Exercise in pregnancy

[Skittles11]

Hello I am currently in the second trimester (22 weeks) and am acutely aware that I should be doing more exercise than I have been doing. I find I am still tired a lot of the time and when I finish work I need a nap and don't have much energy - but I really do need to increase my exercise. I was slightly overweight before pregnancy despite healthy eating and exercise, I gradually put weight on over the last few years with all the IVF meds and being in and out of cycles for so long... and obviously need to be mindful of appropriate weight gain now.

I wondered what have others done as exercise. Are there any online classes people can recommend? It has been difficult to know what to do with it, several previous losses I think has made me very afraid. I am a member of a gym but don't know what to do there that is safe.

Grateful for input x x

[CyclingAddict]

Hey Skittles, like you, I hadn't been very active because I was really worried and also because I had pretty bad sickness and nausea during all of my first trimester and much of my second trimester. My midwife suggested aqua natal which is specifically designed for pregnant women and ran by midwives. I was pretty hesitant at first because I hadn't been in a pool in years, but now I'm absolutely hooked! I've been going since I was 25 weeks and I'm now 36 weeks, but many of the ladies that go start as early as 13 weeks. Swimming is supposed to be really good in general for pregnant women and it feels absolutely glorious to be in water as your belly gets bigger as it takes the weight off. it's a really good workout without feeling like a really good workout. It's also a fab place to socialise (I was there the other day and, out of the 5 of us ladiss that day, 3 of us had conceived via IVF, so you really do feel less alone). Plus it's reassuring that if you do experience any aches or pains you can stop to talk to one of the midwives there.

Promise I'm not sponsored by aqua natal 😂, but worth looking up to see if there are any classes near you as it really is fun X

[Kate-92]

as dreadful as this sounds I’m not mad on exercise so I just did walking up until the point I couldn’t go that far 😂 I used to do approx 3 miles getting back and forth from work each day so I just topped that up, easy & gentle ! x

[CreateIVF]

yoga and walking! I try to get out for a walk every day even if it’s like 2.5k. Just to keep myself moving. Very bad leg swelling (from like week 20) means that it’s a constant battle but getting some movement in is importantly. Congrats on your pregnancy! Xx

[Crie1983]

Hi, I’m 25 weeks and haven’t been very active at all. I try and get out for a walk every day, even if it’s just for 20 mins. X

[NemoFish]

All I did was walk my dog, it was all I could do! I put on 4 stone, but baby is now 16 weeks old and I’ve already lost 3.5 stone of it again so it wasn’t the be all and end all. I don’t think there’s any need to go mad, if you weren’t already running marathons every other day then just not being completely sedentary is enough. I made sure I was doing something rather than nothing, aiming for a walk every day. By the end that felt like a massive achievement! Weight gain is inevitable for a lot of people, but I still gave myself a hard time accepting that.

Hope you’re doing well! Xx

[Hidden]

if you’re already a member of a gym then speak to the staff there and ask them to run through exercises and which machines are pregnancy safe. I actually quit the gym when I was pregnant as I was such a worry wart. Ended up just walking lots and trying as hard as possible to reach 10,000 steps each day 🙂 x

[Londonlady2024]

Hi, I would suggest walking which is great for your heart and blood pressure. I would not recommend swimming as you can catch infections. All the best x

[Keggles36]

Im just going to echo everyone else - I dog walk each day (she's not impressed at how slow we go these days), try and swim a couple of times a week and go to a pregnancy yoga class once a week. I find the swimming and the yoga is good for my brain, which is the only thing that's kept me going!! Though breaststroke all the way as front crawl made me vomit until recently 🤣

[WillowPark]

Hi Skittles11, I'm in exactly the same position! Had to work to keep my weight in order pre-TTC and IVF and then with the IVF weight gain went up to what I would say is my maximum weight, but I couldn't lose anything because I felt so terrible that activity was a no go. Now I'm pregnant, feeling better but still struggling with activity. Like others I am just trying to walk everywhere as much as possible. I have joined both pregnancy yoga and pregnancy pilates and would recommend both. I'm also preparing to go back to swimming but I haven't made it yet. (Coming down with the flu is not helping!) Just try a few things and see what suits you 🙂 I am viewing it as trying to stay active and enjoying activity for as long as possible now that I feel the want to do it, rather than worrying about weight per se, but acutely aware I don't want a battle on the other side to get back into shape! x

[HollyT7]

I did zero exercise, was like Snow White most of the pregnancy with added terrible sickness throughout. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t!