Staying active while you’re pregnant keeps you fit and healthy, which is beneficial to you and your baby. There are many exercises pregnant women can do safely, Pilates is one of the best options for women preparing for childbirth.

Keep reading to learn 10 benefits of prenatal Pilates for expectant mothers.

1. Healthy Weight Maintenance

Gaining weight while you’re pregnant is normal, but it is certainly possible to gain too much. A regular exercise routine that includes prenatal Pilates classes can help you avoid complications that come with rapid weight gain like gestational diabetes.

Keeping your weight under control will also help reduce pregnancy-related aches and pains.

2. Better Breath Control 

Breath control is a core tenet of prenatal Pilates and classical Pilates in general. With improved breath control, you can ensure that you and your baby get the proper air flow during the course of your pregnancy.

Learning breath control can also help you stay calm and more relaxed during contractions and delivery.

3. Core and Glute Strength

Strong core and glute muscles can help reduce discomfort since the ligaments that connect these areas are often under more strain during pregnancy. Strong core muscles also help when it’s time to push during childbirth.

4. More Leg Strength

Pregnant women carry more weight when they stand up or just walk around. Strong leg muscles through prenatal Pilates can help you feel less discomfort and reduce the stress on your knees, ankles and feet.

5. Stronger Pelvic Floor Muscles

Added baby weight and hormonal changes can put extra strain on pelvic floor muscles. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles through prenatal Pilates can reduce the risk of incontinence while you’re carrying your baby and after giving birth.

6. Reduced Back Pain 

Carrying a baby around can be hard for expectant mothers, and all of that added weight can do a number on your back. Prenatal Pilates can help you build strength in your back muscles and reduce inflammation through regular exercise.

7. Better Balance

Pilates aims to improve balance for everyone, and when you’re carrying additional weight, it can be hard to feel in control! Prenatal Pilates can improve your overall body awareness, giving you better balance to avoid slips, falls or movements that could throw your spine, neck, back or knees out of alignment.

8. Improved Relaxation

Being pregnant is truly splendid for many women, but hormonal fluctuations and physical discomfort can make it hard to relax. Prenatal Pilates helps you gain relaxation techniques through breathing exercises and physical movement, which is a natural stress-reliever.

9. Social Bonding 

Social groups for moms are popular these days, but not every expectant mother has a group to spend time with. When you take prenatal Pilates classes, you’ll get to meet other expecting moms with similar interests in your area. Even if you have friends and a support group already it never hurts to have more moms-to-be to laugh with!

10. Faster Post-Partum Recovery 

Having a baby can be hard on your body, and after you give birth, it takes time to get back to feeling normal. Staying strong through your pregnancy via exercise can help speed up recovery so you can get back to feeling 100% as soon as possible.  That way you’ll get to spend more fun time with your new baby!

Contact Performance Pilates to learn more about the benefits of prenatal Pilates. We can also help you find sessions that meet your scheduling needs and answer any questions you may have about prenatal Pilates, postnatal classes and more.