Exercise During Pregnancy

Before and throughout my pregnancy, I exercised at least twice per week, and each session lasts a minimum 30 minutes. The only time that I stopped exercising was the two week period when I had spotting during the first trimester. I suspect that it was the time when the placenta invaded the womb which produced a small amount of blood.

Thank goodness, even though my new job was extremely stressful and long hours, my baby turned out to be very healthy and strong, and my recovery process was far better than I expected.

Here are a few resources that I used and found really useful.

1. 10 Minute Solution: Prenatal Pilates

The highly rates prenatal exercise from Amazon.com. It has five different prenatal work-outs, and each work out is only 10 minutes. This is especially good for busy mums who struggle to find time to exercise.

Most movements in this DVD are quite easy to follow. They are quite gentle to your boy as well.

I highly recommend this set of exercises as a start, if you haven't had a regular exercise routine for three months.

However, once you are pregnant, you may want to stop practising the first half of the Core Pilates work out, because it puts too much pressure on your belly.

2. Suzanne Bowen's Slim & Toned Prenatal Barre Workout

This is a physically demanding workout that requires a much longer time for each session. After I found 10-Minute Solution too easy, I changed to this set of exercises to continue strengthening my body.

If you are generally fit and look for something to challenge your body, this DVD is highly recommended.

Because it is a much more intense exercise, you don't need to finish the entire session in the first few times. Allow your body to get used to it gradually. In addition, good stretches are recommended before and after the exercise.

3. Pregnancy Yoga

This is a free prenatal yoga series from Tonic Youtube Channel. It is really helpful for the late third trimester, especially during the last two months of pregnancy. I remember how anxious I was in the last few weeks before delivering Sam, due to the fear of childbearing pain and unpredictable complication may be involved. This prenatal yoga helped me calm down and shift my attention from fearing the future to strengthening myself.

4. Exercise for Normal Delivery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyxYDS2tsaY

I highly recommend this exercise for pregnant ladies who are less than two months away from the due day. It prepares your body for natural delivery, strengthens the muscles used for the delivery process, and helps your baby to goes down the birth canal as well. In addition, it gave me more competence in birth delivery as a first-time mother.