PregActive Review by Francis

Today we meet Frances who is one of our inspiring and amazing PregActive mamas.

Why is including exercise into your day week so important?

Frances: I really wanted to have as healthy a pregnancy as possible, both in terms of physical and mental wellbeing. I really struggled with morning sickness and exhaustion in the first trimester and went from quite an active lifestyle to wanting to spend most days in bed. Once I started feeling better into the second trimester I was so keen to get moving but wanted to do so in a safe way.

Which PregActive Program are you doing right now?

Frances: I completed the pregnancy programme whilst pregnant with twins. It was fantastic! I mainly joined for the yoga sessions but ended up doing quite a few of the strength and fit sessions also.

I'd never liked working with weights but turning on a video first thing in the morning and having Kerryn's gentle, encouraging instructions from the get go meant that before I knew it, I'd done quite a lot!

I really liked the way that the videos indirectly focused around labour and getting through the 'tough parts' to enjoy down time between contractions. I am very keen to start on postnatal recovery once I have the all clear to exercise again.

What has been the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome?

Frances: For us finding out that we were pregnant with twins brought a lot of joy but a lot of stress also. We were constantly being told that twins were high risk, that they could come early, that they may have to spend time in the NICU. This added so much stress.

I'm not someone that can easily turn off my thoughts and, as much as I'd love to be able to do it, have never really managed to meditate. Instead having a class to follow and having someone constantly remind me to focus on my babies and breathe really helped me remember what was important and take some time every day to relax.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself?

Frances: I would have tried to start the exercise a little earlier, even though I felt so rubbish during the first trimester. I think that I was focusing so much on how bad I felt and I'm wondering if instead trying to see what I could achieve despite the morning sickness would have helped shift my focus.

What advice would you give another Mama?

Frances: I think that everyone is different with their own needs and preferences but I'd encourage them to give some gentle exercise a try to see how they feel about it. I was really reassured by how well researched Kerryn's classes were and never felt that I was being pushed to try something that was unsafe or would make me feel uncomfortable.

I was still doing Kerryn's yoga at 38 weeks pregnant with twins and if something didn't feel right (or possible) I'd just go into child's pose instead. It always felt so much better than not doing any exercise!

How has PregActive helped you?

Frances: We live in Italy and I spent most of my pregnancy in various degrees of lockdown due to the pandemic and without family around. Finding a programme that was tailored to each week of my pregnancy, run by someone who knew what they were doing, had a beautiful style AND had an Australian accent was a delight!

I loved that I could wake up and open the programme and just press play without having to think too much about what type of exercise to do or search between classes. I always finished Kerryn's classes feeling positive, relaxed and energised for the day, right up until the end of my pregnancy.

I was complimented by my midwife, doctor and osteopath for the great shape that I was in throughout and only really felt 'heavy' in the last few days before going into labour. I felt strong, capable and positive!

Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Frances: Thank you to Kerryn for providing such an encouraging, empowering programme. I really am so glad that I found this and have already recommended to many friends in the same situation!

'Thank you again for the great classes! I'm really looking forward to getting into the Core Recovery program. I found your 'Did you have a C-Section' video which has answered all of my questions about starting postpartum exercise! I'll start the pelvic floor exercises immediately. Thank you again :)'