Pregnant. Thinking about it, currently pregnant or a new mom? I'd love your feedback and would like to help.
6 Comments
AD, Level 47
Enthusiast
February 14, 2018

A little advice to all new mums or for anyone who has recently given birth by either naturally or by C section. DO NOT START A FITNESS REGIME until you have seen a physiotherapist. You have just done something amazing but during the journey your body has under gone an amazing transformation. A physiotherapist will be able to determine if everything internally is where it is meant to be and functioning how it should. They will also be able to advise appropriate level of activity for you and only you. Your body is unique. Every birth is unique and as a consequence what advice was given to your friend, mother, sister or your hairdresser's next door neighbour may NOT be suitable for you. Do yourself a favor and see a physio.

Chioke Mose, Level 16
Enthusiast
February 1, 2018

Hi Kelly!

Very late to this discussion. I just delivered a healthy baby in December and struggled with a variety of workout related things for pregnancy. I did do the one prenatal class on Grokker, but found that other than yoga, there weren't very many workout options by clearly certified professionals. As someone who ran a half marathon right before pregnancy, there wasn't anything that allowed me to really keep my high level of fitness. It was also a bit scary - you were told to not raise your heart rate over 140, except in the case where you were already active. So much conflicting info! I also experienced miscarriages prior to this one, so I was very concerned about doing anything to jeopardize this pregnancy. Even though the doctors gave me the OK to continue with my level of fitness, I ended up stopping most "hard" workouts after my half marathon and just did light stretching and yoga.

Now I'm 8 weeks postpartum and just getting back into working out. I thought pregnancy workouts were hard to find - finding a workout plan that will ease me back into fitness and NOT aggravate mild diastasis recti is impossible. Based on my own research, I'm doing a pilates program here on Grokker and modifying exercises when I recognize it may aggravate the diastasis recti. And while my midwife knew what diastasis recti was and diagnosed me as having a mild case, she isn't the most fitness-minded (her words). It didn't make me very confident that her advice about going back to working out was the most knowledgeable.

My dream - Grokker prenatal and postpartum fitness programs. The postpartum could even incorporate wearing a baby!

That was definitely a brain dump, but this post got me SO excited. If you need anyone to help provide feedback on what you create, PLEASE let me know!

Chioke

Caitlin Schuman, Level 5
Enthusiast
October 12, 2017

Hi Kelly! I'm sorry I'm late to this discussion, but I joined Grokker for exactly this reason. I'm halfway through my first trimester, travel a ton, and have struggled to get back into a fitness routine after 6 moves and 2 big job changes in the last 2 years. I want my baby to be healthy and active, and I want to be a healthy and active mom. I'm struggling with the lack of information right now around what healthy looks like during pregnancy at different stages. If I ran sprints at least once every 2 weeks before pregnancy, can I still run them now? When is it no longer okay to do core work (the internet suggests there's a cut off point)? How do I get my core ready for this trauma? ;) How can pregnant mamas with desk jobs work on their posture? What's considered too much impact? And what's with that thing about how after a certain number of weeks we're not supposed to lay on our backs and stomachs anymore to exercise? I'm really excited you've earned your pre- and post-natal certification! Would love to see more pregnancy oriented workouts! Thanks!

Lauren Mahoney, Level 5
Enthusiast
June 15, 2017

Oh- and not to mention that I feel disgusting after having eaten salmon, sweet potatoes, and veggies for lunch. When did my stomach become the size of a grape that I can't digest anything anymore?

Lauren Mahoney, Level 5
Enthusiast
June 15, 2017

Hi! Still in the first trimester, but I have so many questions about pregnancy, fitness, healthy eating, etc. I have had two previous losses so I have been afraid to get into the fitness routine, although I recently started with a new Nurse Practitioner that said to me, "You wouldn't show up to a 5k without training, and that's how you have to think of pregnancy and labor. This is the biggest athletic event of your life and you need to incorporate fitness every day for 30-60 minutes to show up ready for the event." I really appreciated what she had to say, but now that I'm trying to jump back into fitness (previous crossfitter) I'm finding myself exhausted, bloated, and struggling to get through activities that I would have powered through earlier in the year. I think my hope is that fitness videos possible post tips for pregnant women in the info (if they don't address it directly in the videos, as I'm sure many women wouldn't want to hear about modifications for pregnant women in everything), possibly incorporating more HIIT style workouts for pregnant women (not just yoga), and talk about the nutrition that you need as you go through each trimester. Thanks so much!

Kelly Lee, Level 9
Expert
May 31, 2017

A little bit about me..I am have been working in the health and fitness industry for a little over 10 years now and it is perfect because it blends two of my three major passions in life; helping people and fitness (the third major passion is my love for animals). On the surface, I have been known as the "love to hate" trainer because I have a gift for seeing your true potential, your inner athlete and I strive to bring it out, even if it sometimes hurts:). But dig just a little bit deeper and there is so much more. I am completely invested in the success of everyone that I work with and will do anything it takes to help them reach their goals. I have invested a lot of time, energy and money into continuing to increase my knowledge base and personal development. I started with a personal training certificate and have spent the last 10 years acquiring many other speciality certifications and the knowledge and experience that goes along with them.

Over the years I have been quite disappointed with the lack of knowledge being shared with expecting moms by their doctors about what they can and cannot do. Pregnancy can be a scary time and a little information can go a long way to making this journey much more enjoyable. So last year, I decided to further my education and earned my Pre and Post-natal Specialty certification. I am excited for my new adventure of creating training programs specifically designed for those who want/plan to become pregnant, are pregnant and for those hardworking new moms.

So back to the point…I’d love to learn what you want to know about, where you need help and how I can help you with your FIT pregnancy.

Question-What do you want to know about in regards workouts, nutrition, stretching, etc.?

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