Almost every day, a pregnant woman asks me what is normal in terms of weight gain during pregnancy. Here are few basic things to keep in mind about how weight gain and pregnancy work:

1- Doctors recommend women at a healthy weight (BMI of 19-25) gain between 25 and 35 pounds, and women that are overweight or obese gain between 10 and 25 pounds. This is an important distinction, as more than a third of American women were classified as obese in a recent study. Long story short, if you are not underweight (BMI under 19) you don’t need to gain a whole lot of weight to have a healthy pregnancy.

2- Eating for two is a myth. During pregnancy, your body only needs about 300 extra calories—that’s not much more than 2 glasses of milk! Doubling your normal caloric intake under the guise of “eating for two” will quickly take you out of the healthy weight gain levels mentioned above.

3- So the real question is, how does the weight gain work during pregnancy? First off, it’s not linear. Most women experience the bulk of their weight gain between 20 and 28 weeks. Second, many women plateau or lose weight at the end of their pregnancy- because the baby’s size makes their stomach so small. If you are looking to keep your weight gain between 25 and 35 pounds, a good way to know if you are on track is to keep the number of pounds you’ve gained below how many weeks pregnant you are. So, if you are 30 weeks pregnant, and have gained 25 pounds, you are good to go. This works because so many women stop gaining and start losing weight around 35 weeks.

These are all just general guidelines, and as every pregnancy is different, every woman’s weight gain will be different. Talk with your doctor if you have any questions about what is normal, and consult with a registered dietician or nutritionist if you have questions about what or how much you should be eating.

How did your weight gain progress during pregnancy? What do you wish you knew then that you know now?

Filming videos for an Oh Baby! Fitness App to be Released in the Fall

The Oh Baby! Fitness team shot 36 (!) pregnancy exercise videos in one day! The videos will be the core of a new Oh Baby! Fitness mobile app that will be released in the Fall. Oh Baby! Fitness co-owner and senior instructor, Kathleen Donahoe leads the videos and 36-week pregnant mom, Latoya Blackmon is our model. Get ready to download the app in September. We’re so excited!

I had a client ask me last night if the tingling in her hands meant that she should stop exercising. It’s a fair question, as non-pregnancy induced carpal tunnel is often an overuse injury, and rest can help.  However, with pregnancy induced carpal tunnel, it’s just the opposite. One of the best remedies is exercise.

Pregnancy induced carpal tunnel is normally caused by swelling, not by overuse, and exercise can reduce fluid retention. If you are feeling that tingly, numb feeling in your hands, here are two great exercises:

1- Get in the pool! Swimming, water aerobics, or even just splashing around or jogging in the pool can reduce swelling during pregnancy. Try to be in water up to your shoulders, and you’ll find you have a noticeable reduction in swelling for the next day or so, and it’s likely your carpal tunnel will feel better as well!

2- Stretch! Stretching and yoga, particularly floor-based exercises, are great at reducing swelling by increasing circulation. They reduce your fluid retention, and help you get some more feeling back into your hands. This can be really beneficial in the evening, when carpal tunnel symptoms are often at their worst. If a yoga pose (such as cat/cow or a table top position) feels like it hurts your wrists either double up your yoga mat for extra padding or put a weight on the ground and then hold onto that so that your wrist is straight. Some women find that turning their wrists out so that the thumb rather than middle finger is pointing forward also helps eliminate wrist pain.

One other secret to reducing swelling is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! While it seems counter-intuitive, if you’re swelling, you need to drink MORE water, not less. Upping your water while either spending some time in the pool or stretching will go along way towards decreasing swelling and pregnancy induced carpal tunnel.

What did you find helped with swelling in pregnancy?

A common complaint and source of confusion with our clients is a mysterious, often sharp pain that is located low down near the pelvic bone. It often runs diagonally out and up, and often hurts sharply when getting out of bed or out of a car. It’s usually only on one side of the body, and can be so painful that it can take your breath away.

The good news is this is normal!  The round ligament attaches the uterus to the pelvic bone, and as the uterus grows this ligament stretches. During pregnancy it stretches from 2 inches all the way to 12 inches—that’s a whole lot!

In terms of why it can hurt, a helpful visualization is to picture a hot air balloon tied to the ground.  As the hot air balloon fills with air and grows in size, the ropes tying it to the ground get tighter. The round ligament is like the rope and the uterus is like the hot air balloon. As the baby grows in the uterus and makes it bigger and bigger, the round ligament stretches and gets pulled tighter.

And,  just as when a hot air balloon moves side to side in the wind, the rope on the opposite side gets tighter and tighter, when you twist side to side,  the round ligament on the opposite side tightens. This is why getting out of bed or a car can fire up that super stretched ligament. Other activities that can really trigger that tight ligament are walking the dog (picture when the dog pulls on a leash, making the dog walker pull and twist against the leash) and even vacuuming.

