Should I workout pregnant?

Disclaimer: Please always check with your healthcare provider (obgyn and/or midwife) before exercising, each person and situation is different.

Hi, I am Ludivine, a French Personal Trainer based in Berlin. I am the mother of two amazing little girls who are almost 2 and 4 years old. I know that working out isn’t easy as a mother: our bodies changed a lot and went through difficult things, we unfortunately don’t always sleep great, we can be stressed and overstimulated, we lack time, and we wake up one day wondering where all that energy and motivation went.

My first rule when it comes to sport during pregnancy is: no pressure. Working out while pregnant is amazing and has so many benefit. It helps prevent so many complications like gestational diabetes or preeclampsia and it helps a lot to prepare for the birth itself. So if you feel good I would 100% recommend doing it. Unfortunately pregnancies don’t always go as planned and they can be far from the dreamy experience you see in the movies. I had terrible morning sickness both times - and it was definitely not only in the morning but every single second that I was awake - and really bad complications during my second pregnancy. When I was 4-month pregnant, I had to have an emergency surgery because of an ovarian tumor that ruptured in my abdomen, and I had to rest the following months.

But I did as much exercise as I was allowed to and it did help a lot for my mood, my energy level and my postpartum recovery. Pregnancy is not the right time to try anything new so if you have never lifted weights in your life, this is not the time to start. But unless your doctor says otherwise, you can keep doing what you were doing before the pregnancy; just make sure you lower the intensity of the cardiovascular exercices and the weights if you are doing strength training. Overall, just listen to your body and don’t do anything that feels uncomfortable. The body is extra sensitive during the pregnancy and it has a really good alert system and it will send you signals if something isn’t right: pay attention to any sign of dizziness, headache, or any uncomfortable sensations.

What I loved about exercising during pregnancy is that I managed to maintain a high muscle mass, even though I gained a lot of fat (which I needed for all that breastfeeding!). So when I started exercising again after the pregnancy, I hadn’t lost so much strength and I could quickly go back to my pre-pregnancy level of fitness.

But again, the priority is to feel good during that important time of your life. Our bodies do something magical when they grow tiny cells into human beings and we need to be patient and love them through it all. So take it easy, and take care of yourself!