A heavy or painful feeling in the leg (a lot of people say that it feels like a really bad pulled muscle that doesn’t go away) You can start gentle exercise such as pelvic floor exercises and walking as soon as you feel up to it Prepare to smile and look forward to each week: The Bump compares baby’s growth in utero to beautifully illustrated produce (“Baby Is As Big As a Peach”) in a way that’s fun and easy to share with friends and family. It is really important to me that everything we do at The Bump Plan showcases the positive relationship we can all have with exercise. Over the years I have seen the damage caused to women’s self-esteem and mental health by diet culture. I will never be a part of that industry and hope that we can reverse some of its effects. I don’t want my children growing up in a world that encourages women to abuse their bodies to stay thin. Exercise is a powerful tool to be used to promote better mental and physical health, and I’ll do everything I can to help you use it wisely.

A few warning signs that you need to stop exercising and speak to a health professional as soon as possible are: We’re not all about workouts: the trying to conceive plan will provide you with all the tools you need to enter pregnancy strong and capable. Access to a community, as well as regular ttc workouts will help you feel supported and heard during your ttc journey. When you have a new child it can be hard to carve out the time to go to an exercise class or dedicate time to a particular activity," says Hollie. If that's the case, there are lots of ways you can introduce strength-based activities into your daily routine.

By the time we give birth, our uterus is very high up by our diaphragm and our breath is much shallower,’ Grant says. ‘This can mean we feel quite breathless, have a more rapid breathing rate, don’t make much use of the whole of our lungs, and can feel quite alert or anxious. We can try to re-establish good breathing technique as soon as we’ve given birth.’ The Bump Plan has now helped over 30,000 women around the world and it’s only just getting started. We have incredibly exciting things planned for the brand in the near future which are going to help women and mothers even more be the strongest and most prepared they can be during these incredible phases of their lives. Here’s exactly what she wants women who have just had a baby to know. 1. Gentle recovery can begin, early doors

To caveat, she’s absolutely not suggesting you get yourself to the gym the day after giving birth, rather that the immediate post-labour timeframe can be crucial for super gentle recovery, as long as you feel ready. You’ve just grown a human inside of you for nine whole months – be proud, and give both your body and mind the break they deserve. 3. Making peace with changes to your body is vital Swelling and pain around the vagina or perineum. The perineum is the area between the vagina and rectum. Please don’t do any pelvic floor work with a catheter in situ. Wait until this has been removed before starting The Bump Plan.During pregnancy your uterus finishes very high up by the diaphragm which can make it difficult to breathe efficiently. Spending some time doing breathwork, and relearning how to breathe fully, can help stimulate the muscles of the core and pelvic floor. It can also help calm you down as it stimulates the Vagus nerve; a nerve that runs from the brain to the abdomen, responsible for relaxation. Speak to your doctor or physio One parent may have had an active pregnancy, a smooth vaginal birth, and lots of support at home. Another parent might have had a high-risk pregnancy, a traumatic birth, and little to no support at home,’ Grant explains.

Ask any new breastfeeding mum and chances are they’ll have concerns that too much exercise = lower milk supply, but Grant’s got good news: ‘There is no evidence to suggest that exercising at a “moderate intensity” affects your milk supply.’

How does it affect your mind and body in pregnancy?

Birthing people are understandably more at risk of prolapse (where the pelvic organs drop down into the vagina), but a functional pelvic floor can really help reduce the risk of a prolapse, and help you exercise safely with a prolapse. It can also help prevent the cliché “sneezing and weeing” that so many parents suffer with (and that has been normalised far too much). Around one in three women will suffer from diastasis recti, the separation of the abs muscles, so introducing safe core exercises can help to heal this. Speak with your doctor or a women's health physio for advice on how to do this safely if you have diastasis recti. The ttc plan has been created alongside trying to conceive experts to give you the best chance of conceiving whilst also preparing you for the demands of pregnancy. Many think they need to wait six weeks to start being active again. However, Hollie Grant, Founder of The Bump Plan, says this is outdated advice, and can cause new mums to assume that all movement is off the cards immediately after childbirth. It’s for this reason that WH has called upon Hollie Grant, founder of The Pilates PT Method and The Bump Plan, for some inside intel. As a mum, she has first-hand experience of slowly and gently returning to movement after birth, and has trained the likes of Jourdan Dunn and Ella Mills (a.k.a. Deliciously Ella).

The Bump Plan was created in 2020 and came from a lifelong desire to help TTC, pregnant, and postnatal women enter into these amazing times of their life strong and prepared for the myriad changes that happen to their bodies along the way. The NHS also states that if you had a straightforward birth, you can start gentle exercise as soon as you feel ready. Activities such as walking or stretching are considered 'gentle'.Reduced likelihood of subconsciously holding your breath while exercising (which could increase risk of prolapse) What are the benefits of combining Pilates, functional movement & cardiovascular exercise whilst trying to conceive? Usually how your body feels is your biggest clue. Many of the signs you might be overdoing it will come from how your body feels or behaves. We recognise that looking after a child can be stressful. Mindful movement such as Pilates can help you feel more at ease, and better able to cope with the challenges of parenting.