So, now that you understand that weird sharp pain, what can you do about it? There are two exercise tips that can help if you are experiencing a lot of round ligament pain:

1- Exercise in the water. The water can help stabilize the uterus, and just as your body feels lighter when in the water–the water will also help with the tension as your uterus pulls on the round ligament. Floating in the pool, or performing easy, light water jogging are both great exercises.

2- Engage your abs. By tightening your core as you go about your day you are protecting both your lower back and that stretched out ligament. To engage your abs, imagine pulling your baby up and in. This will engage your transverse abdominals, and keep the uterus closer to your body to take some of the pressure off the round ligament.

We are often asked how much exercise is appropriate and safe during pregnancy—we have clients who wonder if they can take more than one of our classes a week, or if it’s okay for them to swim one day and take a Pilates class the next day.

It’s one of our most common questions, and the answer is surprising: ACOG (the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology) recommends pregnant women work out at a moderate level for at least 30 minutes on most, if not all days of the week.  Basically, they want you working out at a moderate (note, not gentle) level every single day.  Think about all the people you know who love to exercise, and how few of them exercise at a moderate level almost every day. It’s rare in non-pregnant people, and even MORE rare in pregnant populations! It demands a fundamental shift in thinking– pregnancy is not the time to curl up and rest, it’s the time to prepare for the most strenuous jobs on the planet- motherhood!

ACOG also mentions conditions that mean you shouldn’t exercise:

• Hemodynamically significant heart disease
• Restrictive lung disease
• Incompetent cervix/cerclage
• Multiple gestation at risk for premature labor
• Persistent second- or third-trimester bleeding
• Placenta previa after 26 weeks of gestation
• Premature labor during the current pregnancy
• Ruptured membranes
• Preeclampsia/pregnancy-induced hypertension

However, if you are free of the above conditions, ACOG is clear: “Participation in a wide range of recreational activities appears to be safe.” We say use your pregnancy as an excuse to exercise more than you normally would — on most if not all days of the week. Your body and baby will thank you!

Oh Baby! Fitness has had the privilege of working with thousands of pregnant women and new moms. Based on this extensive experience, along with expert advice and review of the best available research, we believe:

1. Pre- and postnatal EXERCISE IS IMPORTANT.
a. We believe exercise during pregnancy creates easier labors, healthier babies, and happier new moms.
b. We listen to the latest studies about perinatal exercise, share them with our clients and instructors, and build our programming based on their recommendations.
c. We encourage women to get in the best shape of their lives during pregnancy.

2. Pre- and postnatal EXERCISE IS SAFE.
a. We believe in following the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (ACOG) guidelines for safe exercise before, during, and after pregnancy.
b. We listen to clients’ physical concerns and modify exercises so that everyone has a safe workout experience.
c. We encourage proper exercise form and the appropriate modifications in all of our classes.

3. Pre- and postnatal EXERCISE BUILDS CONFIDENCE.
a. We believe in preparing women for the experience of motherhood by fostering supportive communities and close relationships among our clients.
b. We listen to our clients’ fears, concerns, worries, and joys as they make the transition into motherhood.
c. We encourage instructors to facilitate introductions and discussion in every class but caution them against giving any advice, criticism, or a specific “birth” agenda.

Based on these beliefs, we have designed our classes and programs to adhere to these basic tenets:

• All clients are able to talk comfortably throughout the entire workout.
• All classes will allow time in which clients introduce themselves and share a bit about their pregnancy/baby.
• All clients will stop exercising if in pain.
• All classes will provide ample time and verbal cues for proper hydration.
• All classes will have a thorough warm up.
• All clients will have a signed medical consent and will follow the recommendation of their doctor.
• All instructors will remind clients to listen to their bodies and communicate any discomfort, pain, or unease during exercise.
• All classes will challenge clients to work out at a level that is safe and appropriate.
• All classes focus on the mother; the mom is the client, not the baby.
• All classes will teach clients the proper way to do Kegel exercises and modified abdominal exercises.

Answer: If not restricted by your doctor, exercising up until delivery is one of the BEST things you can do for yourself and your baby.

“Can I exercise right to the end?” is one of  the most common questions we get from newly expectant moms in our Oh Baby! Fitness pregnancy exercise classes.  We’ve all heard about women who have taken off from work early and use the last few weeks of pregnancy to “rest up” for delivery.

However, the biggest benefits of exercising during pregnancy only occur if women exercise as late in pregnancy as possible.

