Sharon Chapman of Restoring Cores shares her information on the safety and welfare on prenatal and postnatal women.
I see Prenatal and Postnatal women diligently working out in gyms across America. Prenatal women are attempting to control their weight and maintain a level of fitness while Postnatal women are eager to get their bodies back to their Pre-Pregnancy state.
And more than not these women are either participating in group fitness or being trained by a personal trainer. I visit workout facilities, fitness centers and studios everywhere I go and make it a point to observe this specialized group of Pre and Postnatal women. In addition, to that, I observe their trainers and those that …… move them.
In 2017 and 2018 during travels across the US, I started to make a point to talk to these trainers/movers asking them, “Do you feel you know HOW TO train a Pre and Postnatal woman?” Their common response is “Absolutely”. It’s often stated with a great deal of confidence. Which is cool! Pre & Postnatal women should move! When visiting with them further to get an idea of what they know or what they possibly don’t know, and the continuing education they’ve received, more than not their confidence starts to waver.
Note - it’s not my intention to decrease anyone’s confidence in teaching or downplay their importance, on the contrary. My purpose is to keep Pre and Postnatal women safe in movement primarily because movement HEALS if done appropriately. And to promote Prenatal and Postnatal education out there that will maintain the safety and welfare of women and add many tools to personal trainers and movement specialists across America.
In May of 2016, ACOG (the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists) released a new set of guidelines for exercise stating if your healthy and your pregnancy is normal, it is safe to continue AND start most types of exercises with the organization mentioning Pilates, (Yee-HA!) as a safe form of exercise. Pilates is a great form of movement for Pre and Postnatal women.
Generally speaking, the common trainer that oversees Pre and Postnatal women’s movement I have discovered takes little to no additional training to understanding the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, the common problems, contraindications and the safe positioning and movements during the 3 different trimester stages of pregnancy. While more than not these trainers do not understand the delicate and vulnerable state of the 4th Trimester of Postnatal women, their contraindications and the differences women experience during these stages in their life. No two women are alike during Pregnancy and Postnatal and no two subsequent pregnancies and Postnatal experiences are alike.
More than not the support and guidance element is left out as most trainers tell……… women to talk to their doctors about their movement. To be safe. So that’s what women do…...they ask their doctor. What do doctors say? They say, “Exercise is good for you”. Of course, movement is good for women in these stages in their lives. The problem rests with the fact that doctors often do NOT know what their mothers are doing and don’t know or understand how the “Movement Overseers” are training.
So you generally see women going to classes that they went to before their pregnancy state. With movement specialists opening their arms and telling them, “If it feels funny or odd you should STOP”. That was a common response of about 58% of the trainers I spoke too. I also see trainers accepting postpartum women back into their movement folds too quickly before they should be activating a core.
In addition, on social media we view numerous on-line movements that are offered to Postnatal women without understanding or realizing the vulnerability of a woman’s body at this stage in their life. We see planks, flexion of various forms and positions of stabilization being offered. Postnatal women are often led by the mirror and have a great desire to get back to things that their bodies should not be encouraged to do!
More common responses I get from these trainers are: “We want our women to burn like all women should”, or “I was pregnant and worked out and I didn’t have any problems or my wife was pregnant and worked out to the very end and didn’t have any problems”.
One male trainer after saying his wife did CrossFit for the full 9 months and back again at 5 weeks “mildly” was doing great! She had her body back, for the most part. When I asked what the most part was about? His reply, “The only problem she has is she can’t get rid of that little pooch in the front of her tummy and sometimes she pees her pants when she jumps.”
And more than not these women are either participating in group fitness or being trained by a personal trainer. I visit workout facilities, fitness centers and studios everywhere I go and make it a point to observe this specialized group of Pre and Postnatal women. In addition, to that, I observe their trainers and those that …… move them.
