As any mother will admit, pregnancy places tremendous strain on the body. On average, women gain around 30 pounds during pregnancy, resulting in a big postural change. It can be incredibly laborious to carry all that extra weight around, not to mention extremely exhausting for the body. Some of our leading osteopaths have offered some tips and exercises that you can do, even before going into labour, in order to assuage the physical burdens of pregnancy.

Work-out Sessions: It is a good idea to maintain a consistent work-out routine throughout your pregnancy, but your routine has to be modified based on what stage of pregnancy you are in. For the first and second trimesters, having three to four 30-minute work-out sessions a week is great for keeping the blood circulation going. During the last trimester, you are best advised to stick to 20 minute sessions, because your added weight will otherwise make the longer sessions way too strenuous.

Types of Exercises: While cardio exercises are often very good, during pregnancy we advise you to stick to activities that control your heart-rate to 145 bpm - while still allowing you to break out it sweat. Squats and lunges (without weights) are excellent for doing this, as are swimming and brisk-walking. Swimming is especially helpful during your last trimester, because the water supports your weight nicely, which takes the pressure off your exhausted muscles. Activities such as gentle aerobics and cycling are also highly recommended. Also be sure to do very short stretches before and after each work-out to get the flood flowing through your joints and muscles.

Movements/Exercises to Avoid: Avoid high-impact and contact sports, which range from football to squash. When stretching, do not hold a stretch for longer than 5-6 seconds. Because pregnant bodies are more vulnerable to stresses and strains, prolonged stretches causes a release of the ‘relaxing’ hormone that (while it is necessary for giving birth) is damaging to the areas around the joints. Also, abstain from carrying heavy objects so that you avoid overexerting yourself.

Dietary tips: An order for you and your baby to feel at your best throughout pregnancy, a well-balanced diet is a must. A pregnant woman requires approximately 2500 calories a day - so just because you are feeding both yourself and your baby does not mean that you eat twice as much as you normally would. To get the proper amounts of energy and nutrition, make sure you eat something from each food group every day: whole grains and wheat, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry (your protein source), and dairy products.

See an Osteopath: In order to keep a close eye on the rapid changes your body is undergoing, it is advisable to see an osteopath early on in the first trimester. This way, if your body is not responding to exercises as it should, we can step in and help you change your routine before you damage your body.

With backaches, mood swings, and exhaustion threatening to overwhelm you, pregnancy is no easy process. However, with the help of an osteopath and the techniques above, hopefully your passage from pregnant woman to loving mother will not only be bearable, but enjoyable.