9 Stretches That You Will Love During And After Pregnancy

Stretching during pregnancy can relieve a lot of discomfort and pain. Im pretty sure most of us complain about back/hip pain as well as that horrendous cramp some of us can get in our calves in the middle of the night.

During pregnancy your body massively changes to make room for your baby and prepare for birth. As pregnancy goes on you will find that you will become a bit off balance due to your growing uterus, this can make you feel a bit wobbly on your feet at times. Your body will also produce a  hormone called relaxin, this loosens your body in preparation for your baby bypassing down through your birth canal. However this hormone affects the whole body which makes it difficult for your other joints to keep stable and supported.
This is why stretching can be really beneficial during and after pregnancy as not only will it help you with your pain/discomfort, but it will help strengthen and realign your muscles which will help stabilise and support your body.

Before we get to the stretches here are some important Tips:

Warm up

Before your begin your stretches make sure you warm up as you do not want to cause any injury. e.g A brisk walk/dancing around/ glute kicks/arm swings/ knee raises ect. 

No bouncing

Make sure you do not bounce during stretching as this can result in pulling your muscles. Focus on holding the stretch until your tension feels at ease. Ideally you want to hold your stretch between 30- 60 seconds.

Do not over stretch

As I mentioned above your body contains a hormone called relaxin' which loosens up your joints. You will find that this will make you more flexible and your range of movement will be more than what it used to be. Some women can actually have the reverse affect which is the bodies way of protecting itself from over stretching. So you could actually find you are a bit stiff throughout your pregnancy. However, if you do find that you have become very flexible make sure you do not over stretch so your stretch should feel nice rather than painful as you do not want to cause an injury. 

Breathing 

Breathing helps you relax and you need to be relaxed during stretching. This can also help you practise your breathing for birth as the more relaxed you are the better your birth will go. Unfortunately our bodies naturally tense up to protect us when something feels like pain so really try and focus on your breathe during stretching as this will help you gain control for your big day. Breathe in through your nose into your diaphragm(not chest) and slowly out through your mouth. 

9 Pregnancy Stretches

Child pose
Muscles: Back, hips, pelvis, adductors(inner thighs), shoulder, quadriceps(tops of thighs).
Tips: Knees wide toes together, push your bottom back to your heels, get your bump comfy and leave your arms extended with your palms facing up for an open rotation through your arms and shoulders.

Cat Stretch
Muscles: Back, shoulders, neck, hips/pelvis, tummy.
Tips: On all fours, weight equally spread between limbs, wrists underneath shoulders and knees underneath your hips. Relax your head down, exhale and round up through your spine, inhale taking your spine back to neutral spine/starting position.

Glute stretch
Muscles: Glutes, hips/pelvis, lower back, adductors. (This can also be done sitting on a chair. My fav stretch)
Tips: Sitting comfortably lift one leg over the other and open up through your hip. Apply a little pressure to your open thigh if you need too. 

Neck lengthening
Muscles: Shoulder, neck and spine.
Tips: Kneeling/sitting/standing lift your spine tall pushing your shoulders down your spine towards the floor making space between your shoulders and neck. Slightly tuck your chin in to lengthen through your neck(Think of a ballerina).

Shoulder stretch
Muscles: Shoulders', neck, arms, back.
Tips: Kneeling/sitting/standing round your spine forward caving in your chest, clasp your hands together relaxing your head in, taking your arms out in front, stretching your shoulder blades apart.

Hip stretch 
Muscles: Hips/pelvis, adductors, back, glutes(bottom)
Tips: Sitting as tall as your feel comfortable with no unsettling pain, open up through your hips, apply a little pressure to both thighs so they stay in one position, lengthen through your spine and push your shoulders'  down making space between your shoulders and neck.

Side bend
Muscles: Obliques, hips/pelvis, chest, ribs, back.
Tips: Sitting/standing bending over to one side. Lengthen through your side, right through to the tips of your fingers, keep your heart and bump open. Make sure you do not hold onto tension in your neck.

Chest stretch
Muscles: Chest, neck, ribs, shoulders, tummy.
Tips: Lengthen both arms out pulling thumbs back, relax your head back comfortably, and relax your shoulders.

Hip flexor stretch
Muscles: Hips/pelvis, quads.
Tips: Try to keep weight into the front leg/foot, tuck pelvis under, lengthen through your spine pushing your weight forwards, but keep your front knee behind your toes..

