If your insurance covers pelvic floor PT, absolutely do it. If you are having symptoms like incontinence, pain, etc; then do it.

If you, like me, have to pay an exorbitant amount of cash, I don’t think you necessarily need to.

I worked with a PT a tiny bit before and more after my scheduled C section. I worked out with nourishmovelove workouts on Youtube and a few other random prenatal core workouts regularly prior to delivery, and it must have done a good enough job, and I lucked out. I did not have pain or other symptoms.

The pelvic floor PT was good, but honestly I’ve done a lot of PT before for my back/knees, and I don‘t think the pelvic floor focus was worth the markup. We worked on a few routines to ease back into movement, but none of it was groundbreaking. I did not find the pelvic floor assessment useful as I knew it felt fine.

If you have good body awareness, understand movement fundamentals, and don’t have symptoms - I’d advise myself to skip spending 1k on the PT.

your mileage may vary!! I know this is a hot take but I would have loved to read something that gave me permission to skip if I felt like it wasn’t useful for me.

Anyone get back to working out before your 6 week check up? I was active almost my entire pregnancy. Was still lifting heavy weights on my due date, using the stair master, and walking a lot. (Sadly couldn’t run bc of SPD). I say all that to say, I am one week post partum and I feel pretty good. I went on a slow mile walk on day three. I know my body is not ready for more than walking yet, (still tender and bleeding) but I do think I will be ready before 6 weeks. Anyone else?

I’m approaching 36 weeks and my bump is starting to get in my way and limit my mobility. When did you start noticing this was the case for you?

I usually find that eating smaller meals helps, but now that my bump is getting bigger, I’m not so sure smaller meals will help as much anymore.

I’m 18 weeks pregnant with my third baby. My first two pregnancies I consistently worked out doing Madeline moves. This go around (before I got pregnant) I have been a member at burn and cannot get myself to go. Every time I go I am so burnt out after and cramp so much during the workouts. I also am not in season where I am motivated to work out at home like I used to, I think because I’ve been going to burn? I’m also chasing two kids under age of 3 around. Can anyone relate? Give encouragement? Advice or tips? I feel so undisciplined which is not like me at all. Should I show myself grace or toughen up? Sorry for the rant

Did anyone else lose all their glute gains during pregnancy? I lost all my hardwork 🥲 Mostly due to not being able to do as many reps, sets, and lowering my weights substantially.. also in my 3rd trimester and have went from 5-day workout week (consistently for 4 years) to 3-days on a good week.

I asked women on a separate group what are some reasons women stop working out during pregnancy even if there’s no complications? I meant no harm by it at all. I was genuinely curious. So many women said I was being judgmental and most of them got extremely offended and defensive😭😭 I really was just wondering and not trying to make myself seem better or anything.

Hey all, not sure what I'm looking for on here but maybe some similar experiences or tips.

I have a subchorionic hematoma that has gotten bigger despite me basically doing no exercise except some household chores and walking. So now I'm effectively on bed rest and I don't know how much more I can take, mentally.

Pre pregnancy I was kickboxing, lifting, walking, hiking, dancing. I was working out at least 2 hours a day and walking at least another hour on top of that. And now I'm looking at three or more weeks of bed rest, which is bad for my sleep, energy, mental acuity, and mental health. Not to mention my blood pressure and overall strength and physical health. Almost more than miscarrying, I'm very scared that (if I make it to the end of term) I'll be physically unable to withstand the demands of labor. ​

Any advice here please, fit mamas? ​

I have been doing Nourish Move love during my second and third trimesters as well as some Caroline Girvan (never for abs or core). This has worked great but I would like some extra videos on prenatal core since I am unsure what to do and NML core does not feel very challenging. Please give me your favorite youtube videos on core and abs strength on youtube! Pilates and Barre with core focus are also welcome, thank you!

I’m 36 weeks and have been regularly exercising 4-5 times a week lifting weights and walking on the treadmill on an incline since about 18 weeks when my nausea stopped being debilitating.

This is my second bub and I’m in two minds. Do i keep it up till the day baby arrives, like i did last time? Or do I give myself and my body a break and pick up postpartum when I’m ready?

I feel great, I guess I’m just feeling a little lazy and unmotivated seeing myself getting bigger and bigger and know that ultimately I can just use being pregnant and chill for a bit😅

Hello all,

I have a bit of a predicament. I am planning to go lead climbing with a friend next week. I'm going to be 5 weeks pregnant next week so it's still very early days.

I have decided I'm comfortable continuing lead climbing for the next few weeks however I'm going to take it easy and avoid big falls.