Studies have shown that women who exercise up until their delivery date are:

-       Less likely to have premature labor

-       Less likely to have babies with low birth weight

-       Less likely to have a c-section

-       Less likely to request/use pain management during labor

-       More likely to have shorter, quicker labors

-       More likely to gain less weight during pregnancy

As always, we recommend women talk to their doctors and listen to their bodies. Know that adjusting the intensity or length of the workout (i.e.  taking a yoga or water aerobics class rather than a cardio class or having a shorter workout) is much more helpful than stopping exercise when the fatigue and discomfort of the third trimester hits.

Did you exercise right up until you delivered your baby? What exercises were most helpful and felt the best in the last few weeks of pregnancy?

This is a question we hear often, and for good reason. Our pregnant clients know that exercise is important, but wonder if they are hitting the sweet spot between working out hard enough (ie, “I don’t want to waste my time—is this workout hard enough to count?”) and working out too hard (ie, “Am I working out so hard that it is bad for me or my baby?”).

This is an especially important question when working out alone. In one of our pregnancy fitness classes an instructor is there to monitor and adjust intensity levels so clients feel both safe and challenged, but it’s hard to do solo. This is made especially tricky because of the natural, normal fluctuations in heart rate during pregnancy so more traditional methods, like a heart rate monitor, are not as effective or accurate at measuring exercise intensity.

How do you know if you’re working out hard enough for it to be effective, but not so hard that you are in danger?

The Talk Test requires that if you are pregnant you should be able to talk during exercise- this means you aren’t working too hard. So this takes care of not overexerting during exercise- if you can talk, you know you are not exercising to a dangerous level. But what about working out hard enough?

Our friend Megan Frady Flatt at Bump Life has a great answer—you should be working out so hard that it would be difficult to sing! If you feel like you could comfortably sing, you probably need to increase your intensity.

Bottom line: Want to know if you are working out at the right level? You should be able to comfortably talk, but not sing. This little trick lets you know your heart rate is elevated, but still in a safe range.

We are so excited to announce the release of our first app! Download the Oh Baby! Fitness Pregnancy Exercise Weekly Workout app on iTunes. It has a specific exercise video for each week of pregnancy! Download it, review it, rate it and let us know what you think!!

Download the Oh Baby! Fitness Pregnancy Exercise App Now!

The Oh Baby! Fitness Pregnancy Exercise Weekly Workout App shares everything we’ve learned from training nearly 20,000 women in prenatal and postnatal fitness.

Each week, you’ll be given the best yoga, Pilates or strength building exercise specially designed for your specific week of pregnancy. Short videos and descriptions will show you exactly how to do the exercise and will explain how the exercise will help you build muscle or relieve stress. Our app will guide you through the creation of a workout that’s just right for your stage of pregnancy. As you progress, you can always repeat the previous week’s exercise or explore up ahead in the app to find new and different exercises to try.

Squats are one of the most helpful exercises to perform while pregnant – not only do they help strengthen the lower back (and therefore cut down on lower back pain!) they also build the necessary leg and abdominal muscles for labor. However, as the baby grows during pregnancy, many women become unsure about the proper form for squats. We can help! Proper pregnancy squat technique:

1- Feet are a little wider in a pregnancy squat than a normal squat, and the toes are turned out just a hair. This mirrors the spreading and opening of hips that happens during pregnancy—your feet and toes should reflect this so as not to put excess strain on the knees.

2- Engage your abs by imagining hugging your baby with your stomach muscles. Pulling your baby up and in before lowering into the squat not only strengthens your core, it protects your lower back.

3- Keeping your weight in your heels, drop your hips back so your knees stay aligned over your ankles. This is similar to a normal squat, but especially important to protect your loose joints!

4- Bring your hands in front of you as you perform a squat to counter balance your baby. This will help you feel like you are falling backward, and ensure that your weight is in your heels.

Check out the photo above to see how all of these tips combine to a safe and effective pregnancy squat!

One secret tip that pregnancy trainers know is that there is one exercise that strengthens all the muscles used in labor and delivery—AND it’s an exercise you can do at home. All you need is a wall—that’s it!

The secret:  WALL SITS. Yep, that old-school gym class exercise will actually help you prepare for labor. A couple of pointers on form- keep your knees over your ankles. Try to have a 90 degree angle in your hips and knees. Most important—keep your abs engaged and lower back pressed into the wall. Start by holding for 1 minute, and then increase to 2 minutes over the coming weeks. As you can see in the picture– feel free to ad weights (just hold them, or try bicep curls for more challenge) if you want to make this exercise more difficult.