In 2017 and 2018 during travels across the US, I started to make a point to talk to these trainers/movers asking them, “Do you feel you know HOW TO train a Pre and Postnatal woman?” Their common response is “Absolutely”. It’s often stated with a great deal of confidence. Which is cool! Pre & Postnatal women should move! When visiting with them further to get an idea of what they know or what they possibly don’t know, and the continuing education they’ve received, more than not their confidence starts to waver.
Note - it’s not my intention to decrease anyone’s confidence in teaching or downplay their importance, on the contrary. My purpose is to keep Pre and Postnatal women safe in movement primarily because movement HEALS if done appropriately. And to promote Prenatal and Postnatal education out there that will maintain the safety and welfare of women and add many tools to personal trainers and movement specialists across America.
In May of 2016, ACOG (the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists) released a new set of guidelines for exercise stating if your healthy and your pregnancy is normal, it is safe to continue AND start most types of exercises with the organization mentioning Pilates, (Yee-HA!) as a safe form of exercise. Pilates is a great form of movement for Pre and Postnatal women.
Generally speaking, the common trainer that oversees Pre and Postnatal women’s movement I have discovered takes little to no additional training to understanding the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, the common problems, contraindications and the safe positioning and movements during the 3 different trimester stages of pregnancy. While more than not these trainers do not understand the delicate and vulnerable state of the 4th Trimester of Postnatal women, their contraindications and the differences women experience during these stages in their life. No two women are alike during Pregnancy and Postnatal and no two subsequent pregnancies and Postnatal experiences are alike.
More than not the support and guidance element is left out as most trainers tell……… women to talk to their doctors about their movement. To be safe. So that’s what women do…...they ask their doctor. What do doctors say? They say, “Exercise is good for you”. Of course, movement is good for women in these stages in their lives. The problem rests with the fact that doctors often do NOT know what their mothers are doing and don’t know or understand how the “Movement Overseers” are training.
So you generally see women going to classes that they went to before their pregnancy state. With movement specialists opening their arms and telling them, “If it feels funny or odd you should STOP”. That was a common response of about 58% of the trainers I spoke too. I also see trainers accepting postpartum women back into their movement folds too quickly before they should be activating a core.
In addition, on social media we view numerous on-line movements that are offered to Postnatal women without understanding or realizing the vulnerability of a woman’s body at this stage in their life. We see planks, flexion of various forms and positions of stabilization being offered. Postnatal women are often led by the mirror and have a great desire to get back to things that their bodies should not be encouraged to do!
More common responses I get from these trainers are: “We want our women to burn like all women should”, or “I was pregnant and worked out and I didn’t have any problems or my wife was pregnant and worked out to the very end and didn’t have any problems”.
One male trainer after saying his wife did CrossFit for the full 9 months and back again at 5 weeks “mildly” was doing great! She had her body back, for the most part. When I asked what the most part was about? His reply, “The only problem she has is she can’t get rid of that little pooch in the front of her tummy and sometimes she pees her pants when she jumps.”“Whoaaa Nelly!” (was my thought in my head).
When I asked “How postpartum she was?” His reply was our son is 20 months old”. I later went on to tell him it was not normal to pee your pants, asked if she had been checked by a Physical Therapist or doctor and has she been checked for Diastasis Recti.
His response (which is another common response I get, roughly 70%), “No because he thought all of that was normal and part of just having a baby. It was the price you pay for having a baby, right?”
In my mind I said, “WRONG.”
Apologies to Crossfitters and Trainers out there.
I have also run into some Personal Trainers, Pilates and Yoga Instructors and Movement Specialists who KNOW and UNDERSTAND this specialized group. But I am speaking to over half of the trainers, actually 58%.
This special market should be trained differently.
When I asked “How postpartum she was?” His reply was our son is 20 months old”. I later went on to tell him it was not normal to pee your pants, asked if she had been checked by a Physical Therapist or doctor and has she been checked for Diastasis Recti.
His response (which is another common response I get, roughly 70%), “No because he thought all of that was normal and part of just having a baby. It was the price you pay for having a baby, right?”
