Staying Active During Pregnancy with Cake Maternity -

In keeping with this weeks theme of tuning in, embracing and celebrating our mama bodies, today I wanted to share with you the release of Cake Maternity’s newest Nursing Sports Bra ‘Popcorn‘ and chat a little bit about how I’ve enjoyed staying active and tuning into my body during my pregnancies.

First lets have a little chat about the new Popcorn style… This high-impact sports bra offers 100% wire-free structured support & it’s made from moisture wicking spacer material that reduces friction while you move. Like all Cake Maternity bras it’s also built to grow with you and it’s ready for nursing on-the-go with easy button access.

The style is not only supportive, but also smooth and comfy, with a sporty look that sits perfectly under t-shirts or can be worn as a crop top on its own.

Truth be told, I’m not doing much high impact exercise at 36 weeks, but I know this stylish little number will become very useful in the post-partum period when feeding baby during work outs.

Staying active as a busy mum can be very challenging. I’ve certainly found it quite hard to make the time during my second pregnancy while also working and running after a busy toddler, but here are some small ways in which I have enjoyed tuning into my body since becoming a mum…

Read on Below

At Home Work Outs with Physio Laura & The Pregnancy Posse

During my first pregnancy with Jeanie, Melbourne was in the middle of Covid lockdowns. This meant that I was unable to do face to face pre-natal classes and so I went on the look out for online classes that I could do safely from home. I wanted to do Pilates in particular as it is so helpful for strengthening the pelvic floor (very important for pregnancy), and just staying limber and mobile in general.

Someone suggested the Pregnancy Posse by Physio Laura to me and my only regret is that I didn’t find it sooner. I found the workouts so helpful to ease aches and pains and also keep me active and agile.

All of the workouts are designed and demonstrated by Laura Callea who is a pelvic floor physiotherapist. The subscription offers weekly videos that are specifically designed for each week of your pregnancy as you go along, and they are gentle, enjoyable and easy to do with no equipment required (besides a yoga mat perhaps).

This time around I joined the Pregnancy Posse again mainly due to convenience. Even though I am now able to do face to face classes again, being back at work and running around after a toddler means I often have very little time left in the week for myself, so doing this online course means I can try to fit in a quick work out at times which are convenient and available to me.

This week I also had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Laura on Lilt Blog. click here to read.

2. Seeing a Women’s Health Physiotherapist

One thing I have done this year which has benefited me is starting to see a Women’s Health Physio to help strengthen my pelvic floor in preparation for the birth of baby No2 and to improve my fitness in general.

Having one-on-one support in this area has been so beneficial to me in ensuring that my body is recovering and getting stronger for this next stage.

I personally found my general post-natal GP check up incredibly unhelpful, so putting aside some funds and time to see a Women’s Health Specialist was on my priority list.

A Women’s Health Physio can help on a number of issues, including pelvic floor strength, DRAM (abdominal separation), Prolapse, & bladder and bowel symptoms to name a few, and although it unfortunately is not standard practice in Australian post-natal care, if you are able to, I couldn’t recommend it enough.

Most Women’s Health Physio’s also offer clinical exercise & pilates classes, as well as remedial massage so there is a tonne of care which can be accessed to help your hard working mama body recover and thrive.

3. Mums & Bubs Classes

One things I absolutely LOVED doing when Jeanie was a baby was attending Mums & Bubs Classes in my local area.

Usually run by the council, these classes are often quite affordable and a lovely way to stay active, meet new mums and most importantly to encourage you to get out of the house in what can be an isolating time for new mothers.

There are lots of different types of classes available, but I joined a post natal pilates and yoga class which was gentle and perfect for the early days of motherhood.

I’ll definitely be joining again with baby number 2.

4. A Simple 30 Minute Walk.

Some days… or if I’m being honest, MOST days all I can muster is a simple 30 minute walk.

I pop my runners on, strap Jeanie into her pram and head to the local park to breathe in some fresh air, be amongst nature and move my body.

Often this simple act is the perfect remedy for a difficult start to the day, foggy mind or grumpy mood. Best of all….it’s free!

Not to mention all the amazing scenery and learning that Jeanie takes in along the way. And if you’re lucky sometimes you get to meet some really cool mums at the playground too 🙂