** Want more prenatal exercise tips? Check out our Pregnancy Weekly Workout app in the iTunes store. Find more here.

Almost all of our prenatal classes will include the yoga pose cat/cow. This stretch is one of the favorites of our pregnant moms. Benefits include:

-       Encourages mobility in a stiff spine

-       Strengthens the lower back

-       Helps lessen lower back pain

-       Helps decrease hip pain

-       Strengthens the abdominals

-       Helps encourage baby to move into ideal birth position

-       Helps with round ligament pain

-       Strengthens shoulders

A great thing—cat/cow can be done anywhere! Wake up with hip pain? Take a couple cat/cow stretches next to your bed. You can even do them in bed!!!  Lower back hurts at work? Close your office door and come to all fours to stretch it with cat/cow. Worried about a breech baby? Cat/cow can help.

What yoga poses and postures did you enjoy during your pregnancy?

I’m so thrilled (and to be honest, nervous too!) to share the big news that my husband Jon and I are expecting our first baby! I’ve trained so many women (over 10,000 at this point!) throughout their pregnancies but it still feels absolutely surreal to be experiencing it for myself.

Jon and I (that’s us in the photo up there) got married in October and decided we wanted to try for kids pretty quickly. When we found out we were expecting in late Spring we were both quickly filled with much excitement—and fear! I was surprised by how nervous I felt so quickly. I think it was in part due to my work with all of my clients– part of seeing thousands of pregnancies means that I’ve seen up close that a positive pregnancy test does not mean a healthy, full term pregnancy. I’ve seen what can happen and go wrong, and was pretty wary about getting too excited early on. However the weeks have passed and the test results have come back with good news, and Jon and I are starting to think that this is probably happening. We were so excited to find out a few weeks ago that we are expecting a boy in late December!

Over the next 6 months I’ll be writing here weekly about my experiences- not just in terms of pregnancy and exercise (though I will be writing a lot about that), but also the big picture stuff too—all the amazing (and crazy, and sometimes hard) things that I’m experiencing.

I’ll admit up front that this hasn’t been a roses and butterflies, all easy-happy pregnancy—it’s been a lot tougher than I expected. It’s also been more surreal than I ever expected to be feeling the things I’ve educated so many women about (a real thought I had as I rolled over at 3am last night—“holy cow, round ligament pain is way worse than I expected!”) I’ll be honest- as an expert in the field I was sure I’d be rolling with the pregnancy punches easily, but that hasn’t been the case. Even knowing all the answers, I’ve felt overwhelmed and lost at times. I’ll be sharing about these feelings in my posts in the coming weeks too.

Please share in the comments about what topics you’d like to hear about—and any words of advice you might have! I’ve spent the last 10 years telling pregnant women what to do (wall sits anyone??), now the tables have turned, and I’d love to hear from you about what advice you wish you’d been given.  I’m excited to share this journey with you!

-Kathleen Donahoe

Co-Owner, Oh Baby! Fitness

Thanks for all your well wishes last week on my big announcement! It was incredibly special to hear from so many past clients. It made me feel better knowing I have you all (and all your collective experience and wisdom) on this journey.

I wanted to share some about the first few weeks of my pregnancy. I know this can be a really isolating, strange time, and my experience was no different. Because I’ve seen so many women and clients miscarry, I knew that this was a real risk. Jon and I both took a very intentional “wait and see” approach to the pregnancy—we celebrated for one day, but even then we said we were celebrating the fact that we knew we could get pregnant, and weren’t counting on this one “sticking.”

This made for an odd situation that I know so many of you have been in—those first few weeks of not telling anyone and not being sure if the good news is going to “stick” while all the while feeling physically pretty crummy. I didn’t have serious nausea or morning sickness until around week 9, but from the very beginning I felt extremely fatigued and extremely cramp-y. I was lucky enough to a have a great doctor who saw me early to be sure that the cramping wasn’t a sign of an ectopic pregnancy.

But still, for a few weeks I was feeling crummy, feeling scared, and feeling like I KNEW I should be exercising (after all, this is my job!) but that it was the last thing I wanted to do. Even as an instructor, I was so shocked that within a week or two of that positive test, all I wanted to do was lie around. (Though I will say the first thing I did after getting that positive test was go to the gym—I remember thinking, ”Oh my god! What are we going to do! Oh wait—I know, exercise is supposed to help!”) There were some things though that I found helped- some ways to exercise in those first few weeks when I felt like I had a perpetual case of the flu with a serious side of mono. Here’s what helped:

-Exercising first thing in the morning or last thing at night. I had the opposite of morning sickness—the more the day went on, the worse I felt. Some days I tricked myself into exercising by doing it first thing in the morning before the gross, uncomfortable feelings set in. Other days, I’d find that some stretching or yoga at the very end of the day, when I was feeling most cramp-y and barf-y, was helpful. Sometimes moving last thing before bed seemed to settle my stomach and calm me down. I didn’t exercise during the day hardly at all though, which is unusual for me.

