The Core Through Pregnancy

This is post #2 in The Core Series -head back and read post #1 here. Now, let’s get to it!

If you limit your repertoire of core exercises to crunches and planks then it might seem like you can’t do core exercises during pregnancy. Let’s talk about how your core muscles support your pregnancy and then I’ll cover some simple concepts you can explore to get your core muscles functioning well.

What does the core do during pregnancy?

The core supports your growing belly.

The abdominal muscles are on the outside of your belly – outside your viscera and baby, just underneath your skin. As your pregnancy progresses, the abdominal wall lengthens to allow for the growth of your belly. While it may feel like your belly pokes far out in front of you the abdominal muscles engage throughout the day to keep your belly closer to your center of gravity, where it feels the lightest.

Your core stabilizes your pelvic joints.

If you read A Deep Dive Into The Deep Core then you know that your core consists of your diaphragm, TVA, and pelvic floor. The TVA attaches to your two side hip bones, or innominate bones, and your sacrum. The pelvic floor attaches to those three bones as well as the tailbone, or the coccyx. These bones have joints between them that are more mobile during pregnancy due to a hormone called relaxin. This increased mobility is awesome for labor because it allows for the bones of your pelvis to shift as your baby descends through it. During pregnancy, however, this increase in mobility can cause discomfort if there isn’t a relative increase in strength. The activation of the TVA and the pelvic floor, in addition to many other muscles, helps to stabilize the joints of the pelvis like the sacroiliac joints and the pubic symphysis.

The TVA has a leading role in pushing.

Labor is defined by contractions that are getting longer, stronger, and closer together, causing cervical change. As your labor progresses the contractions of your uterus push your baby down through the pelvis. When it comes time to push the TVA engages in conjunction with the uterus (aka during a contraction) to create more pressure in the abdomen, pushing your baby out of the abdomen and pelvic cavities, and into the world. Developing a strong connection to, and strength in, the TVA is a wonderful goal for prenatal exercise.

Alright, so how do I safely connect to my core during pregnancy?

Address your posture!

Remember how I said the abdominals help keep your belly closer to your center of gravity? Well, poor posture can make that job feel impossible. When standing be sure to stack your head, ribcage, and pelvis over your heels – not your toes! A lot of people allow their bellies to draw their pelvis forward, which overstretches the abdominals. By stacking your body over your heels the abdominals are in better alignment to engage when you need them to.

Blow Before You Go

In a healthy, low-back-pain-free body the TVA engages BEFORE a hard movement is done. You can ensure that this is happening in your body by using your exhale to engage your TVA. Before you pick up your little one, grab that big bag of groceries, or even stand up, exhale to kick on your TVA. You “blow before you go” into whatever movement you’re doing.

Trunk Stability Work

If you read the first post in this series then you know that the core muscles play a big role in trunk stability. Planks and exercises on your back are great ways to challenge trunk stability, but sometimes they’re uncomfortable for pregnant people. Instead, you can try exercises that asymmetrically load your body, like the farmer’s carry. In a farmer’s carry, you hold a weight in one hand and try to keep your posture as centered as possible. The abdominals will automatically turn on when this exercise is done properly. (Hint: this exercise can be done in life with groceries, a car seat, and a child!)

These concepts might sound simple, but tuning into how and when your abdominals activate during pregnancy can put you ahead in your postpartum recovery.

Next in the core series we cover core recovery after birth. Stayed tuned!!