In my mind I said, “WRONG.”
Apologies to Crossfitters and Trainers out there.
I have also run into some Personal Trainers, Pilates and Yoga Instructors and Movement Specialists who KNOW and UNDERSTAND this specialized group. But I am speaking to over half of the trainers, actually 58%.
This special market should be trained differently.
There is something to be said when KNOWING what to do to keep our Pregnant and Postnatal women safe through movement. When we train them all like women we run the risks of creating “Weak Links” in their bodies which often comes out later in life by developing a Diastasis Recti, hernias, pelvic floor issues galore which results in pain, incontinence, spinal issues and poor functional movements. Ultimately, Health and Movement issues.
Educating ourselves as movement specialist allows us also to be guides, coaching and support systems for our new moms. All trainers should be encouraging Postnatal moms to “WAIT”, walk, and breathe. SUPPORTING and constantly encouraging women to “BE PATIENT” in knowing their bodies will come back stronger, better, with quality. Over 80% of these trainers DID NOT realize they were guides and support systems.
In the United States, maternal mortality is rising as it declines in other parts of the world.
Are you wondering why?
There are many medical factors to this rise in mortality rate. We have 700 to 900 maternal deaths each year and for every woman who dies in the U.S., 70% nearly die. That statistic should scare us all who work with Prenatal and Postnatal women. Our culture, our government, society, economics and jobs tell our mamas that they must get back to their pre-pregnancy state by 6 or 8 weeks, so…….movement is saying the same thing.
One hundred years ago we did not have that kind of mortality rate or high cesarean rate.
Maternal deaths are often regarded as system failures in the United States. And we as movement specialists are part of that system. We movement specialists, Pilates and yoga teachers and personal trainers. The question is how can we do our part when working with pre and postpartum women?
NPR recently stated in a segment, “That the ability to protect the health of mothers and babies in childbirth is a basic measure of society’s development.”
New moms lives change so significantly once that baby is born. Relationships change, emotions change, hormones change, it’s the biggest sleep deprived time of our lives, physical change and often trauma from birth, new family dynamics, and most importantly the world is telling mamas that ‘they’
should be back at it in a matter of weeks without realizing that new mamas just manufactured and delivered a human being. We are told by everyone that we can do anything, be everything, to everyone. But a woman’s body and spirit needs time. For HEALING. We’re not providing time. Time to HEAL and LOVE, for postnatal is spelled T-I-M-E. Let’s give our mamas time to HEAL from the inside out.
The bigger question for all of us is to ask, “How can we as movement specialists help to support moms everywhere through pregnancy, birth and Postnatal. The best solution is through education, continuing education with this specialized group of women to create awareness of its importance.
That does not require a great deal of education, it just requires some basic education and awareness on concepts of: ● Pregnancy/Postnatal Anatomy ● Hug the Baby/Postural Adaptations ● Safe Positions ● Core Strength, Stability and Changes ● Trimester Changes, Physically, Emotionally and Physiologically ● Lateral Thoracic Breathing - the HEALING breath - most powerful breath that we should teaching to moms! ● Contraindications and Other Problems ● Everyday Movement Patterns ● Importance of Emotional Support, Coaching and Guidance
I am so thankful for Physical Therapists and Pilates sisters who believe in continuing education. Great ones that are supporting, educating, being advocates and leading the way so more trainers will know what to do to keep our mamas safe.
I’m making the BOLD statement that I hope you’ll agree with - AND that is WE NEED TO DO MORE FOR THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF MAMAS IN AMERICA. We movement specialists CAN be a big part of that system.
There are many easy reference guides provided by Pilates Specialist and Yoga Teachers in the US that specialize in this kind of continuing education training. THERE ARE AMAZING programs, in person and ON-LINE that are being offered around the world, Sarah Ellis Duvall’s and Carolyn Anthony to name a few. If you want more local information about where to go in your community, contact us through Restoring Cores.