- Online workout subscriptions. Because I wasn’t ready to share the news of my pregnancy, I didn’t feel comfortable attending an Oh Baby! class. I wanted to work out in the privacy of my home, where I knew no one could see me, and where I knew I could stop at any point. I found two online programs were really helpful- Barre3 and yogisanonymous. These both offer tons of videos at differing intensity levels for a subscription fee. Both are gentle exercise- Barre3 is a Pilates/yoga/ballet workout, and yogisananymous is yoga. They also both offer short workouts—I could do a 30 minute workout and feel like I’d gotten a workout in without committing to a whole hour.

I get emails every week from women asking what kind of exercise is safe to do in the first trimester. Like me, so many women are scared of miscarriage and want to be sure that what they are doing is safe. I want to be clear that just because gentle, limited exercise is what physically felt best to me, doesn’t mean it’s the only way to move in the first trimester. Running, weight lifting, and higher intensity exercise are totally appropriate if they feel good to you. I was very very surprised that they didn’t feel right to me (that’s how I normally exercise) but studies show they are safe.

Next week I’ll share more about those first few weeks, in particular what my biggest challenge and surprise was in the first trimester. I’d love to hear what kind of exercise you did at the beginning of your pregnancy- what felt good? Did anything help with morning sickness?

Kathleen Donahoe

Co-owner & Senior Instructor, Oh Baby! Fitness

I’ve hinted in my last two posts that the first few months of pregnancy were tough. And I wasn’t going in blindly—I’ve seen thousands of women in their first trimesters in my classes, and know that it can be a tough, physically challenging time. (A secret: I warn our instructors that women in their first trimester actually need to be handled the most “carefully”—they are the ones likely to faint, puke, get dizzy. They aren’t usually showing, but they are usually “feeling” the most as they workout.) At six weeks pregnant I was prepped with saltines, good books, a comfy couch and felt ready to tackle morning sickness like the pro I thought I was.

And then I was hit with a crippling case of…..tears. Putting it that way sounds silly, but the real diagnosis was pregnancy or antenatal depression.  I had heard that pregnancy can make some women weepy or anxious, but this was beyond—I physically, literally could not stop crying. For months.

Within two weeks, Clare, my business partner, had pulled me aside and recommended I see a doctor, immediately. She actually volunteered to drive me to the doctor that moment, which is a testament to how wonderful she is, and also how rough off I was. I opted to email my doctor instead, who called me right back and asked to see me ASAP.

I was nervous going to the doctor and felt like I was making a mountain out of a molehill— when I got back with the doctor I started in, staying “I know this is just the first trimester, and that it’s totally normal to feel sad because of the hormones.” My doctor interrupted me quickly and said “Kathleen, what you are experiencing is common, but it’s absolutely not normal.” This was so extremely helpful to hear- and made me realize that I’d passed far beyond pregnancy emotional instability into something more serious. We spent the rest of the appointment coming up with a game plan- I opted to avoid meds for the time being and to take an eastern medicine approach, but I left with a prescription that I could pickup if I changed my mind.

My doctor said something else that I thought was helpful- that antenatal depression is a combination of physiology and external causes. Pregnancy means lots of hormones (ie, physiology) but it also brings up existing or new stresses about jobs, relationships, financial stress and fears of the future. Part of why she wanted to meet with me was to see where I fell in the spectrum of those two causes. After speaking with me for 30 minutes she said it appeared I was dealing with a chemical/hormonal case, which really felt accurate to me. I wasn’t scared about the pregnancy, and at no point was I crying over any THING, rather it felt like an entirely physical reaction, almost like sneezing or allergies (except it presented as weeping!). This became a useful framework for me to think about what I was feeling—I was dealing with a physical symptom of pregnancy, and didn’t need to “fix” my feelings.

I talked with my husband and with Clare and came up with a plan to help me navigate. Here’s what helped:

-       Acupuncture. I saw a wonderful acupuncturist (Jenny Karns) while trying to get pregnant, and continued to see her after getting pregnant. I asked my doctor about using acupuncture to help treat the antenatal depression and she agreed that it could help. I upped my appointments to twice a week with Jenny and felt noticeably and significantly better. I’d arrive at an appointment feeling low, and within the first few minutes of treatment feel noticeably calmer, clearer and more stable. It was easily the most helpful tool I had in combating the tears.

-       Exercise outside. I knew that exercise helps my mood, but the thought of being around other people seemed impossible. Instead, I’d walk outside and listen to an audiobook. Being outside, moving and being distracted by a good story was really beneficial on the hard days.