I've just realised that maybe the thing I should really be thinking about is belaying..! My friend doesn't know I'm pregnant and I don't want to tell him yet. I am 55kg and he is about 90kg and he is liable to take some falls! I hadn't really thought it through until a video popped up on my feed this morning with a belayer getting injured when a climber fell on them.

I just don't think I feel comfortable belaying someone who is probably going to take big falls when there is such a weight difference. I think my only solution to go ahead with the climb would be to tell him and then only belay him on easier lead climbs or else on top-rope. However I'm just not sure I want to tell people yet.

This has got me thinking in general about belaying while pregnant. I'd spent all my time considering my climbing and how to manage that but no time at all considering belaying until now! I'm wondering what others have done in this situation? Has anyone out there still lead belayed in their first trimester??

I think I'd be comfortable belaying someone who is 60-70kg and who knows I'm pregnant. But I definitely need to think it through more.

My first few weeks were rough and not being able to work out as well or hard were one of the indicators that I should maybe take a test

Haven’t worked out in 2 weeks and now feel good enough to hit the gym again… only problem is I’m scared.

Any suggestions on what movements to focus on? I usually ran 5k and strength trained

Those of you on the other side, how did you make it through not being active during your recovery period?

I was very active up until the last couple weeks of my pregnancy (went to 41+4. Oof.) Physical movement is a huge part of my life and mental health. I ended up pushing for 3.5 hours during my delivery and my pelvic floor is tired. I’ve been trying to go out on walks in the morning, but I can really only go around the block before I feel pressure and weakness in my pelvic floor. It’s also extremely hot outside after 9am, so the morning is my only opportunity.

I’m struggling more with my body image than I expected. Cognitively I know that it took almost 10 months to grow my sweet baby and it’s going to take time, but right now I feel trapped in a squishy weak body. 😭

I’ve been doing some stretching but I’m just deeply missing exercise and right now it feels like I’ll never be able to move again.

I wanted to make a post here to say that this community did a lot for me during my pregnancy. Like anyone, I had concerns about my ability to maintain my level of fitness during and after pregnancy. I spent a lot of time lurking on here for encouragement to stay fit. I stayed active, prioritized movement even on days where it was tough, and I'm so grateful to be back feeling 100% like MYSELF so quickly after having my baby.

I worked out until 41 weeks and delivered via (unplanned) c-section at 41w6d. Week 1 was tough, but every day got a little bit better. With clearance from my OB I started lifting weights and running at week 8. I'm slower and weaker than I was before pregnancy, obviously, but I'm really enjoying the slow & steady process of retraining, along with a new appreciation for what my body has done for me and my baby.

To all the mamas looking for reassurance that everything will be okay - it will! Communities like this are so important, because there are so many people who will question your choice to care about yourself during pregnancy. Becoming a mom requires a lot of sacrifice, but you do not have to give up the things that make you feel healthy and fulfilled. I love being a mom. But I also love myself enough to know that I need to be the best version of ME to be the best mom possible.

Baby is happy, healthy, and hitting milestones early. I am happy and healthy too. Thank you to all the wonderful and supportive women in this sub who have shared their experiences and helped me get here! <3

I’m genuinely curious about something I see repeated constantly in pregnancy fitness spaces: “Avoid crunches/coning because it will make your diastasis recti worse.”

My understanding is that coning/doming is the abdominal wall deforming in response to pressure/load, but I haven’t been able to find good evidence that coning itself causes or worsens DR. My doctor also doesn’t think crunches or other abdominal exercises inherently worsen DR and actually encourages continuing to strengthen my core during pregnancy. She says it's just mainly genetic.

I’ve found some research that seems to support this, including studies looking at abdominal exercises during pregnancy that don't show them worsening DR.

So my question is: if coning/crunches/not rolling out of bed actually worsen DR, what is the evidence for that? And if there isn't good evidence that they do, why is “avoid coning or you’ll make your DR worse” still such common advice—and why are pregnant people still being told this by fitness professionals, PTs, doctors, etc.?

Is coning actually considered harmful in itself, or is it simply being used as a cue that an exercise may be too difficult/poorly controlled for someone at that point in pregnancy? But I still don't understand why coning is a cue for anything??

I’m genuinely interested in the evidence and would love to see research supporting either side. Not trying to argue that everyone should do crunches—just trying to understand why the advice seems so widespread if the evidence isn't clear. 🙂

I had my first baby 3 months ago and am hoping to have a second ~two years apart. That means I have about a year to prepare my body physically before getting pregnant again. I lift weights but had to stop lifting the last month of pregnancy and first month postpartum. Now I'm back in the gym, I'd like to set realistic goals.

What was your experience in the first year postpartum? What are realistic goals in your opinion for this time frame?

