is an excellent exercise choice for women during their pregnancy as it strengthens the abdominals, pelvic muscles and back, the three main muscle groups that will be utilized to their maximum potential during pregnancy.  Pilates also increases flexibility, endurance and balance, which are essential for a healthy pregnancy, labour, delivery and, most importantly, recovery.  In addition to the visible physical benefits, Pilates also offers practitioners improved mental well-being as it helps to focus and calm the mind, which in turn leads to reduced stress. What’s more, many pregnant women claim feeling re-energized by continuing with their Pilates program during their pregnancy.

Edge Pilates’ Taunya Foerster has plenty of experience in training women, including herself, throughout their pregnancies and beyond.  Here, we catch up with one of Taunya’s former pre-natal students, 37-year-old Tricia van der Schoot, an Amsterdam native with one child who divides her time between the Dutch capital and South Florida. Tricia has been doing three to four Pilates classes a week for the past four years.

Edge Pilates:  Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, Tricia.  Tell us, why do you do Pilates?

Tricia: I weight trained with a personal trainer, four times a week, for years and was never fully satisfied with the results. I kept getting sick and was told by my doctor that I was training too hard. Then I tried Pilates and while I noticed some change almost immediately, after the first year, I started noticing great improvement in my core strength and my overall appearance. Plus, Pilates is energizing and doesn’t deplete my system the way weight training did.

EP: How did Pilates help your pregnancy, labour and delivery? 

T: I continued to do Pilates until the day I gave birth.  For the first four months I did one-hour Pilates sessions four times a week. In the fifth month I then reduced the number of sessions to three per week.  I continued on this routine until I gave birth. In addition to the strengthening exercises of Pilates, I also did 30-minute sessions of cardio, three days a week, to maintain a healthy heart rate. I feel Pilates gave me the strength to carry the baby with minimal pain and, when combined with cardio, it allowed me to maintain my pre-pregnancy strength. Pilates also aids in keeping your circulation active; I cannot stress the importance of this aspect enough.  Throughout my pregnancy, I was never uncomfortable after eating or while sleeping and I never experienced any back pain.  I believe Pilates is directly responsible for this and that is why I continued my exercise regimen throughout the pregnancy. I had a 21-hour labor; five of those hours were spent pushing.  If my body had not been in optimal shape and I had not prepared my body properly I would not have been able to offer my newborn baby a drug free, natural birth.  This was my ultimate goal and I succeeded in naturally giving birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy.  That is an accomplishment I will always be proud of. I do believe Pilates is directly responsible for making my pregnancy enjoyable and for maintaining my pre-pregnancy figure which I bounced back to with relative ease. Pilates also protected my stomach from experiencing a Diastisis Recti, which is the separating of the abdominal wall; it is very common in pregnancy.

EP: How long did it take post birth to get back to class? 

T: I started Pilates again three weeks after giving birth.  It felt great to get back to it and I was able to pick up where I left off, which is a feat in and of itself.  Pilates helped me cope with the sleepless nights and my changing body after pregnancy.  The classes also allowed me a little me-time and an opportunity to collect my thoughts.  I therefore think that an active Pilates regimen throughout pregnancy and after giving birth will also aid in alleviating and, in deed, avoiding, post-partum depression. 

EP: And finally, do you have one piece of pregnancy advice?

T: Absolutely! No matter how much the couch or the bed is pulling you back, push yourself to workout every day and maintain a consistent workout program throughout your pregnancy. Not only will it save your sanity during those hormone surges but you will have much more energy, which will help you to survive the trials and tribulations of pregnancy and will leave you in better shape to survive the sleepless nights of the “Fourth trimester” (months 0-3 with your beautiful newborn baby).

Because most specialists advise expecting moms against beginning  a new exercise regimen during the first trimester, if you are trying to conceive and know that you want to stay fit for the duration of your pregnancy, and Pilates appeals to you, we advise taking up Pilates as soon as possible.  What’s more, every woman is different and every pregnancy is different.  It is important to make the necessary evaluations and modifications on an individual basis. As such, it is essential that you choose a highly-trained Pilates instructor, who is well-versed in working with the changing abilities and requirements of a pregnant woman.

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