Pregnancy Impact on your Body
Pregnancy is an amazing time for a woman. The fact that we have the ability (and privilege) to form and carry another human being in to existence is mind blowing! As amazing as that is, it does still have a significant impact on our bodies and how we function, both during and after pregnancy.
It is important to educate our selves on how the body is impacted so we can better prepare ourselves for the healthiest pregnancy, and postpartum period, possible. Knowledge of how our body changes will also be helpful in understanding our limitations and the reasons behind doing (or avoiding) certain activities or exercises.
The 3 Main Bodily Systems Impacted During Pregnancy
Our metabolism, cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal systems are three main areas impacted from pregnancy. Hormones produced as a result of pregnancy are responsible for the changes we see in these body systems.
You can learn more about these systems and how pregnancy impacts them here.
The Cardiovascular SystemDuring pregnancy, the woman's cardiovascular system expands to support the needs of the growing Fetus . These changes include:
As you now know, reliance on supine (on the back) abdominal exercises that flex the upper spine, including most traditional abdominal exercises, many Pilates mat exercises, and some yoga poses, should be avoided immediately after pregnancy. In postpartum women, the curve of the upper back has increased significantly; a kyphotic posture. This is why so many new moms feel "hunched over" after childbirth. Habitually performing exercises that flex the upper spine aggravates the problem. It is far better for new moms to focus on lower spine flexion, which improves pelvic alignment, and to perform abdominal exercises where the upper spine is stabilized in the neutral position.
Muscular Imbalances in the Torso Pregnancy creates system wide changes in your body. As a result of the postural changes of pregnancy, (increased curves in both the lower back and upper back) specific muscle groups have become too tight, while other muscle groups have weakened. To fully rebound from pregnancy, and develop a body that not only looks good, but feel great and functions well, you need to address all of these changes.
Muscle groups that become too tight as a result of pregnancy:
It is important to educate our selves on how the body is impacted so we can better prepare ourselves for the healthiest pregnancy, and postpartum period, possible. Knowledge of how our body changes will also be helpful in understanding our limitations and the reasons behind doing (or avoiding) certain activities or exercises.
The 3 Main Bodily Systems Impacted During Pregnancy
Our metabolism, cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal systems are three main areas impacted from pregnancy. Hormones produced as a result of pregnancy are responsible for the changes we see in these body systems.
You can learn more about these systems and how pregnancy impacts them here.
The Cardiovascular SystemDuring pregnancy, the woman's cardiovascular system expands to support the needs of the growing Fetus . These changes include:
- Boosts your Blood volume , the amount of blood circulating through your body, by 40% to 50%.
- Raises your resting heart rate by about 15 to 20 beats per minute (BPM) by the third trimester.
- Elevates Cardiac output , or amount of blood pumped per minute.
- Increases Stroke volume, the amount of oxygenated blood pumped in one heartbeat.
- Expands Tidal volume , or the amount of air you take in per breath.
- Dilates and relaxes your blood vessels, thereby decreasing resting blood pressure, and aiding in circulation.
- Boosts Basal metabolism .
- Raises your core temperature slightly.
- Slightly elevates your insulin levels.
- Elevates your daily caloric needs by 300 calories by second trimester.
- Increases your protein and fluid requirements
As you now know, reliance on supine (on the back) abdominal exercises that flex the upper spine, including most traditional abdominal exercises, many Pilates mat exercises, and some yoga poses, should be avoided immediately after pregnancy. In postpartum women, the curve of the upper back has increased significantly; a kyphotic posture. This is why so many new moms feel "hunched over" after childbirth. Habitually performing exercises that flex the upper spine aggravates the problem. It is far better for new moms to focus on lower spine flexion, which improves pelvic alignment, and to perform abdominal exercises where the upper spine is stabilized in the neutral position.
Muscular Imbalances in the Torso Pregnancy creates system wide changes in your body. As a result of the postural changes of pregnancy, (increased curves in both the lower back and upper back) specific muscle groups have become too tight, while other muscle groups have weakened. To fully rebound from pregnancy, and develop a body that not only looks good, but feel great and functions well, you need to address all of these changes.
Muscle groups that become too tight as a result of pregnancy:
- Hip flexors
- Lower back
- Thighs
- Chest
- Shoulders, (particularly muscles that elevate the shoulder blades)
- Back of the Neck
- Pelvic floor
- Upper Back Muscles
- External rotators of the shoulder
- Buttocks
- Front of the neck
- Abdominal Wall- The abdominal wall is not just weak after pregnancy, it's also too long, a condition called laxity. This is why the abdomen feels mushy and droops directly after childbirth. This extreme lack of tone (remember it is temporary) often shocks many first time moms.
