Abs while pregnant

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Eyoung8
Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am only a couple months pregnant, but am working on abs. I know sooner than later this won't matter much but any thought, especially anyone with experience with this...

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  • PatheticNoetic
    PatheticNoetic Posts: 905 Member
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    I don't know honestly. I had good abs before I had kids and even then they separated with the growth of the baby. I'm now having to rebuild my abdominal core strength.

    Congratulations on your pregnancy! :smile:
  • lauraspberry
    lauraspberry Posts: 655 Member
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    Congratulations! You should stop and do low impact workouts instead like yoga that can help you during labor and it's a good workout for flexibility. The stress isn't good for the baby, however if you've been working out your abs before, it's a good thing since your abdominal muscles will be able to support the growth of your belly very well.
  • momma2azoo
    momma2azoo Posts: 50 Member
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    In the first trimester ab exercises on your back should be fine. After the first trimester you will need to avoid exercises that place you on your back. On your back, the weight of the growing uterus will put pressure on major blood vessels and reduce blood flow to you and your baby.

    There's no reason during a healthy pregnancy that you couldn't do other ab exercises though. The general rule is that anything you were doing before pregnancy can be continued within reason, usually just with less intensity as the months go by. No need to suddenly stop an active life style and scale back to granny mode. :) I've known several women who run right up until delivery. I didn't run, but I was still doing 5+ mile walks and weights right up until my youngest was born. Staying active makes life so much easier post birth. I've had 5 kiddos and wish I'd remained active with all of them. For the first couple I used being pregnant as an excuse to kick back and relax. Big mistake!! With my last few I was active all through my pregnancies and it was beneficial in so many ways.

    Congrats on your pregnancy.
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
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    I did enjoy water exercise while pregnant. There was a special class for expectant moms-It was a lot of fun and certainly got our heart rate up.
  • Eyoung8
    Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
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    Thanks guys for the congrats AND the great advice!!!!! I intend to continue working out and doing abs; at least until I have to significantly modify them. This is pregnancy número 5!!!!!! I already have 4 kids so staying fit is an absolute must!
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    Visible abs are more about diet than exercise. You build them in the gym, but you reveal them in the kitchen, and I'm not a doctor, but I'm not sure yours would recommend a prolonged calorie deficit during your pregnancy.

    And you definitely do not have to stop working out and start doing yoga. Whatever you were doing when you got pregnant, you can keep doing.
  • meggwyn
    meggwyn Posts: 226 Member
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    I do standing ab moves while pregnant until my belly gets too big. When it starts swinging from side to side though, and pulling on the round ligaments, I know its time to give it up! LOL My last pregnancy, that didn't happen until I was close to 30 weeks. I've been trying to do plank moves with this pregnancy, but I'm still pretty early (14 weeks). I'm not sure how long I will do those b/c i definitely feel a pull and don't want to damage anything as my abs separate. But doing things like standing and bringing elbow to knees or across the body, etc should be fine for a while! :) (In my experience...I'm not doctor! lol)
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
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    This sounds like a discussion you should be having with your doctor.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    I think doing squats throughout pregnancy helped me immensely during labor. The growth of the baby even provided me with a built-in progressive overload. :laugh:

    Doing exercises while pregnant are great, but push your "visible abs" goal to the back of your head for now. As a fifth pregnancy, I would assume you would understand that it's not going to happen.
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
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    This sounds like a discussion you should be having with your doctor.

    ^^This
  • BondBomb
    BondBomb Posts: 1,781 Member
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    Visible abs are more about diet than exercise. You build them in the gym, but you reveal them in the kitchen, and I'm not a doctor, but I'm not sure yours would recommend a prolonged calorie deficit during your pregnancy.

    And you definitely do not have to stop working out and start doing yoga. Whatever you were doing when you got pregnant, you can keep doing.
    Yep. I worked out until the day I went into labor. But my doc said this was fine. I think that is your go to person in this situation.

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