All my pregnancies have been so different fitness wise. With Adelyn I was at peak fitness before falling pregnant. I had just finished a ‘bulk’ period where I built quite a bit of muscle over 6 months before we fell pregnant with her. I was extremely lucky to continue my training until 36 weeks pregnant and didn’t lose too much strength. Her pregnancy was a low risk and simple pregnancies – as far as simple as being pregnant can be. I went back to work after 3 months and begun my training again slowly after 8 weeks. It didn’t take long for my fitness to come back and at the 1 year post Adelyn mark I was back to where I was pre pregnancy.

Hanna and Rileys pregnancy was totally different. Finding out it was twins we knew there may be a risk with the pregnancy so I continued to train but backed off my weight limits. At 16 weeks we found out there was a discrepancy between the girls sizes and my OB advised me to limit what exercise I was doing. At 19 weeks I was advised to stop anything that would take blood flow away from Riley – this included any form of training and I had to finish work as my job was too active being a Personal Trainer and Gym Instructor. I was on bed rest at home until the twins were delivered at 25 + 6. Once they were born we spent a long 5 months at the hospital so a lot of take away easy meals were eaten and no exercise at all was done.

Between the twins and this current pregnancy I managed to lose a few kilos and gain back about ¾ of the strength I had lost but was still up 10 kilos in weight from pre twins. Numbers are just numbers and don’t equal worth but going into this pregnancy already heavier than the previous 2 has already taken its toll on my body. I am a little scared to see how my body copes with the second half of this pregnancy. I can feel the extra weight already making me ache and waddle but I will push through and guide my body through gentle strengthening exercises where I can. I have no where trained as much as I would like over the last 20 weeks but I am being gentle on myself. I am 6 years older than my 1^st pregnancy, I have 3 children to run around after, I have a job, a house to maintain and juggle around training time and as well this pregnancy I was so sick early on there was no way I could train. I try daily to reach between 8000 and 10 000 steps to keep up some sort of movement for my body as I do believe it is important (have confirmed with my OB that it is ok to train and move my body). Where I can I am trying to aim to workout at least 2 x per week of some sort, whether it is a walk or light weight session not only does it keep me active but it benefits my mental health also. I am however not putting the pressure on myself to do a workout – it is important to listen to your body and know when it needs to rest and when it can move for you .

The time will come after baby, for me to focus on me and my body but right now I want to embrace my last pregnancy no matter if I can fit in a workout or not.

Please also confirm with your DR or GP for exercise and guidance during pregnancy.