Antenatal Exercises

This leaflet tells you about exercises to help you:

• Stay healthy during your pregnancy.
• Prepare for the birth of your baby.
• Aid your recovery after the birth of your baby.

Mild to moderate exercise is good for you and your baby. However, it is best to do exercises that you are used to. Walking, swimming or attending aqua natal classes are good forms of exercise during pregnancy. As your pregnancy progresses you should slow down the pace of your exercise.

When exercising you should:

• Drink plenty of water.
• Not overdo it.
• Stop if you feel tired or unwell.
• Avoid contact sports, for example, hockey, football or judo.

Exercise classes for pregnant women are available; ask your midwife for more information.

What exercises should I do?

Abdominal (tummy) exercises

Your abdominal muscles help to support your back. They stretch with your growing baby and become weaker. To keep these muscles strong you need to use them correctly.

To exercise these muscles:

• Place your hand flat under your bump and take a deep breath in through your nose. As you breathe out pull your tummy in towards your spine, then relax.

Repeat this exercise 5 – 10 times, 3 times a day.

Once you are able to do this comfortably, repeat this exercise but this time keep your tummy muscles pulled in for up to 10 seconds while you breathe in and out.

Repeat this exercise 5 – 10 times, 3 times a day.

Pelvic floor exercises

The pelvic floor is made up of layers of muscles, stretching like a hammock from your pubic bone to the bottom of your backbone (see diagram below).

These muscles help to hold your bladder and bowel in position, also the uterus (womb) in women. They stretch to allow your baby to be born. They prevent leakage from your bladder and bowel, only relaxing when your bladder or bowel is emptying.

During pregnancy, pressure on your pelvic floor increases with the weight of your baby. This may cause your pelvic floor to weaken and you may leak urine when you exert yourself, especially after the baby is born. Doing your pelvic floor exercises before and after delivery can help to keep these muscles strong and flexible.

Why should I do pelvic floor exercises?

All women need to do pelvic floor exercises throughout their lives.  Pelvic floor muscles may become weak:

• During and after childbirth.
• Through lack of exercises.
• By straining to open your bowels.
• By being overweight.
• From having a chronic cough.

Pelvic floor exercises can help strengthen your muscles so they can give your organs support again. This will improve your bladder and bowel control, and should help to reduce or stop any leakage.

How to do pelvic floor exercises

You should:

• Sit comfortably with your knees slightly apart.

• Imagine you are trying to stop yourself passing wind from your bowel by squeezing and lifting the muscles around your anus (back passage). You should be able to feel the muscle move and the skin around your anus tightening and being pulled up.

• Next imagine you are sitting on the toilet trying to stop passing urine, you are “zipping up” inside. You should be using the same muscles you used before.

• Join both of these exercises together to strengthen your pelvic floor. This is called pulling up your pelvic floor.

There are 2 ways of doing these exercises. You will need to do both.

Slow exercises

You should:

• Quickly tighten and pull up your pelvic floor muscles then let them relax straight away. Repeat this exercise 8 times.

• Do these exercises at least 3 sets every day.

When you have learnt how to do pelvic floor exercises you can do them while sitting, for example, watching TV, standing, such as, washing up, waiting for a bus or lying down.

You should continue to do these exercises every day for the rest of your life. It is important you continue to enjoy life and not allow your bladder to control your life.

Exercises to improve your circulation

During pregnancy the blood circulation in your legs often slows down causing swelling of your feet and ankles.

Try to support your legs on a stool when you are sitting down and avoid sitting with your legs crossed.

You should:

• Sit on a chair with your legs straight out in front of you
  
• Bend your ankle to stretch your feet up and down
  
• Move your feet around in circles.
  
• Sit on the floor and push the backs of your knees into the floor; the muscles on the front of your thighs should tighten.
  
  Do each exercise 10 times, at least once a day.

Exercises to help your posture

During pregnancy, due to the weight of your baby, you will tend to stand with a hollow back, sticking your tummy out. This puts a strain on your spine, which can cause aches and pains in your back and pelvis.

A hormone called relaxin is present in your body during pregnancy. This hormone helps to make the joints of your pelvis more supple (flexible) ready for the birth of your baby. Relaxin affects every joint, for example, knees, ankles and feet, and may cause strains and sprains.

To help prevent back ache

When walking and standing you should:

• Walk and stand ‘tall’.

• Try to keep your shoulders back and tummy in at all times.

Do

Do not

When sitting you should:

• Not slouch; make sure your back is against the back of the chair. It may help if you place a cushion in the small of your back.

Do

Do not

When bending you should:

• Keep your back straight and bend your knees.

• Hold objects close to your body as you stand up, if you need to lift something.

Do

Do not

When getting out of bed you should:

• Roll onto your side and then push yourself up with your arms.

Pelvic tilting exercise

This exercise will help to improve your posture and relieve backache.

You should:

• Sit, stand or lie on your back, with knees bent.

• Pull your tummy in, tilt your bottom upwards slightly and press the small of your back against the chair, wall or floor.

• Hold for a count of 3.

• Relax.

• Repeat this exercise 5 times. This should be done at least once a day.

You should not lie on your back in the last 3 months of pregnancy without several pillows under your head as this may make you feel faint.

Pelvic tilting when sitting

Sport

You can continue any non-contact sport you are used to so long as you are comfortable.

Do

• Walk, swim, cycle, dance.
• Practice yoga and stretching exercises.
• Rest or slow down when needed.

• Push yourself to maintain pre-pregnancy standards.
• Exercise when you are tired.
• Do very strong tummy exercises, for example, sit ups.
• Jump excessively, for example on a trampoline.

Ask your midwife or doctor about taking part in sport if you have had any problems during your pregnancy.

Contact

If you need further advice, or have any worries, please contact:

University Hospital of North Tees

Community Midwives

Monday to Friday 08:30am-09:30am

Non-urgent messages can be left on an answering machine and will be picked up throughout day.

If your call is urgent, you should contact the hospital where you are due to have your baby.

Telephone: 01642 383439 / 01642 383440

Antenatal Day Assessment Unit

Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 9.30pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9.00am – 5.00pm

Outside of these hours, calls are transferred to the Delivery Suite.

Telephone: 01642 624239

Delivery Suite

24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Telephone: 01642 392718

Antenatal/ Postnatal Ward

24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Telephone: 01642 382722

University Hospital of Hartlepool

Antenatal Day Unit

Monday to Friday
09:00am-05:00pm
Outside of these hours, calls are transferred to the Birthing Centre.
Telephone: 01429 522879

Community Midwives

7 days a week, 9.00am – 10.00am

Non-urgent messages can be left on an answering machine and will be picked up throughout day.

If your call is urgent, you should contact the hospital where you are due to have your baby.
Telephone: 01429 522279

Peterlee Community Hospital

Peterlee Community Midwives

Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 10.00am

Non-urgent messages can be left on an answering machine and will be picked up throughout day.

If your call is urgent, you should contact the hospital where you are due to have your baby.
Telephone: 01429 522270

Other useful addresses and telephone numbers

Footsteps
Ochill Terrace
Billingham
Telephone: 01642 528920

Ragworth Children’s Centre
St John’s Way
Stockton
Telephone: 01642 527218

High Fliers Children’s Centre
Tedder Avenue
Thornaby
Telephone: 01642 527809

PIL number: PIL1001
Date for Review: 08/09/2024

Further information available

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