PREGNANCY & POST PARTUM FITNESS FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Written by your experienced certified Pre/Post Natal Certified Trainers & Movement Optimization Specialists, Coach Bri and Coach Siggy.

The medical landscape is starting to shift and we’re seeing more care for women after birth. However previously and still many hospitals to date consider Pregnancy only as a medical condition that needs to be treated similar to disease and illness. Thankfully, we’re starting to make progress. Pregnancy, birth and post partum care is shifting to a more whole-person approach that guides women through the natural process of bringing life into the world.

However, we can’t ignore the history that includes claims from medical doctors that “black women can’t feel pain”, “white women are unable to give birth without the interventions of doctors”, and that “it’s ungodly and inappropriate for a women to make noise during labour”. The standard of care in the nineteenth century shifted and it became common practice to shave pubic hair, give an enema, sedate, drug and cut the perennial area open (only to be sewn back tighter for the pleasure of their partners later). Restraint jackets and beds were also used to hold women down during labour. The underlying message infiltrating the medical community was that “only medicine could save women from the horrors of child birth” and that control must be executed over the process. Yet, as the common practice of medical interventions grew and the altering of the birthing process, so did the number of deaths from labour. Although many practices are still useful and used today, it took 65 years for these doctors to accept hand washing practices between patients (1,2,3).

This isn’t to say that our medical care today has not progressed immensely since the 1900’s, it clearly has! We have amazing doctors, nurses and midwives who raise the standard of care for all women. The importance of the history is to highlight that we don’t always have it all figured out and it’s up to women to be educated and active decision makers in their birth and recovery process.

THE MORE WE KNOW

Pregnancy can feel like an overwhelming amount of learning - “How will my body change? Is this normal? Am I allowed to workout? Can I still have coffee? What have I gotten myself into? Is my baby ok? What’s coming next?”. The future is unknown and we’re suddenly thrust into walking new territory that we have never walked before with a changing body, mind and emotions that seem to shift by the hour. Pregnancy is all about adapting, changing, and expeirincing the unknown.

Labour seems like the only event our brain can focus on over the next 40 weeks. - “How will my body do that? Can I survive this? How will I manage the pain when I can’t even manage stubbing my toe? Will I ever be the same after? Your labour was how many hours? I have no idea what I am doing.”

Post Partum can be the darkest period of them all with racing anxiety and dark thoughts that creep in anytime we set the baby down or look away for a second. We can feel so much love and happiness, followed by guilt and lack of confidence in our future. Up until now, we have had appointments with doctors and midwives and friends checking in, but suddenly 6 weeks has passed and we feel alone. The doctor meets with us for 7 minutes, slaps on a gold star, and sends us on our way to “return to regular activities”.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

We believe that knowledge is power and better understanding each stage of creating a human can help us make the best decisions for us and our growing families. Understanding what is happening physiologically can help give purpose to pain and the non-stop changes that require us to adapt on the daily. Acquiring a basic understanding of our options during pregnancy, labour and post natal care can provide us with the confidence to ask our medical professionals the right questions. Finding a support group to be on your team during these periods and beyond can help us feel a lot less alone as we walk new ground.

If you were an athlete or active before pregnancy this may be the first time in your life that you feel out of control of your own body.

“I spent most my life as a high performance athlete. My strength, althletic appearance, and body’s capacity has always been the focal point of my success. My body’s achievements are where I learned to place my self worth and accomplishments. Now as a personal trainer, I feel the same pressures to ensure that I lead by example through my health, appearance and fitness. I found pregnancy to be a very challenging on my identity. With each change my body made, I felt a little piece of my control, achievements, and identity slip away. I have found that education helps me better understand what my body is going through, so that I can reframe the experience and integrate my pregnancy into my life rather than surrender my life over to my pregnancy. Instead of looking at the changes happening with a big ol’ ‘WTF?’, I like to learn why this is happening and the important role it plays in developing my baby. With knowledge, I have learned to reframe labour as less of a painful experience that happens to me, but rather the biggest game day of my life that I will be prepared for.”

- Coach Siggy

7 POST PARTUM FITNESS FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

PRE CONCEPTION

Menstrual cycles are something women typically consider as bothersome. Whether you suffer from extreme symptoms or you have ruined one too many pairs of white pants, it can seem unfortunate to add a box of tampons to your monthly groccery bill. And we won't even begin to dive into the impacts of Birth Control.

1. Did you know your period is actually considered an additional vital sign? Our periods are an important representations of our overall health. In 2015, the American College of Obstertricians and Gynecologists named it a vital sign and placed it next to pulse, blood pressure, temperature and breathing (4). That means we should put the shame of hiding tampons up our sleeve away and start valuing this additional and important data in our overall health picture.

2. Loss of period could result in infertility. RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport) in short is under eating and over exercising and typically results in loss of period, bone loss, reoccurring injury/pain, fatigue and low mood (5).

PREGNANCY

3. Only 15-38% of pregnant women are reported to follow physical activity guidelines and up to 60% of women are inactive during pregnancy (6). However, current guidelines suggest that pregnant people should continue with exercise regimens that they participated in prior to pregnancy. In the 1980s, it may have been suggested that women should not lift over 20 pounds and not have the heart rate exceed 145bpm. This is because we can not conduct studies on pregnant women therefore there is no evidence positive or negative beyond those restrictions. It’s important to note, it’s not because working harder than that is considered dangerous, but the suggestions are in place due to overall lack of evidence.