I would recommend that you carry on stretching post pregnancy as you will find new aches and pains due to different repetitive mummy requirements. i.e picking up your baby, breastfeeding, holding baby, lifting/carry, rocking ect. Your core muscles will also be very weak which will easily allow pain and tension to occur so be aware as you will need to restrengthen these muscles correctly. You can do this safe and effectively with my 'myMummyFitness' program or my 'Rehab your abs' (diastasic-recti) program. Email kimmyfitnesspt@gmail.com for more information on my mummy exercises programs and make sure you check out my 'pregnancy' page for lots of useful pregnancy information.

Pregnancy Training - Second to Third trimester

Mummy-to-be

I call this workout 'pregnant, fit and beautiful' because you are pregnant, you are fit and your are beautiful!

Pregnancy is such a precious special moment, so try to embrace and enjoy it. 

During pregnancy your body tends to take its own control which can be abit daunting for some, and this does not mean you ear 'eating for two'. However exercising throughout your pregnancy will gain you some control over your weight gain, contribute to a natural birth and can definitely give you some happy hormones. 

      'A happy mummy a happy baby' 

 So let's get started;

Warm up; 10mins on the bike or treadmill (depending upon what's more comfortable for you)
A steady pace- remember we are just warming up.

Dynamic stretching; Stick to the main big muscle groups only, keeping the movements controlled and graceful. During pregnancy you do not want to over stretch but we do need to keep mobile.

Main session;


Swiss ball squats with light dumbbells/ or no dumbbells, completely your choice. (Always listen to your body)

Try and keep higher than a 90 degree angle in your squat as we don't need to go too low at this stage. This will help us maintain tight legs and bottom- and will also activate our core as we are using the Swiss ball. 10-12 reps, 2-3sets

Multi directional arm and back work- 

3 exercises at one machine in one rep!
(That is what us mummies like) 

Cable machine;

Cable rope (to go around a bump) Exercises; standing row, upward row, Bicep curl.

This is wonderful for our back, arms and core. 10-12reps, 2-3sets

Standing Tricep kickbacks- light weights- depending on you. 10-12reps, 2-3sets

(Take a few steps inbetween sets) 



Wall angles; Standing tall with your back against the wall, start with both hands above the head and lead with your elbows down, squeezing your shoulder blades then return back up(a semi-circle movement). This is working on your back and shoulders. You will have a small arch in our lower back due to your beautiful babyBump 

10-12reps, 2-3sets

 (this is a third trimester movement for a shoulder press)

Seated Swiss-ball shoulder press. (This is more for second trimester and NOT recommended to those with extreme high blood pressure) 10-12reps, 2-3sets

Standing super'woman' or all fours super'woman'; This is extremely beneficial for your lower back and core. The positioning is dependant on you. (Mummies know best)

10-12reps, 2-3sets

All fours or standing pelvis tilt; this great for the core, hips and pelvic floor.

Hold for 8 seconds then release pulling your belly button to spine- you can even sneak in some deep pelvic floor work here. 10-12reps, 2-3sets.

Abductor and Adductor machines;

Abductor targets our inner thighs and lower abdomin. (Try and engage your pelvic floor whilst doing this) 

Adductor targets our glutes. (Yummy mummy) 

10-12 reps, 2-3 sets

Cool down; 

10 mins on the bike or treadmill.

Static stretches; 

Non developmental. Target the main big muscle groups only. Hold for 8-12 seconds.

     There you have it; My 'pregnant fit and beautiful' workout! I hope you enjoy it... Would love to hear how you got on? So please feel free to give this a try and leave some feedback?

"Have a wonderful pregnancy"

For more information on pregnancy visit my 'pregnancy information' page which you will find in the menu bar. Please email kimmyfitnesspt@gmail.com for more information on a personalised pregnancy workout plan. 

Please read before you attempt this workout; 

Please make sure your GP is aware you are exercising throughout your pregnancy. Please aways listen to your body.
Do not ignore any pains or tiredness, this is telling you to stop. 

Keep hydrated, keep cool, keep mobile, and do not exercise to exhaustion.

Make sure you do not get breathless throughout your workouts, ie you can hold a conversation during cardio. 

Please avoid lying on your back for long periods after 16 weeks.

Also, Try and recognise what time of day you have energy- as that is the time you should aim to exercise.