-       Feeling the feelings. In the middle of the worst days and weeks, I would get upset that I was feeling so bad. I wanted to be with friends, and couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just turn off the feelings and feel “normal.” My husband encouraged me to hole up and “feel the feelings.” I took a lot of (lukewarm) baths, read in bed, and generally retreated quite a bit from my normally active social life. Sleep was also really useful- I’d go to bed early, read, and then sleep as much as I could.  Rather than trying to put on the happy pregnancy face, I was able to just, well, feel blue. I found that easier than pretending to feel normal, especially when so many friends wanted to talk about how exciting and great my pregnancy was, when I could barely keep from crying.

One other thing my doctor told me at that appointment is that the antenatal depression might go away, but that it might not, and it might get worse. I’m so relieved as it has gotten a bit better—I’ve had more good days, and starting around 18 weeks started to feel closer to my old, normal self. I’ve experienced more of what I consider normal emotional instability of pregnancy, but nothing like the weeks and weeks of what I was dealing with.

Like I said, this was not at all what I was expecting when I thought of being pregnant (and I have to say, morning sickness on top of antenatal depression is not a fate I’d wish on anyone!), but I know it has already given me a deeper understanding of what many of our clients experience.

Did you experience any depression in pregnancy? What helped you feel better?

-Kathleen

Co-Owner, Oh Baby! Fitness

So, you’ve signed up for your first pregnancy workout class! Maybe it’s an Oh Baby! Fitness class, or maybe it’s a pregnancy yoga class at your nearby Y. First- congratulations! You’ve already done the hardest part- deciding to exercise, finding a class, and finding time in your schedule. These three things require lots of energy- the one thing that most pregnant woman don’t have a large supply of. The actual working out part is usually the fun part. Here are 8 things to know before going to your first class:

1. You are either going to feel “not pregnant enough” or “too pregnant”

Every person in the class either feels too pregnant (“I can’t believe I waited until 32 weeks to workout!”) or not pregnant enough (“I’m only 11 weeks and don’t even look pregnant- I feel like a fraud!”). This is normal. If you’re pregnant, you belong here. If you are early on, find a friend that’s later in their pregnancy and grill them about what’s to come. If you are late in your pregnancy, know that you are inspiring all the other women by the fact that you are still working out and kicking butt.

2. A good class will leave you feeling better.

A lot of women wait until they feel good to workout, but a little known secret is that a good prenatal group exercise class will actually make you feel better. First, you’ll be able to commiserate with other pregnant women. Second, getting your blood moving will take care of many normal pregnancy complaints. Nausea, back pain and low energy levels will all benefit from a good workout. Finally, a good class will at least give you an hour’s distraction from how horrible you feel!

3. It’s okay to barf, and eat, and fart, and cry.

A pregnancy exercise class is sometimes the ONLY place no one will look at you funny for the behaviors that pregnancy brings on. I guarantee your instructor has seen it all—so don’t worry if you suddenly are the girl that accidentally lets one fly, or that breaks down in tears. You’ll garner more sympathy from these woman then from anyone else, I promise.

4. Don’t look at other women’s bellies. And REALLY don’t ask them how much weight they’ve gained.

One of the weirdest parts of being in a prenatal exercise class is suddenly being surrounded by more pregnant women then you’ve ever seen in your life. And with that data set, it’s hard not to start comparing. Avoid doing this, and certainly avoid any verbal comparing. And the golden rule of dealing with pregnant women: never ask how much weight anyone has gained. Just because you are pregnant doesn’t mean you get to avoid this one- in fact, it’s even more important.

5. Bring water and a snack.

Most pregnant women remember to bring water—if you forget just ask your instructor where the nearest water fountain is. But try to remember to pack a small snack as well (granola bars, fruit and nuts are all a good pick). In both the 1^st trimester and from weeks 20-28 your blood sugar can be all over the place and sometimes you’ll be surprised by a workout that suddenly makes you feel dizzy. Even if you don’t end up needing the snack, I’ve seen many women become friends by one giving their snack to another woman in class who is suddenly hit with low blood sugar and doesn’t have anything to eat.

6. Don’t assume everyone is having the same experience you are.

It’s easy in a class of pregnant woman to assume that everyone 1- wants to be pregnant and 2- is having a healthy pregnancy and carrying a healthy baby. In any given class there are likely to be women dealing with all sorts of hard circumstances. Another little secret? Often the woman that looks the most put together is the one dealing with the biggest, scariest stuff. Try to remember the quote: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” You can learn a lot just by listening and truly becoming part of the community. Look around you, these women in your class might wind up being your friends for a long time, and it’s a different relationship from the ones you have at work. Everyone is vulnerable, scared and honest. You can create close bonds and long-lasting friendships at this time.

