Oh Baby! Fitness Blog

The plank is an excellent exercise to strengthen the chest, abdominal and lower back muscles. Senior Oh Baby! Fitness instructor Kathleen Donahoe gives three different variations on this awesome exercise for the core and lower back. Great exercise for pregnant women AND new moms!

Push ups are a great exercise to build chest, triceps and abdominal strength. Use this quick modification to make push ups safe for pregnant and new moms. Proper modification taught by Senior Oh Baby! Fitness Instructor, Kathleen Donahoe.

Dear Oh Baby! Fitness,

As we finish my first session of Oh Baby classes, I just wanted to send you a quick note of thanks. I have absolutely LOVED my Pilates, combo, and water aerobics classes these last two months. I have learned so much about my body, my pregnancy, and all that goes with that from your great instructors and fellow classmates. Even on the days that I thought I would fall over from exhaustion, going to class renewed my energy and my spirit. I knew that I would enjoy being around other pregnant women, but had no idea how much information and support I would take from everyone.

I started my pregnancy with too much weight already, and I had great concerns about risking my health and our baby’s by gaining too much more. The classes have helped me to stay in shape and stay motivated to watch my food intake as well. My OB and my husband are both thrilled with my progress. I feel amazing, and give lots of credit to these classes for helping me stay active and in great spirits as so much in my life is changing!

Kathleen and Elizabeth are wonderful, and I’m so excited that I’ll be able to continue the same class schedule with the same instructors. They are so supportive, educated, interested, and funny. They make even Pilates side series and combo lunges fun! You have done an excellent job in staffing with lovely women that inspire and educate us. Even my makeup classes with various instructors have been so welcoming and helpful.

I wanted you to know that I am a walking advertisement for your program. My friends and family are amazed at my progress and commitment to classes 3 days a week, and I highly recommend your program to every pregnant person I run into! Thank you so much for developing such a great outlet for pregnant women. I look forward to starting the next session with your team!

Sincerely,
Heidi
20 weeks pregnant

You hear us talk about Kegel Exercises all the time in our prenatal and mom & baby fitness classes. It’s one of the most important exercises you can do before, during and after your pregnancy. Why?

Strong pelvic floor muscles help you in several ways:

1. You’ll avoid incontinence (peeing when you sneeze, jump or laugh).
Did you know 67% of women suffer incontinence after pregnancy?
You don’t have to be a statistic! Learn how to do Kegels now!

2. By doing Kegel exercises properly, you’ll learn how to tighten and RELEASE your pelvic floor muscles. Knowing where your pelvic floor is located and how to engage it is SUPER important during delivery. If you can release your pelvic floor muscle, you can easily push your baby out.

3. Kegel exercises strengthen your pelvic floor and in turn helps strengthen your inner abdominals. Strong abdominals mean better posture and less back pain.

4. Women who perform Kegel exercises during pregnancy and immediately after delivery will recover FASTER than women who don’t do Kegels.

Oh Baby! Fitness Senior Instructor Kathleen Donahoe demonstrates how to perform a proper Kegel Exercise in this short video:

Oh Baby! Fitness Senior Instructor Kathleen Donahoe leads us through a proper wall sit for pregnant women. Wall sits are a great exercise for building lower back and glute strength during pregnancy. It’s also a great way to prepare for labor. Wall sits are also a great exercise to rebuild strength AFTER you’ve delivered your baby. You always have a wall and you always have a minute. Go ahead, get strong and do a wall sit.. or two or three today! Go to www.ohbabyfitness.com for tips and videos regarding safe exercise for new and expectant moms.

Outer and inner thigh raises work the glutes, thighs and pelvic floor. Engage your abdominal muscles during this exercise for added benefit. Senior Oh Baby! Fitness Instructor Kathleen Donahoe leads you through a demonstration.

Watch the video below and let us know if you have any questions about this great exercise!

If you’d like more tips on safe pregnancy and mom & baby exercise, go to http://www.ohbabyfitness.com for more info.

When they first find out they are pregnant, many women can’t imagine that they will be exercising right up until their due date. However, it is very common for women who are active during pregnancy to continue to exercise regularly right up until their baby is born.

Good news is that if you are not at risk for preterm labor, exercise in the third trimester is not only safe, it’s crucial in preparing you for a safe and efficient delivery.

There are a couple of modifications to keep in mind.
1- Your balance is at its worst in the third trimester. Avoid exercises that require quick changes in direction or that rely on steady balance. (ie: tennis, step aerobics, complicated choreography in aerobics routines).
2- Focus on exercises that will help you prepare for labor and recovery from birth. Wall sits, abdominal exercises and lower back stretching are all great exercises to continue in the third trimester.
3- Listen to your body. Many women experience big swings in fatigue in this stage of pregnancy. Keep an eye on your fatigue, and don’t exercise if you are feeling particularly exhausted. When you’re extremely tired, you increase your likelihood of injury.

Moms- did you exercise in the third trimester? What exercises felt good?

Many clients ask what exercise they should take as their first class back after having a baby. While we have many women take all different kinds of classes and participate in lots of different types of programs, I’ve found that there is a progression that most women enjoy.

Note that all the classes mentioned below are offered by Oh Baby! Fitness. If Oh Baby classes are not offered near you, look online for a similar type of class.

6-12 weeks postpartum: Focus on Ab Recovery in Mom and Baby Pilates and Mom and Baby Yoga. Starting with this class allows you to repair any abdominal distress that happened during pregnancy (ie., Diastasis Recti) or any pelvic floor trauma. This class is also great as it’s easy for moms to breastfeed during some of the exercises, or let their baby sleep on the mat next to them. For babies that are still sorting out their schedule, this class is very flexible in terms of baby involvement.

12-24 weeks postpartum: Focus on Strength Building and Weight Loss in Mom and Baby Fitness or Stroller Workout. These classes focus more on cardio work and losing pregnancy weight while building muscles needed for new moms. The baby is either in the Baby Bjorn or stroller and a little more emphasis is put on vigorous exercise for the mom.

24 weeks and beyond: Focus on Fun and New Goals in H2oh Baby and your own exercise. It can be great for new moms to involve dad in the fun with an H2oh Baby class. This class is often attended by both parents, and babies love it as well! This period is also a good time for mom to consider signing up for a race- a 5k or sprint triathlon or something similar. Training for an event is a great motivation to lose the last few pounds and also to be sure you can exercise regularly.

This is just a sample exercise program for a new mom. What did you find that worked for you? What classes do you wish were offered?