Pilates when pregnant?

[MammyL]

Hi all. Just found out I'm 5 weeks with number 2. I swim at least 5 times per week (1mile per day) and used to do a workout DVD 3 times as well as slimming world. Im terrified of putting a lot of weight on as I was depressed after my first due to the weight gain. Has anyone tried Pilates? I tried my first one yesterday and loved it! Any other advice on staying in shape? Keeping up with the swimming and sw but loosing the workout and replacing with Pilates x

[Pancakeflipper]

Please tell your pilates instructor you are pregnant as some pilates is not suitable when pregnant but they can give you different moves. I stopped at 6 months

Can you find a pilates for those who are pregnant? Those classes can be brilliant.

[treaclesoda]

I did my regular pilates classes until I was about 32 weeks pregnant, but I told my instructor as soon as had a positive test and then she gave me different exercises to do when anything unsuitable came up. (She was very discreet about it at the start and pretended that I had an injury). Tbh I could have continued right up until the birth, but as I got closer to full term I was having to sit out more and more exercises and I resented paying for a class that I was only able to do part of.

So, yes, as long as your instructor knows what they are doing and you let them know that you are pregnant, pilates is great.

[BendyMum15]

I did Pilates up until 38 weeks with my son and 36 weeks with my daughter (would have carried on but moved house). You def need to make sure your teacher knows that you are pregnant as there are some things you can't do once you get to a certain stage of pregnancy. I had spd last time so Pilates really helped with that too. xx

[GarrettHnatiuk]

You can still take Pilates from 7 weeks. It will really help your birth delivery through strengthening your core which supports you push. As you improvement in your pregnancy, you'll have to steer clear of some exercises and just perform "modified" versions of the other workouts. When you take the class, speak with the instructor of the class and get about modified versions associated with exercises that are safe for the condition.

[FairyPenguin]

I did Pilates for as long as I could with both DC: approx 36 weeks with DD as I had SPD and couldn't face it anymore, till 40 weeks with DS as I felt great.

YY to letting your instructor know. My instructor was brilliant and had done Pilates herself through 3 pregnancies so always thought of an alternative move that I could do if everyone else was doing something that I couldn't do. It didn't disrupt the class really as she started everyone off first before coming to me to show me, then after a couple of times, she'd just say the name of the move I should do and I could get on with it.

My friend did roughly the same amount of exercise as you throughout her pregnancy. I think the guidelines are that it's ok to continue with the level of exercise your body is used to doing, but not to take on anything new or strenuous.