Sharon Chapman is a mother of 5, grandmother of 8, teacher, writer, speaker, Prenatal/Postnatal Pilates Instructor and Movement Specialist. She lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Co-owner of Your Pregnant Core Owner of Restoring Cores Contact Sharon through email - Restoringcores1@gmail.com or on Facebook at Restoring Cores.
Educating ourselves as movement specialist allows us also to be guides, coaching and support systems for our new moms. All trainers should be encouraging Postnatal moms to “WAIT”, walk, and breathe. SUPPORTING and constantly encouraging women to “BE PATIENT” in knowing their bodies will come back stronger, better, with quality. Over 80% of these trainers DID NOT realize they were guides and support systems.
In the United States, maternal mortality is rising as it declines in other parts of the world.
Are you wondering why?
There are many medical factors to this rise in mortality rate. We have 700 to 900 maternal deaths each year and for every woman who dies in the U.S., 70% nearly die. That statistic should scare us all who work with Prenatal and Postnatal women. Our culture, our government, society, economics and jobs tell our mamas that they must get back to their pre-pregnancy state by 6 or 8 weeks, so…….movement is saying the same thing.One hundred years ago we did not have that kind of mortality rate or high cesarean rate.
Maternal deaths are often regarded as system failures in the United States. And we as movement specialists are part of that system. We movement specialists, Pilates and yoga teachers and personal trainers. The question is how can we do our part when working with pre and postpartum women?
NPR recently stated in a segment, “That the ability to protect the health of mothers and babies in childbirth is a basic measure of society’s development.”
New moms lives change so significantly once that baby is born. Relationships change, emotions change, hormones change, it’s the biggest sleep deprived time of our lives, physical change and often trauma from birth, new family dynamics, and most importantly the world is telling mamas that ‘they’
should be back at it in a matter of weeks without realizing that new mamas just manufactured and delivered a human being. We are told by everyone that we can do anything, be everything, to everyone. But a woman’s body and spirit needs time. For HEALING. We’re not providing time. Time to HEAL and LOVE, for postnatal is spelled T-I-M-E. Let’s give our mamas time to HEAL from the inside out. The bigger question for all of us is to ask, “How can we as movement specialists help to support moms everywhere through pregnancy, birth and Postnatal. The best solution is through education, continuing education with this specialized group of women to create awareness of its importance.
That does not require a great deal of education, it just requires some basic education and awareness on concepts of: ● Pregnancy/Postnatal Anatomy ● Hug the Baby/Postural Adaptations ● Safe Positions ● Core Strength, Stability and Changes ● Trimester Changes, Physically, Emotionally and Physiologically ● Lateral Thoracic Breathing - the HEALING breath - most powerful breath that we should teaching to moms! ● Contraindications and Other Problems ● Everyday Movement Patterns ● Importance of Emotional Support, Coaching and Guidance
I am so thankful for Physical Therapists and Pilates sisters who believe in continuing education. Great ones that are supporting, educating, being advocates and leading the way so more trainers will know what to do to keep our mamas safe.
I’m making the BOLD statement that I hope you’ll agree with - AND that is WE NEED TO DO MORE FOR THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF MAMAS IN AMERICA. We movement specialists CAN be a big part of that system.
There are many easy reference guides provided by Pilates Specialist and Yoga Teachers in the US that specialize in this kind of continuing education training. THERE ARE AMAZING programs, in person and ON-LINE that are being offered around the world, Sarah Ellis Duvall’s and Carolyn Anthony to name a few. If you want more local information about where to go in your community, contact us through Restoring Cores.
Sharon Chapman is a mother of 5, grandmother of 8, teacher, writer, speaker, Prenatal/Postnatal Pilates Instructor and Movement Specialist. She lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Co-owner of Your Pregnant Core Owner of Restoring Cores Contact Sharon through email - Restoringcores1@gmail.com or on Facebook at Restoring Cores.