Whether it is your first or subsequent pregnancy, the fully qualified pre and post natal Pilates Instructors at our center, will guide you through the important exercises which will help you adjust, as your body changes. Our practitioners follow the guidelines of The Guild of Pregnancy and Post Natal Exercise at all times.

PILATES IN PREPARING FOR PREGNANCY

Preparing to have a baby is one of the most important decisions of your life. You will have to prepare your surrounding and internal environment, in order to welcome your baby into a healthy and comfortable world. Pilates can help you prepare your body for the changes that it will undergo during the gestation period. You will need to get to know your body well, in order to understand, support and adjust to the new state it will be in. Better support of the internal reproductive organs, which will cradle your baby, as well as optimum strength, posture and flexibility of the musculoskeletal system, all predict a smoother experience of the 9 months to follow. We can also offer contact to a number of complementary and allopathic professionals who can help you prepare your body for an optimum healthy and positive conception and pregnancy. 

PILATES DURING PREGNANCY

Once you are pregnant your exercise program and emphasis will shift on a weekly basis to support the changes that your body is going through. The growing weight of your baby will challenge your body, causing it to change from one week to the next. Pilates will help you and your system to be supported and centered through these often challenging transitions. 

In pregnancy there can be postural changes that lead to stress on the mechanics of the spine, pelvis, hips and even your feet. Your pregnancy programme will help your skeleton cope with these changes in a strong and positive way. It can also prevent, or help to manage the often uncomfortable symptoms of a “weak bladder”, by strengthening the muscles of your pelvic floor, reduce painful swelling by increasing circulation in the correct way, as well as maintain

your ability to move freely, even towards the end of your pregnancy. Sessions will also help you to learn more about your body so that you can make the right choices for yourself, with the support of your teacher and doctor or midwife, as to what kind of birth choice is best for you.

Our programme will also help you learn useful breathing techniques, rest and relaxation exercises to help ease the tension of labour.  Working on the pelvic floor and lower abdominal muscles will also ease the process of labour, by making the pelvic exit for your baby stronger and more flexible. If you are preparing for an active birth Pilates can help the body to create the strength and endurance it needs for labour. With an experienced teacher you may also achieve optimal foetal positioning in the last trimester, by working with specific positions and movements. If, however you are having a caesarian section, Pilates sessions during pregnancy can help your abdominal muscles remain resilient in withstanding the surgical incision and a faster, less painful recovery is more likely to be experienced.  

POST-NATAL PILATES

Life with a new baby is both challenging and rewarding. It is important that you adjust to your new life as a mother, feeling at your best and strongest. Post-natal Pilates not only gives you time to find your body again, but sets out to repair and retrain your body to a pre-pregnancy state. It will support you while getting back to your normal weight in a healthy way and help to keep your energy levels high, despite possible lack of sleep. The focus at this phase will also be related to re strengthening pelvic floor and abdominal muscles in order to prevent the possibility of future problems and ensure that you are using the correct posture and techniques during breastfeeding, bathing and holding the baby. 

All Pilates sessions at Central Balance are taught by sufficiently trained practitioners. Once an Initial Assessment has been completed, the appropriate session type will be chosen for your identified goals and needs. 1 hour sessions are taught 1:1, 1: 2-3, or in small groups of 6 or 7 people