7. Don’t worry about what you’re wearing.

Some people really like to doll up to go to the gym. Your pregnancy exercise class does not have to be that place. It’s hard enough to find clothes that fit to go to work, don’t worry about looking cute or put together for class. An extra-large t-shirt and sweatpants are fine.

8. If it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it.

This is the most important thing to remember about your class. Hopefully you’ll work your muscles and get a good, tough workout in, but that does not mean you should suffer through ANY exercise that feels uncomfortable or painful. Even if the rest of class is smiling and looks like it’s no big thing- ask your instructor for a different exercise. Their job is to give you a good workout that doesn’t hurt—make sure they do it.

What do you wish you’d known before your first pregnancy exercise class? Any tips for other women just starting out?

Looking for a prenatal exercise class in your area? Check out ohbabyfitness.com for classes near you or to find out how to teach prenatal and mom and baby exercise classes go to: http://ohbabyfitness.com/start-your-own-biz/

- Kathleen Donahoe, Co-Owner, ohbabyfitness.com

I’m about to finish off my second trimester and wanted to share some of the things that have surprised me about working out in this trimester, as well as what has worked.

Coming into this trimester I wasn’t sure what to expect- I knew this is the period where women have a lot of good intentions, but a lot can derail their plans for exercise. Some women begin to experience some debilitating pregnancy symptoms in this trimester (lower back pain, sciatica, and heartburn/acid reflux all come to mind) and this is also when a lot of women start to get heavy into the planning stage- exercise is competing for time with childbirth classes, nursery prep, and a big push at work before baby.

I’ve been so lucky to have been able to continue to work out regularly- but I’ve been surprised by some things, and have found that a few things have really made exercise work FOR me this trimester.

Second Trimester Surprises:

Even though I don’t always feel good, exercise feels great.

I’m still (stilllll, ugh) dealing with bad nausea on some days. However, unlike in the first trimester, exercise still feels good on the days when food doesn’t. I’m so glad about this—on the days I feel the WORST exercising is often the hour I feel the BEST.

Walking is maybe the MOST uncomfortable exercise.

I need to eat crow here. I, along with almost every other perinatal trainer, have said for years that walking is a PERFECT exercise for pregnancy- it’s low impact, cardio, and can encourage the baby to move head down. However, I’ve found that walking is the most uncomfortable exercise I’ve tried! Within 3 minutes on the treadmill my round ligament pain fires up, and won’t stop until I do. I’ve been still doing some walking and just trying to tolerate the RLP as I find getting outside to exercise really helps my sanity, but literally every other exercise I’ve been doing feels better than walking at this point.

I’m getting stronger.

I’ve been asked a dozen times if women can build muscle during pregnancy and while I always said yes I now know it’s true.  I’m stronger right now than I was in the months before I got pregnant—nothing like the idea of labor looming for me to get serious again about lifting weights!

Second Trimester Take Aways:

Variety of exercise keeps me interested

I know a lot of women are happy to stick to one type of exercise, but I’ve found that in my second trimester I’ve craved and loved variety. Over the course of a week I’m often choosing from the following types of workouts: Pilates, walking, running, yoga, weights at the gym, Oh Baby combo class, water aerobics, weights at home, barre3. So far this has helped keep things fresh, and I think has helped keep me healthy and free from any repetitive use/joint problems as well.

Hourly goal each week

Part of why the variety works well for me is that every week of my second trimester I start the week with an hourly goal for how much I want to workout. Generally I shoot for six hours of exercise a week- about half of this is in an Oh Baby class, and half I do on my own. Having an hourly goal for the week keeps me focused, but also gives me freedom to stick to less intensive exercises on weeks that I’m not feeling great. This system has really worked for me, and I plan to try it out in the third trimester as well.

What kind of exercise worked for you in your second trimester? Any surprises about what didn’t feel good?

-Kathleen, co-owner Oh Baby! Fitness

Today’s blog is a guest post by well respected Atlanta pelvic physical therapist Vicky Yeisley. Oh Baby! Fitness believes a healthy pelvic floor is the literal foundation of a healthy pregnancy and postpartum experience and we’re thrilled to share Vicky’s wisdom with you all!

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So there I was two weeks ago at a baby shower.  My friend Nicole was sitting in a big comfy chair, surrounded by beautifully wrapped presents, and getting ready to open the generous gifts before her.  Just as she was about to begin, one of the other guests asks her, “So overall, how has the pregnancy been going?”  Nicole shrugged and said “Good, except for the sciatica.”

