Meet Laura Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise Specialist

We have so many different health professionals that complete our Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise Specialist Course. Some are personal trainers wanting to become pre/postnatal qualified, others are group fitness instructors wanting to help pregnant women or new mothers in their group classes.

Our graduate, Laura is not only a yoga teacher, but also a Naturopath and Reiki Practitioner.

Read on and we interview Laura on why she is so passionate in help pregnant women and new mothers

What is your current profession and where are you based?

I'm a degree qualified Naturopath, Reiki Practitioner, Yoga Teacher and recently completed my certification with PregActive Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise.

I'm based in Paris where I teach in a studio and work online with Aesara Health with Australian and other international clients.

Why is helping pregnant and postpartum women so important to you?

As I'm currently pregnant, I can really connect with other pregnant and postpartum women with all the changes going within the body and mind. I think this helps to build trust and rapport, open dialog, education and support.

I have been practicing yoga for many years and honestly thought I could continue my practice as before as 'my body is used to yoga'.

I wasn't expecting such dramatic changes, even as early as the first trimester that my body was going through.

Educating Women

Educating women to really slow down, be gentle with themselves, pain is never ok, acknowledging that your dietary requirement, daily movements, sleep, mental health, and physical body will change and it's not a bad thing, has been empowering.

What did you enjoy most about the PregActive Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise Course?

I loved doing this course while being pregnant, i think when something is directly affecting you you tend to take in as much as you possibly can.

The course I found to flow beautifully between the different transitions, it was validating to know some of the feelings and physical changes are common.

The education standard is high with reputable sources and resources used. Interactive learning, reading, practical and listening for variety.

What do you plan to do now you are a Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise Specialist?

Continue to teach group and private classes. I would really like to teach mum and bubs once I have my baby, so I can continue to work and be connected to other mothers during this time.

For me I feel it's so important for any pregnant or postpartum women to understand that their body is/has changed and being under the guidance of a qualified professional is a must.

If I didn't take this course I would still be continuing my regular yoga practice, have no idea about DRAM, and would be pushing through my pelvic girdle pain - because this is not common knowledge taught to pregnant women.

What would you say to a newly pregnant Mama-to-be who is nervous about starting exercise?

Firstly, congratulations on your pregnancy and for making the decision to start exercising.

As much as we want to sit down and watch Netflix, it's important for you and baby to stay active, for you to be aware of your own body, to build strength where we need it as the baby grows, to give birth, and once the baby is born.

This practice is yours, and we will go at your pace. Rest, drink water and use the bathroom whenever you need. If you feel any pain or discomfort at all, tell me!

Exercise should be something that's enjoyable so we will try to make this as fun as possible and learn lots of breathing techniques and pelvic floor engagement to help prepare you for this pregnancy.

What supportive words would you say to a new postpartum Mother to help her get started with her exercise?

I feel this is an area that often gets overlooked and forgotten. Again it comes back to education, educating new mothers that for at least the first 6 weeks post birth to treat the body as though you are still pregnant.

Gaining strong upper body strength to be able to hold baby is so important, but also being able to release and stretch these muscles is just as important.

When we are in pain this affects our quality of life.

Lack of sleep increases our pain receptors, pain affects sleep - it's a vicious cycle. Incontinence is common, but it's not normal.

This should not be suffered in silence. We want to gently ease back into exercise but most importantly we need to be able to regulate the nervous system, and we can do this by regulating the breath. From here we can build strength slowly to reduce the risk of injury.

Mindfully moving throughout the day, how you hold baby, the height of the change table and bath, lifting baby up and putting down - you can consider this as 'exercise' so we want to be able to move in a way that is safe and comfortable for you.

Laura Kramer
Naturopath, Reiki Practitioner, Yoga Therapy