Pilates one-to-ones for Pregnancy and beyond. We offer antenatal and postnatal Pilates sessions run by trained physiotherapists.
Pilates is an ideal form of exercise during pregnancy and the postnatal period. It enables you to gently strengthen your muscles, including the gluteals and pelvic floor. Practising Pilates can help you to get fit for birth by strengthening the muscles required during labour. Pilates improves your body awareness, posture, strength and stamina to help you to cope with the physical demands of pregnancy, labour and postnatal recovery. Throughout your pregnancy and the postnatal period Pilates can keep you fit and strong, easing muscular discomfort and back pain, sacroiliac joint and symphysis pubis problems. Breathing practice also aids relaxation. Postnatally, Pilates is perfect for regaining abdominal and pelvic floor strength, as well as giving you a well-deserved hour to relax and look after yourself!
Our antenatal (Pregnancy) Pilates
At Stretch Physio we offer pregnancy Pilates from the second trimester. Pilates with our specialist team is a safe way of exercising during pregnancy. During your one-to-one sessions, we will adapt your exercises to suit your individual needs. We will, of course, take into account the changes you’re going through during each trimester. We understand the physical, psychological and emotional changes that happen during pregnancy and we will design your sessions with these in mind. Your exercise programme will be designed specifically to suit you and your pregnancy. We don’t stick to a routine, we will design each session around how you feel when you arrive and what you want to achieve.
Antenatal Pilates sessions will help you to relax, stay fit and healthy and cope with the all the changes that your body is going though. Pilates with one of our Physios can also help ease pregnancy related aches and pains. It will also help you to prepare for childbirth, reducing the risk of complications such as urinary incontinence.
Antenatal Assessments
Prior to starting your personal training sessions, we will ask you about yourself, your pregnancy, general health and well-being. We will take a full medical history and ask about your lifestyle and goals so that we can ensure your exercises are safe and meet your individual requirements. We recommend that you wait until after your first scan (12-14 weeks), if you are new to Pilates. If however, you practice regularly and are not experiencing any pregnancy related complications, it is safe to continue with a modified repertoire. But only provided that your GP and midwife are happy with you continuing to exercise.
Our teachers are Physiotherapists with specialist women’s health training. That’s in addition to their Physiotherapy and Pilates qualifications, making them perfectly placed to support you throughout your pregnancy. We love working with you during this special time and look forward to seeing you again after your birth for Postnatal Pilates.
Postnatal Pilates
Pilates after pregnancy can really help to support you by giving you time out, helping you to cope with the demands of being a new mum. Pilates will also strengthen your body, aiding your recovery from childbirth. Taking part in regular Pilates sessions can help you to get back into shape, boosting your confidence. You can start postnatal Pilates from about 6 weeks after a normal delivery. You will however, need to wait for 12 weeks after a caesarean section. Please feel free to bring your baby along to your sessions if you wish. Our studios are lovely and welcoming, with plenty of space for you to exercise, while keeping an eye on your little one.
We have two fully equipped studios with extra thick Pilates mats, small equipment, blocks, balls and cushions for your comfort. We also have a state of the art Cadillac and Reformer machine, which we can use where appropriate to add resistance to your Pilates exercises.
Postnatal Assessments
Before, starting postnatal Pilates we will ask you about your pregnancy, labour and post natal recovery. We will need to know about any pregnancy, labour or postnatal complications, as these may impact on your Pilates sessions. We will also need to take a full medical history and will ask you about your lifestyle so that we can ensure it is safe for you to start exercising again. Our thorough assessment ensures that your sessions are perfectly suited to your needs. At Stretch, we never stick to a set routine and will tailor every session to your needs on that day. We will also check for lumbopelvic problems and diastasis recti, as although Pilates may help with these issue, we will need to take them into account when designing your programme.
Summary of the benefits of Pilates for Women’s health:
- Increased muscle strength
- Improved awareness and strength of the pelvic floor muscles, reducing the risk of incontinence or helping to treat cases that have occurred due to muscle weakness
- Improved posture
- Reduction in some back and pelvic pain though increased body awareness, strength, flexibility and restoration of normal movement patterns
- Improved sleep
- Improved circulation
- Knowledge of relaxation and breathing techniques that may help during childbirth
- Improved stress management by promoting relaxation
- Helps you to prepare for an active birth by keeping you strong and mobile
- Helps you to deal with the physical demands of motherhood. Such as lifting your baby and everything that you’ll carry along with them!
- At Stretch, we’re here to help. Especially if your pregnancy or labour did not go to plan and you need some extra help and support. Whenever you’re ready, we’d love to see you at our Studios. We’re based in Writtle, just 5 minutes’ drive from Chelmsford Town Centre.
Ante & Postnatal Yoga
If however, you’re more of a yogi at heart and would like to try ante or postnatal yoga, we recommend Vikki Stevenson and her small group yoga classes. Vikki is a British Wheel of Yoga Accredited Teacher, who specialises in teaching Birthlight pregnancy and postnatal yoga classes in Chelmsford and the surrounding areas. She has won awards for her classes at our sister company Hummingbird Pilates & Yoga. She is an expert yoga teacher who can be contacted directly via www.yogawithvikki.co.uk
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