Thankfully, we have women like Christina Prevett (PT, PHD) leading new medical research using their own pregnancies to establish and conduct new research opportunities. Most significantly her study on heavy resistance training during pregnancy (7).

Method: A total of 679 individuals who lifted at least 80% one-repetition maximum during pregnancy participated in an online survey.

Conclusion: Pregnant individuals who engaged in heavy resistance training had typical perinatal and pelvic floor health outcomes that were not altered whether they engaged in, or avoided Olympic lifting, Valsalva or supine weightlifting.

DELIVERY

4. Beta-Endorphins (BE) are our natural pain killers that reduce stress and produce feelings of euphoria and pleasure. During birth BE’s are released to help stimulate the reward center and facilitates the release of milk. Regular exercise throughout pregnancy is shown to increase BE’s during labour (3).

5. The pelvic floor does not only need to be strong and contract, but it also needs to be able to relax. The pelvic floor needs to work in symphony during active labour. The pelvic floor is made up of muscles, nerves, ligaments and fasciae. The good news is, we’re well practiced as our pelvic floor has been activated ever since our first breath. The pelvic floor is connected to our diaphragm and upper abdominal muscles. Inhale and it relaxes, exhale and it contracts. This is why deep breathing exercises pre, during and post labour are crucial for an optimal pelvic floor function (3). Deep breathing exercises are safe for everyone, as they stimulate both contraction and relaxation. On the contrary, exercises like Kegels may have a positive or negative effect on pelvic floor function based on the individual needs. For example, if one’s pelvic floor is over active/contracted they would benefit more from relaxation drills and more Kegels could actually lead to more dysfunction. Consult with a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist if you’re unsure what’s best for your body.

POST PARTUM & BEYOND

6. A systematic review on women’s postpartum body image reports (Hodgkinson et. al, 2014):

• Societal pressure post birth to reclaim control of their body which produces emotions of distress and fear.

• Women and society perceive the post partum body as a project to be worked on.

• The exceptions held by women for their postpartum bodies were high and recognized as unrealistic.

7. "Those who received more liberal instruction on return to exercise had less symptomatic pelvic floor symptoms.” It’s important that we treat our bodies with care, while respecting that our bodies are resilient and capable of recovery. How we and other medical professionals speak about our bodies matter! We are not delicate and we are capable of strength, recovery and optimal fitness after birth (in given time). It’s important to remember:

• Getting out of a chair is equivalent to lifting 20lbs from a counter or 13lbs off the floor

• Coughing is the equivalent to lifting 35lbs from the floor (that’s a barbell!)

Creating a safe and positive mindset around the return to fitness and rehab with a supportive and educated community is key to success in optimal health and fitness postpartum (9).

TRAINING THROUGH PREGNANCY & POST PARTUM WITH JOLT FITNESS

We believe that educated and empowered women are health leaders for their family. Our supportive community led by certified pre and post natal rehabilitation and fitness experts offers active health care that builds resilient bodies and creates a high quality of life (for you and your family!).

We know it can be hard and intimidating to make the time and prioritize your own health after birth. However, we believe that active mothers who feel strong and resilient transfer that power into their family by consistently showing up their best, mentally and physically.

Our 4 week Post Natal Rehab program runs every Spring, Fall and Winter at Jolt Fitness and is always available online through our training app. The Post Natal Rehab program is followed up by our 6 Week Mom + Baby Fitness classes. That’s 10 week’s of active care, supportive communities, socializing with other mom’s and being a health leader for your family.

All of our other classes are kid-friendly (expect yoga and mobility), we ask that if kids are present for workout classes that they stay put within an arms reach of mom to avoid injury and accidents. The best classes to keep kids easily within arms reach are Lift, Cross Train and Fit For Life.

Pregnant women should reach out for personal training for an individualized, safe and effective approach to your training.

REFERENCES

1. Wertz, Richard W., & Dorthy C Wertz. Lying In: A History of Childbirth in America. New York: Free Press, 1990.

2. Loudon, Irvine. Death in Childbirth: An International Study of Maternal Care and Maternal Mortality. 1800-1950. Oxford: Calrendon Press, 2001.

3. Hailes, N., Spivak, A., & Reimer, L. (2020). Why did no one tell me this?: The doulas' honest guide for expectant parents. Running Press.

4. Menstruation in girls and adolescents: Using the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. (2016). Pediatrics, 137(3). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-4480

5. Statuta SM, Asif IM, Drezner JA. Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S). Br J Sports Med. 2017 Nov;51(21):1570-1571. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097700. Epub 2017 Jul 6. PMID: 28684389.

6. Broberg L, Ersbøll AS, Backhausen MG, Damm P, Tabor A, Hegaard HK. Compliance with national recommendations for exercise during early pregnancy in a Danish cohort. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015 Nov 27;15:317. doi: 10.1186/s12884-015-0756-0. PMID: 26614105; PMCID: PMC4661949.

7. Prevett C, Kimber ML, Forner L, de Vivo M, Davenport MH. Impact of heavy resistance training on pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes. Int Urogynecol J. 2023 Feb;34(2):405-411. doi: 10.1007/s00192-022-05393-1. Epub 2022 Nov 4. PMID: 36331580.

8. Hodgkinson, E.L., Smith, D.M. & Wittkowski, A. Women’s experiences of their pregnancy and postpartum body image: a systematic review and meta-synthesis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 14, 330 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2393-14-330

9. Murphy M. Restrictions and limitations after pelvic floor surgery: what's the evidence? Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2017 Oct;29(5):349-353. doi: 10.1097/GCO.0000000000000393. PMID: 28719393.