Skip to content

Top Navigation

Shape Shape
  • Fitness
  • Health
  • Healthy Eating
  • Fashion and Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Celebrities and News
  • About SHAPE

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Log Out
Login
Pin FB

Explore Shape

Shape Shape
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Best Inner-Thigh Exercises of All Time

      The Best Inner-Thigh Exercises of All Time

      16 trainer approved thigh exercises Read More
    • Why You're Gaining Weight While Working Out and Eating Well

      Why You're Gaining Weight While Working Out and Eating Well

      Gaining weight while working out is totally normal. Here's what you need to know about that number on the scale post-sweat sesh. Read More
    • Ultimate Guide to Strength Training for Beginners

      Ultimate Guide to Strength Training for Beginners

      This total-body beginner weight lifting routine is the easiest way to ease into strength training as a newbie. Read More
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See All Fitness
    Here's What a Perfectly Balanced Weekly Workout Schedule Looks Like

    Here's What a Perfectly Balanced Weekly Workout Schedule Looks Like

    Follow this expert-backed gym regimen to give your results a major boost.
    • Workouts
    • Cardio
    • Strength Training
    • Bodyweight Training
    • Yoga
    • Exercise Recovery
    • Exercise Tips
    • Race Training
    • Workout Trends
    • Playlists
  • Health

    Health

    See All Health
    The Best Foods for Hair Growth, According to Dietitians

    The Best Foods for Hair Growth, According to Dietitians

    While your diet is only one factor to determine how fast your hair grows, there are certain foods that experts say can speed up the process. Learn how to support your stands from the inside out.
    • Sleep
    • Sexual Health
    • Mental Health
    • Healthy IRL
  • Healthy Eating

    Healthy Eating

    See All Healthy Eating
    Is It Better to Drink a Protein Shake Before or After a Workout?

    Is It Better to Drink a Protein Shake Before or After a Workout?

    Protein is essential for building bigger and stronger muscles, but the timing of your intake depends on your own nutritional needs.
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Healthy Cooking
    • Healthy Eating
    • Vegan Diet
    • Vegetarian Diet
  • Fashion and Beauty

    Fashion and Beauty

    What Happens When You Stop Wearing a Bra?

    What Happens When You Stop Wearing a Bra?

    There's nothing quite like taking your bra off at the end of the day, but does not wearing a bra altogether cause sagging? Here's what the experts have to say.
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Workout Clothes
    • Beauty Files
    • Workout Gear
    • Shoes
    • Leggings
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    See All Lifestyle
    The Complete Guide to Zodiac Signs and Their Meanings

    The Complete Guide to Zodiac Signs and Their Meanings

    From fiery, competitive Aries to empathic, psychic Pisces, here's your complete guide to all 12 zodiac signs dates and their meanings.
    • Astrology
    • Sex and Love
    • Travel
    • Relationships & Love
  • Celebrities and News

    Celebrities and News

    See All Celebrities and News
    • Interviews
    • Celebrity News
    • Celebrity Workouts
  • About SHAPE

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Log Out
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Shape.com
  2. Fitness
  3. Workouts
  4. The Top 5 Exercises Every Mom-to-Be Should Do

The Top 5 Exercises Every Mom-to-Be Should Do

By Krissy Brady August 01, 2016
Skip gallery slides
FB Tweet
The Top 5 Exercises Every Mom-to-Be Should Do
These mom-to-be moves will help get you ready for the labor, so when the time comes, your body will be just as prepared as your nursery
Start Slideshow

1 of 5

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Hug Your Baby

Hug Your Baby
Credit: BodyLove Pilates

This is one of the most important exercises to practice during your pregnancy, says Ali Handley, New York-based pilates specialist and founder of BodyLove Pilates, a prenatal and postnatal online studio. "This exercise strengthens the transverse abdominis (TVA), which wraps around the midsection of the body like a pair of spanx," says Handley. "When activated correctly it cinches, lengthens, and importantly during childbirth, it compresses." (P.S. One study found that exercising while pregnant could mean your child more active.)

During the pushing phase of labor, this move helps the uterus in the final contractions to get your baby out. It's also the first move you'll need to practice postnatal to get your abs back in shape, says Handley.

What to do:

A. Get seated comfortably in neutral—on a physioball, yoga block, or household chair (just make sure you're on sitting bones).
B. Inhale through nose, allowing belly to fill up with air and stomach muscles to completely relax.
C. Exhale a long, slow, even breath out the mouth as you imagine the TVA wrapping around your baby and hugging it into your spine.

Tip: "I like to place one hand on top of my belly just below my sternum, and the other just below my belly button," says Handley. "Focus on pulling your belly away from your bottom hand, but keeping your top hand where it is so you're not rounding your spine as you do the exercise."