At that point I realized that I was the only one in the room nodding my head, giving her the look like “Girl, I hear ya” whereas the rest of the women looked at her like she had a third eye!  I was shocked at the questions that came next, like they had 1) never heard of a pregnant woman being in pain, and 2) had never heard about sciatic pain.  Nicole explained the shooting pain down her back, into her butt and back of her thigh and that doing little tasks like going from sit to stand or moving in bed were terrible.  She explained that her baby was in a position that was hurting her sciatic nerve and that the pressure on the nerve was causing all of her pain.

Again, the blank stares in response to her comments were still blowing my mind.

It was then that I realized that I was the odd man out, and that in reality, most women who have never been pregnant or aren’t around pregnant women very often, don’t understand the changes that happen to your body.  They hear about nausea, breasts getting bigger and feet swelling up, but none of them had heard about how the pelvis was affected by the pregnancy and that yes, (gasp!) there is often low back, buttock, hip, groin, pubic bone or tailbone pain involved.

My friend, being the savvy woman that she is, consulted Dr. Google, who suggested a “belly band” that helped take the pressure off of her pelvis, which helped, and her pain was less, but not completely gone.  Problem solved…right?

To me, there is a bigger problem at hand.  First being that most women going into their pregnancy are completely unaware of the changes that happen to their bodies, specifically within their pelvis, that often result in pain.  When this pain does arise, they either neglect to say anything to their OBGYN, or even worse, if they do say something, they are told by their doctor, “Well, you’re pregnant…”

Well, let’s put it this way.  You gain at least 20 lbs, and your weight starts shifting forward, so that now, the weight that should have been distributed through your heels is now going through your toes.  This means your base of support and center of mass is forward and totally off whack.  The lowest part of your spine starts curving inwards more, so that your pelvis tilts forward, and now, you have a really nice Donald Duck butt going on.  Then, the middle part of your spine starts curving outwards more, because your breasts are getting bigger, causing your shoulders to become more rounded and your head to lurch forward.

Oh, not to mention, your hormones are going crazy and as more relaxin is being produced, the more your ligaments, that help to hold your bones together, are getting very loose.  Since your ligaments can no longer stabilize you, your muscles have to work overtime for extra support.  Not to mention, if the ligaments are weak, the bones tend to shift and one’s alignment can become compromised.  To me, this whole scenario is a recipe for disaster and pain, but to many “it’s just part of being pregnant.”

The sciatic nerve is a huge nerve that comes out of the sacrum (base of the spine, in the middle of the pelvis) and travels down through the buttock and down the back of the leg into the foot.  This nerve can get inflamed by poor alignment of the pelvis or sacrum, instability of the pelvis or sacrum and often my increased myofascial restrictions within muscles like the piriformis, hamstrings or gluts.   We tend to sit more and more throughout the day, which compresses the piriformis muscles especially, and can put more pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing more pain.  Many women experience sciatic nerve symptoms during their pregnancy, and often learn how to tolerate the pain, instead of fixing it.

If a non-pregnant woman complains of low back or buttock pain, she is sent to physical therapy or given some sort of medical intervention to assist in decreasing her pain.  However, when a pregnant woman (who typically goes through weight gain, has weak connective tissue and poor postural alignment) complains of low back or buttock pain, she is often told that “it’s just all part of the adventure.”  This kills me, because I get to see these women 5-10 years after having children, who have chronic pelvic pain, and when you ask them when this all started, they can often trace it back to their pregnancy.

The point of this is to inform you that yes, your body goes through some drastic changes during pregnancy that have the capability to result in pain.  Listen to your body.  If you are having pain, seek help.  We often have to advocate for our own well-being and health, and make sure that our concerns aren’t overlooked.

Pregnancy is a gift and an amazing opportunity to bring life into this world.  It is not easy…but it doesn’t have to be painful either.

Victoria Yeisley, DPT,  is a physical therapist specializing in pelvic floor muscle dysfunction at One on One Physical Therapy in Atlanta, GA.  She has been practicing pelvic therapy exclusively since 2008 and treats  urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, increased urinary urgency/frequency, painful bladder syndrome, pelvic girdle pain, pain with intercourse, diastasis recti (abdominal wall separation), and pre-natal/post-natal musculoskeletal pain.  Victoria is extremely passionate about women’s health and especially about the importance of the rehabilitation of the woman’s body while pregnant and after having a baby.  Victoria’s personal and professional goal is to increase public health awareness for pelvic floor therapy, especially as it is associated with post-partum care, so that chronic pelvic pain and voiding dysfunction can be prevented. While in Chicago, she assisted with integrating pelvic floor physical therapy into “normal” pregnancy and post-partum care to ensure complete body recovery. It is her desire to continue this advocacy in Atlanta, and at One on One Physical Therapy.

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Cover of June 2013 Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine

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