I used to do reformer and mat Pilates 1-2x per week (I also do 3-4x days of weightlifting and 1 day of yoga). I stopped Pilates a few months before conceiving because I was super busy and wasn’t able to make it to the classes. I’m wondering if now in the second trimester I can pick back up with classes again or if it’s just better to wait until after birth. There’s a studio near me that confirmed all their instructors are pre- and post-natal certified and they have wedges to stay on incline on the reformer.

Has anyone done hyrox pregnant? I’ll be 17 weeks by race day. I really want to race and don’t want to let down my partner but obviously don’t want to miscarry either. I get that I won’t be pushing for a PR, but was hoping to still finish

It’s been about six months since I started trying to have a baby, and during that time, I lost around 20 pounds but unfortunately gained it all back. A few days ago, I finally decided to join a gym and sign up with a personal trainer because I really want to lose that weight again and, this time, keep it off for good.

The thing is, I spent quite a lot of money on the gym membership and personal training, and now I’m worried that it might all go to waste if I actually get pregnant soon. At the same time, I’m already overweight, so I’m also scared about how much weight I might gain during pregnancy and how that will affect me.

I really want to have a baby, but I also want to take care of my body and feel healthier, and right now I’m just not sure how to balance the two.

First off, safe to say this is probably my last big ride during this pregnancy, and certainly my last off road outing...

Went for a partial gravel ride with my husband yesterday. Everything was going quite well but there was a lot of weird light patches due to the sun/shade combo and I ended up hitting a rock (not going too fast, maybe 10 mph) and fell on my side. Knee and shoulder are pretty banged up but I didn't hit my stomach or abdomen. I'm about 8.5 weeks. I don't have any bleeding or cramping and other than being sore on the side that hit I feel "normal".

Curious if anyone else here had falls/accidents early on and everything turned out ok? I feel mostly relieved that this early on bean is probably pretty safe but this was a bit of a scare.

EDIT: I went in for an ultrasound and the little bean was doing great. Still a strong heartbeat and looking more like an actual baby and less like a blob! Which is wild to me. Thanks all for sharing your stories. I will definitely be taking some precautions from now on!

Hey all,

I was a ding dong yesterday and decided to slide some furniture around in our soon to be nursery. A trunk I pulled on was heavier than expected and I felt a sudden pain/ache across my pubic bone and down into my labia. Advice nurse said it sounded like a strain/sprain and to just monitor it. I’m wondering if anyone else had this experience after a bad lift? Internet says it will haunt the remainder of my pregnancy which does not make me super happy. Wondering what other peoples experience has been like? My job requires me to walk and move/lift a lot so I’m nervous about exacerbating it or not being able to heal…

Any insights appreciated ❤️

I’ve just entered the third tri and as much as I hate to admit it I’m really struggling keeping up with fitness. I’ve been active everyday of the pregnancy so far, mostly 30-45 minute peloton rides of 3-5 km runs on the tread. I’ve also been lifting consistently 3-4x a week but mostly with dumbbells. As of lately I’ve noticed some discomfort on the right side of my bump during cardio and I’m just SO exhausted. My heart rate is also through the roof so I have to take frequent breaks. What should I be focusing on during these last 12 weeks? I just don’t want to give up my strength or endurance gains but I’m realizing I really can’t keep up with this pace.

Hi all! My incredible partner (32F) and I (27M) are planning longterm to maximize the chance that we can fulfill our dreams of parenthood together without rushing. She is an IRONMAN athlete with significant musculature to show for it, and most importantly, it’s clear that she really, really likes her body — she loves her lifestyle, and she loves how she looks (and I’m her #1 cheerleader!). However, when we started doing research on keeping eggs/blastocysts frozen, we were confronted with lots of very confusing information about what she can and cannot do, and it only seems to get more confusing the more we research … and I’m sure I’m the more confused of the two of us 😂
She wants to be as careful as possible, so she has started dialing back her routine — but I can tell it’s already taking an emotional toll on her. I figure, if I can’t give her the answers, the least I can do is to find someone who can.
Does anyone have some up-to-date resources on exercise and fertility/pregnancy that they swear by?
Any and all information is hugely appreciated!
Thank you in advance for pointing us in the right direction 🩷 Best of love to all of you in your fit, pregnant journeys!!

This is baby #3 and I am wanting to make sure I do workouts that will benefit me during pregnancy and postpartum. With my last, I had noticed a lot of coning (I was also uneducated) and I want to make sure I don’t get to that point again! His birth ended in an emergency c-section so I’m trying to prep my body the best way that I can for my VBAC! Does anyone have any workouts you love doing during pregnancy?! What about postpartum? My goal this time around is to walk and build my pelvic floor when the time comes.

That said, I’m in my first trimester so I am taking it one workout at a time! I did Madeline moves for a while but I’m honestly burnt out. I just want to feel strong while pregnant!