Why Building Strength Is Critical in Pregnancy and Postpartum

with guest blogger Laura Thomas from Laura Thomas Fitness.

As a prenatal and postpartum coach, I often get asked if it's safe for someone not exercising regularly during pregnancy to start a strength training program. My answer is always a resounding “Yes” after a doctor’s clearance, emphasizing a gradual approach. This approach, which prioritizes safety and builds confidence as we enter the program, is designed to reassure you and avoid potential risks, ensuring your peace of mind and confidence in your decision.

While walking and yoga are lovely, and I won’t deny the benefits they offer, the truth is that your baby, diaper bags, strollers, etc., all add weight or load on the body, and if the body is not ready for that, then strain and injury can occur.

The body shifts anatomically during pregnancy to accommodate a growing fetus, and it is normal for posture to change. During this time, I primarily focus on back, core, and hamstring/glute strength when coaching clients and breathing exercises to engage the core/pelvic floor muscles. These are the primary muscles for walking, standing, lifting, and carrying, so ensuring they know how to contract safely under load is essential to alleviate back pain, among other strains. I have had clients who gave birth via cesarean say that they felt like their recovery was much easier since they went into surgery with strength. I have a former client, a surgical nurse, who confirms that this is something she also notices with patients (whether it is elective surgery or not).

Postpartum is when things get interesting because the body is readjusting to not carrying the baby's weight and the posture that came with pregnancy. After a 6-8 weeks recovery time (roughly), it is essential to take a proactive approach and address postural discrepancies in the body. This proactive step ensures that these do not become new patterns and that neither pain nor injury occurs, giving you control over your body's changes and a sense of empowerment in your postpartum journey. 

An example would be a new parent with a more lordotic or belly forward posture where we know that the paraspinals are probably not keeping the core engaged. Teaching our nervous system how to turn on our intrinsic muscles or the muscles deeper inside the body, such as the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor muscles, is more challenging than it sounds. However, this work strengthening against gravity aligns our four curves back to how the spine was designed to function and typically alleviates pain and prevents injury.

I frequently see folks returning to working out how they were, either before giving birth or before getting pregnant. Your body has changed more in nine months than your non-pregnant partner’s will in their lifetime, so you can’t return right back to where you were because you are not the same physiologically. 

The key is getting the alignment in check before adding strength and then function. Strength may look like small, bodyweight, and repatterning exercises before adding weight to a program. It is unethical to load a client when I see something in their body that tells me they are compensating with another muscle group that shouldn’t be part of the exercise or movement, whether lifting weights or practicing yoga. This gradual approach ensures your comfort and safety throughout the program.

I hope you understand why strength training is valuable in pregnancy and why we want to address alignment first in postpartum before strength. I will always refer you to an appropriate medical practitioner if anything is beyond my scope of practice. My ultimate goal is to ensure you are pain-free and supported throughout this journey so you can feel confident and cared for. 

If you are interested in learning more about me and how I coach and support expecting and new parents, please check out my website at https://laurathomasfitness.com/