I do get this question often, so I thought I would share my experience + approach. It feels obvious, but just in case, you should always talk with your medical team about what is best for you regarding activity levels during your pregnancy. As we all know, each pregnancy is different & should be approached with individualized care.
Working Out During IVF
To tell the whole story – I feel like I need to back up even further to my IVF cycles.
During the beginning stages of my IVF rounds, I kept my normal workout routine. This is the stage where you’re beginning to inject medications that eventually make your ovaries grow much bigger than usual. For me, this is usually a two-week process. I maintain my workouts and am very mindful of any TWISTING motions right from the beginning [because you do not want your ovaries to twist on themselves, unlikely but possible]. During the second week, again… for me, this is when I usually start to feel the effects of said large ovaries. I feel a pelvic fullness and listen to my body. I usually avoid lower body intense workouts and keep it to light walking/spinning and all upper body lifting workouts.
After egg retrieval, I give my body some time for the ovaries to decrease in size and continue with those modified workouts. And then eventually get back to my normal flow – which is usually another two weeks or so for me.
Leading up to EMBRYO TRANSFER – I made a few changes to my workout routine. I worked out 5-6 days a week for about 30-45 minutes and did a mix of HIIT, cardio, and lifting. Progesterone and Estrogen were the medications I was using to prepare for transfer and while they made me feel yucky with headaches + bloating etc – my physical body wasn’t in danger from working out.
After the transfer, I took it easy and listened to my body. I don’t focus on “when am I going to workout!?!?!” Instead, I focus on healthy nutrition, rest, and simple daily activities like walks or simple upper body workouts.
First Trimester
For me, the first trimester is always a battle. I would aim to work out 4 days a week – specifically every other day. With that goal in mind, I just did my best. The key for me is to always have something to do without having to put much thought into it. My Fit Camp workout library has a pre/postnatal workout program and that’s what I did most days because I knew it was safe.
Believe it or not, exercise is actually RECOMMENDED during pregnancy. Though, many sites and accounts will try and scare you out of exercising… which is just crazy to me!
Again, this feels obvious, but just do your own research on what needs to be modified for your workouts. This is another reason why I love our pre/post workout program – the safety guidelines are already worked into the program.
When I was refreshing my memory in early pregnancy I found there are guidelines that contradict each other. Some say certain movements are fine & others say to avoid them.
Second Trimester
Starting in the 2nd trimester, my main focus is to modify ALL core exercises, not do moves laying flat on my back, avoid full-body plank [this was a controversial one] positions, and modify with things like pushups on an incline/wall or on knees, etc. Of course, I’m doing the obvious like lifting lighter than my MAX and modifying any moves that would be easy to lose my balance with.. Like box jumps. I’m hyper-aware of my core & working hard to protect it by watching for any coning with any exercise that I do. If something feels off, I just don’t do it. There are plenty of pregnancy-safe modifications that I sub in.
During my current workout program, there is a CORE section at the end of every workout. Some of the core work is totally fine & I do it as it’s instructed. But, of course, some of the movements are things like crunches or other moves that would definitely cause coning in my core [second trimester and beyond]. I use this time to either do a pregnancy-safe modification or I use it to do 360 breathing exercises and round ligament stretches.
I think it’s important to remember and acknowledge that we may not have the same goals right now as we did pre-pregnancy & that’s ok too. There are other very important ways to take care of our bodies through movement – which will also help prepare us for the rest of our pregnancy, labor + recovery.
Best Practices
I think my main advice would be a mixture of this:
- Do not KILL yourself in exercise, this is not the goal.
- Do not be FEARFUL of exercise during pregnancy.
- Instead of being afraid, do your research & follow your intuition during your workouts
- Modify the goal for this season of your life & remember there will be a time soon enough to get back to more intense workouts if that’s what you’re used to
- While pregnancy isn’t necessarily the time to start a completely new routine, there’s nothing wrong with having a renewed motivation for healthy movement during pregnancy – even if it’s new for you. You just need to move your body in a safe way.
- Give yourself so much grace. Each pregnancy is different. Each trimester is different. Set some flexible goals & have resources available to help you stick to these goals.
- Make it fun!
- Grab a pregnancy workout uniform or two. Don’t spend a ton of money but also, don’t stretch out or force yourself into pre-pregnancy tights & bras. If you are feeling comfortable in your workout clothes it will help you maintain the routine. Personally, I use 3 pairs of pregnancy leggings and a few cheaper sports bras that are sized up.
- Stay hydrated + remember to fuel your body + baby appropriately with nutrition.
- Don’t force something that doesn’t feel right.
- Focus on your form and use a mirror. As your center of gravity changes & the bump grows it can be an adjustment to be sure you are engaging muscles properly & maintaining your form.
Stay Positive!
I hope you find ways to enjoy movement during your pregnancy. It can be daunting knowing how your body will change and what may be ahead for you in your postpartum journey, I know for me it was. But remember that it will all be worth it to bring a healthy baby into the world & our bodies are more resilient than we give them credit for. The wonderful thing about staying active during your pregnancy is that it isn’t such a tough habit to start once you are ready to exercise postpartum – you’ve already established and practiced the routine.
Some women recover and find weight loss after baby pretty simple. Some women, are like me, and really do need to focus on consistent health habits + movement in order to shed the extra pounds. Just know that exercise is more than just weight and body composition. It’s about our HEALTH and there are a lot of benefits to sticking with an active life.
I hope this was helpful. I am always open to any questions you may have. I’m always here to help you!!
You can always follow my fitness journey on my Instagram 🙂
XOXO
