‘Pre-prenatal’ Exercise

Pre and postnatal exercise classes are popular concepts, but ‘pre-prenatal’ training might not be something many people have thought of unless there are difficulties in conceiving, in which case ‘pre-prenatal care’ is taken very seriously within the medical profession. Although there are other health aspects to consider such as diet and lifestyle, here we’re just focusing on the exercise element of pre- prenatal care, which could well be just as important as both pre and postnatal exercise.

What is it? Well, whilst prenatal exercise deals with appropriate movement during pregnancy and postnatal exercise helps the body to recover after delivery, pre- prenatal exercise could be seen as the preparation for your body,

well in advance of conceiving. It covers the whole process from conception to carrying the baby to term, giving birth and finally the speed at which you recover from the pregnancy without any suffering from chronic issues such as low back pain.

Being in good condition physically is proven to help your body through all the stages of making a baby. It wasn’t until I had a conversation with a client after class one day that I realised how important pre-prenatal exercise can be. She told me how she’d done a lot of exercise before conceiving her second child, concentrating specifically on training her core muscles. The whole process was so much easier when compared to the birth of her first child at a much younger age (which highlights a whole other topic of age versus condition!) She attributed the ease of her second pregnancy entirely to having ‘prepped’ her core muscles way before even getting pregnant.

I’ve always catered for postnatal clients, but unfortunately my classes are not suitable for prenatal exercise past the third trimester, so I realised the idea of pre-prenatal exercise was definitely something I should shout about. So, if in the not too distant future you are planning to get pregnant, regular exercise including some stretching and a bit of core work, along with your folic acid supplements will go a long way to preparing you.