Hydrotherapy while pregnant or a Mummy

Here is an hydrotherapy exercise program that you can use while pregnant or as a new Mummy.

If you are heavily pregnant during Summer you feel the heat a lot more. Getting in a cold pool has multiple benefits. It gives you the incredible feeling of weightlessness which is lovely on your loosened pelvic joints and helps reduce those swollen ankles/ wrists. It also provides a great medium to do exercise.

Take care in the first trimester of pregnancy and avoid the heat of hot hydrotherapy pools but apart from that they are perfectly safe. Caution needs to be taken when moving your arms or legs fast in the water, with hydrotherapy exercises, as the water adds resistance. The faster you move, the higher the resistance.

“your unstable joints... are more vulnerable to joint injury and pain...”

This is a great tool for strengthening but be careful to listen to your body. As your joints are commonly unstable, due to the relaxin hormone loosening your ligaments for childbirth, you are more vulnerable to joint injury and pain.

It may also feel fine when you are in the cool or warm buoyant water, but when you get out of the pool, the pain can come on latently. Regardless of how careful you are, you always feel like a tonne of bricks when the reality of gravity hits you again outside of the pool! But the time you are in the pool is divine.

“the faster you move, the higher the resistance...”

Swimming laps is wonderful but I would take care with breaststroke as the leg action can play havoc on the unstable pelvis. Freestyle, backstroke or if you can somehow work out butterfly strokes are fine on the pelvis but again if done too fast and furiously can strain the weakened ligaments.

Hydrotherapy exercises, such as the ones suggested below, done at your pace, are great.

• Walking forwards and backwards and jumping and jogging through the water are a good quad, hamstrings, calves, glutes and core work out. You can swing your arms too for an arm workout.

• Side stepping is fantastic as it strengthens the gluteus medius/ minimius muscles which help support the pelvis (and back, knees and ankles). Again take care to not go fast. Squat to bend your knees if you need to make the resistance less.

• Star jumps work the same muscles and arms.

• Get some floaties and bending and straightening your elbows works your biceps and triceps.

• Push the floatie forwards and backwards works your pecs and lats.

• Pull your arms out to the sides and back again work the deltoids and pecs.

• Lie on your back holding on to the side of the pool and slowly (depending on your strength) pull your legs towards your chest and then away. Make sure you have your core on to protect your back and pelvis. This is a great core work out

• Remain lying on your back and take your legs apart and together again. Another core and leg workout.

• Treading water by cycling is a good leg and core work out too.

Do a class or see your physiotherapist for more ideas and guidance for your individual condition. Keep an eye out on my blog of Swimming lessons for your Baby and you for water safety exercises to do with your baby once she is born which I will write soon.

Summary

Hydrotherapy is a great medium for resistance and aerobic exercise during pregnancy.

Being in the water is also wonderful for taking the weight off your joints and decreasing swelling.

Take care to not move too fast as this could cause injury and pain to your weakened joints.

Melli Tilbrook is a Physiotherapist based at Adelaide Physiotherapy and Pilates Studio, Beulah Park.