Though most women find pregnancy to be a time of excitement and amazement at the things the human body can accomplish, the fact is that pregnancy, labor, and delivery can be hard on a woman's body.  Most women and health professionals realize the importance of staying fit and active during a healthy pregnancy.  Pilates is widely recognized as one of the leading forms of physical fitness for pregnant women.  Pilates builds and supports core strength, preparing the abdominals, back, and pelvic floor muscles for the rigors of supporting a pregnant belly and facilitating delivery.  After delivery, Pilates is renowned as a way to help postpartum mothers regain their pre-pregnancy shape.  If you are looking for prenatal Pilates in Oklahoma, Pilates Edge client Mary Catherine credits the prenatal and postnatal Pilates training she received at The Pilates Edge with facilitating her pregnancy and recovery.

Mary Catherine had been training with Rene Craig at The Pilates Edge in Oklahoma City for approximately a year and a half before she became pregnant with her second child.  Rene smoothly transitioned Mary Catherine's Pilates training to make necessary modifications for safe and effective exercise during pregnancy.  Initially, says Mary Catherine, few modifications were necessary to her routine as she had already built strength, flexibility, and stamina from practicing Pilates prior to pregnancy. During the early stages of pregnancy, however, she found her Pilates training to help her combat morning sickness and nausea associated with pregnancy.  She says, "I credit the workouts to helping alleviate some of my morning sickness. If I could work out through the nausea, I would usually feel much better after."  For many women, nausea and vomiting are among the most difficult pregnancy symptoms to endure, especially in the first trimester.  Mary Catherine discovered that Pilates can help reduce these symptoms.

Though few modifications were necessary at first, as Mary Catherine's pregnancy progressed, Rene was required to make modifications to ensure the safety of both mother and baby.  A growing belly can be quite uncomfortable and awkward, and modifications were necessary to perform exercises comfortably.  Pregnant women also experience an increase in the bodies production of elastin, which loosens the joints in preparation for delivery.  Pilates trainers must carefully observe their clients to ensure that all moves are performed safely and to avoid hyperextension of loosened joints.  Mary Catherine says of her modifications:

As the pregnancy progressed, Rene modified several moves to be safer for the baby and my body or to be more comfortable. I would do most work on my side rather than flat on my back for the safety of the baby. Rene watched me very closely to make sure I didn't overuse or overextend my body, since elastin is a hormone that pregnant people have to help with opening the hips for delivery. It made my joints more loose, so it would have been easy to overdo it.  We ended up having to make lots of position modifications to work around my growing bump. Rene was great at all the modifications.

When asked about the benefits she reaped from prenatal and postnatal Pilates at The Pilates Edge, Mary Catherine credited her training with a weight gain of only 30 pounds during pregancy--despite eventually delivering a 9-1/2 pound baby!  She says that she had no lower back pain despite a "very heavy tummy," and that her recovery from her C-section was much quicker than that of her first pregnancy, which was  not supported by Pilates training.  Because she continued to train after delivery, Mary Catherine reports that she lost the weight gained during pregnancy very quickly.

For those looking for a fitness solution before, during, and after pregnancy, Pilates is an excellent choice.  Of her training at The Pilates Edge, Mary Catherine says, "I loved the Pilates training during pregnancy. Rene was always so positive and willing to answer all the questions about the strangeness of a pregnant body.  She has had four boys, so she knows all the ins and outs of pregnancy."  For more information about prenatal or postnatal Pilates at The Pilates Edge, contact the studio at 405-463-3388 or email rene@pilates-edge.com.