1 of 5

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 5

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Squats Pregnancy

Squats Pregnancy
Credit: BodyLove Pilates

Squats are one of the most accessible and functional exercises, even as your due date approaches. They're an excellent way to strengthen your legs and butt—and if you're planning a natural childbirth, you'll need a strong lower body to hold some recommended birthing positions.

"The movies have unfortunately made us believe that women still labor on their back with their legs in stirrups when, in fact, the squatting position is an awesome way to give birth," says Handley. "The birth canal is in better alignment, and there is an added bonus of gravity to help get that baby out."

What to do:

A. Stand with both feet evenly on the ground, hip distance apart. Inhale through the nose as you hinge at the hips, bend at the knee and sit into a squat. Imagine reaching sitting bones back like you're lowering into a chair.
C. Exhale a long, slow, even breath out the mouth as you imagine your TVA wrapping around your baby and hugging it into your spine.
D. Push through your feet, lifting your pelvic floor, standing back up.

Tip: "The squat is an excellent place to test your mind-body control and muscle endurance," says Handley, who recommends holding the squat and breathing 5-10 breaths. Focus on your breathing and ignore your burning muscles. "Your uterus contracting during labor to get the baby out is like any other muscle contraction—you need to practice breathing through it," she adds.

2 of 5

3 of 5

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Pelvic Floor Stretching

Pelvic Floor Stretching
Credit: BodyLove Pilates

"The pelvic floor muscles are an incredible system made up of three different layers, and are required to do so much more than just a kegel squeeze during pregnancy," says Handley. Once you hit your third trimester, it's crucial that you start to really stretch these muscles to enable the baby to come out. (See also: 7 Reasons You Should Work Out While Pregnant.)

What to do:

A. Place a yoga block or stack of pillows against the wall. Stand with your back to the wall with your feet out in front of you.
B. Inhale through the nose as you slowly slide down the wall. Exhale a long, slow, even breath out the mouth continuing down the wall, allowing the pelvic floor to fully release until you reach your yoga block/pillows.
C. Once down, butterfly your knees open and gently apply pressure just above the knees for an additional stretch. Hold for 90 seconds. Close knees and repeat.

Tip: "I recommend adding pelvic floor stretching to your daily routine in the weeks before your due date," says Handley. "You want to have an awareness of what it feels like to really stretch and release these muscles you've been working so hard to strengthen."

3 of 5

Advertisement

4 of 5

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Reverse Breathing

Reverse Breathing
Credit: BodyLove Pilates

"During labor, you'll need the power of your exhale to fully release the pelvic floor muscles and get your baby out," says Handley. "It takes some practice, but with a little training, you'll hit this exercise out of the park."

What to do:

A. Sitting comfortably on the floor or on a physioball ball, inhale through the nose and feel the pelvic floor lift. As you inhale, the diaphragm will push down at the same time.
B. Exhale and make a hissing sound out of the mouth to imagine fully releasing and letting go of the pelvic floor muscles. The hissing sound allows you to use the TVA to help uterus in its final contractions as the baby comes out.

Tip: Try a few sets of squats with the reverse breathing technique. "Exhale and release the pelvic floor as you squat down," says Handley. "Inhale and lift the pelvic floor as you stand up."

4 of 5

5 of 5

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Standing Swan

Standing Swan
Credit: BodyLove Pilates

"This move is basically the mac daddy of labor-prep exercises," says Handley. "It combines core strength, lower body endurance, spinal mobility, pelvic floor stretching, and gives you the opportunity to practice the reverse breathing technique."

What to do:

A. Stand with legs apart and externally rotated, with a physioball just in front.​
B. Inhale through the nose, nod chin, and begin to roll down. As you do, place hands on the ball and start to push ball out in front.​
C. Exhale a long, slow, even breath out the mouth as you continue to push the ball, folding at the hips, bending knees, and reaching sit bones out behind until arms are straight and body is almost parallel to the mat. Inhale through your nose and hold the position.​
D. Exhale a long, slow, even breath out the mouth as you hug your baby to your spine and lift pelvic floor, rounding lower back into a C-curve and pushing through feet to stand back up, articulating the spine the same way you did on the way down.

Tip: Handley suggests practicing reverse breathing for five breaths when you're down in the swan position, suggests Handley. This will challenge your legs and stretch the pelvic floor.

5 of 5

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 5 Hug Your Baby
    2 of 5 Squats Pregnancy
    3 of 5 Pelvic Floor Stretching
    4 of 5 Reverse Breathing
    5 of 5 Standing Swan

    Share & More

    Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Shape

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithShape is part of the Instyle Beauty Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Shape. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.shape.com

    Sign in

    View image

    The Top 5 Exercises Every Mom-to-Be Should Do
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.