TRUSTED BY OVER 82,000 GROWING BUMPS

Add your deal, information or promotional text

Shopicons_Regular_Delivery2

Free Delivery Australia Wide

Shopicons_Regular_Calendar

30 Night Risk Free Trial

Shopicons_Regular_Shield

Sleeping Mum’s Guarantee

Five low intensity exercises to help during pregnancy

  • April 27, 2022

Easy to learn, low intensity exercises to help you maintain fitness while pregnant

In collaboration with Dr Carlos Olson from Wellness Osteo Richmond & Carlton.

When you're pregnant, you're not expected to be training for a marathon or breaking records on the weights bench. Your primary focus will be nurturing and growing the precious, tiny human inside of you!

So while you won't be pushing yourself to the limits, moderate aerobic and light strengthening work such as brisk walking, swimming, or yoga, is a fantastic way to burn off excess energy, maintain a healthy metabolism and will go a long way to improving your much-needed pregnancy sleep!

We've sat down with Osteopath Dr Carlos Olson from Wellness Osteo Richmond & Carlton and asked for five low-intensity exercises to help during pregnancy.

Try out a regular routine with these five exercises:

The Cat/Cow:

  1. Start on your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders, and knees under your hips.
  2. Start by breathing out and allowing your stomach to slowly drop down, lifting your head up, and pushing your tailbone out.
  3. Hold this position for 2 seconds
  4. Next, breathe in and arch your back up by tucking your head and tailbone in, and pulling your belly button in towards your spine.
  5. Hold this position, and then repeat for 10 reps.

    Woman Performing Cat/Cow Stretch

Thread The Needle:

  1. Start on your hands and knees. Your hands should be under your shoulders and your hips over your knees.
  2. Take one hand off the floor and reach in and through between your other hand and leg on that side.
  3. Allow your shoulder and head to follow, moving down towards the floor as your hand reaches through.
  4. Allow your back to twist. You should feel a stretch down your side, your shoulder blade, and neck.
  5. Hold and then relax and repeat for 5 reps on each side.

Woman Demonstrating How To Perform Thread The Needle Stretch

Seated Piriformis Stretch:

  1. Start in a seated position.
  2. Cross one of your ankles onto the opposite knee.
  3. Apply gentle pressure to the knee as you lean forward, increasing the depth of the stretch.
  4. Hold this position for 10 seconds and relax.
  5. Repeat 3 times each leg.

Woman Performing Seated Piriformis Stretch

The Clam:

  1. Lie on your side with your feet, ankles and knees together. (Bend the legs a little.)
  2. Keeping the feet together, lift the top knee up.
  3. Make sure you don't roll your body back with the movement.
  4. Control the movement as you bring the knee back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for 10 reps each leg. (To make it harder, add a resistance band around your knees)

Woman Performing Clamshell Exercise

 Wall Squat With Exercise Ball:

  1. Stand with the ball between a wall and your mid-back. Your feet should be placed in front and hip-width apart.
  2. Keeping a straight back, tighten your core stability muscles and gently squat down, as far as you can go comfortably, by bending through your hips and pretending to sit in a chair.
  3. Tighten your buttock muscles to drive your movement back up to the start position.
  4. Your back should stay straight throughout this movement, and your weight should be on your heels, not your toes.
  5. Repeat for 10 reps

 

Woman performing Seated Wall Squat With Exercise Ball

A bit about Wellness Osteo Richmond & Carlton

Wellness Osteo is an Osteopathic clinic located in Carlton and Richmond.

 

Their focus is on achieving optimal health and wellness by creating individualised plans based on the most recent, evidence-informed techniques and management strategies.

At Wellness Osteo, they treat all sorts of complaints such as postural strains, sporting injuries, degenerative conditions, low back pain, shoulder pain, headaches, and more!  Further, their practitioners are experienced in and passionate about treating pregnancy-related musculoskeletal aches and pains.

Common pregnancy-related conditions they see include:

  • Pelvic girdle pain
  • Symphysis pubis dysfunction
  • Pudendal neuralgia
  • Pelvic instability
  • Carpal tunnel
  • Back & hip pain

Throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period, the female body undergoes significant hormonal and physical changes that can contribute to increased pressure on joints and surrounding structures. With osteopathic treatment, they aim to improve joint mobility, reduce pain and inflammation, and get their patients back to doing what they love.


You can get in touch with Wellness Osteo via their website, where you can make an appointment for a consultation.

Wellness Osteo Logo

Read More

How Long Should You Wear Compression Socks Each Day During Pregnancy?

How Long Should You Wear Compression Socks Each Day During Pregnancy?

For most healthy pregnancies, the optimal routine is to wear maternity compression socks for 8 to 12 hours during your active daytime hours and take them off before sleep. Putting them on first thing in the morning, before fluid pools in your lower limbs, allows the graduated compression profile to actively manage fluid retention throughout your day. Taking them off at night is essential because lying flat levels your legs with your heart, rendering the socks unnecessary while giving your skin time to breathe.

This 8 to 12 hour window fits standard daily waking routines, whether you are sitting at a desk, working long standing shifts, or running errands. Compression socks are also highly beneficial during travel involving more than four hours of sitting to maintain healthy blood flow. While keeping them on for a brief daytime nap of 30 to 60 minutes is perfectly fine, they should always be removed for a full night's rest.

Pregnancy Compression Sock Size Guide: How to Measure for the Right Fit

Pregnancy Compression Sock Size Guide: How to Measure for the Right Fit

Ensuring proper fit for maternity compression socks is critical for managing pregnancy swelling and leg heaviness. Because compression socks use a graduated profile—firmest at the ankle and easing up the calf, an improper fit disrupts circulation benefits. Socks that are too large wrinkle and fail to deliver support, while undersized socks create a restrictive band that worsens fluid retention.

To ensure an accurate fit, always measure first thing in the morning when your legs are slimmest before daily fluid accumulation begins. Using a flexible tape measure, record the circumference of the narrowest part of your ankle (just above the bone) and the widest part of your calf in centimeters. Compare these numbers against a size chart, prioritizing ankle and calf dimensions over shoe size to maintain proper gradient pressure. If you fall between sizes, size up for ease of wear or earlier trimesters, and size down for a firmer, more supportive fit.

When putting on your socks, avoid hauling on the fabric over a third-trimester bump by using the unrolling method: turn the leg section inside out down to the heel, slide your foot into the footbed, and unroll the fabric smoothly up your calf. Ensure the top band sits roughly two finger-widths below the bend of your knee without rolling the cuff down, which prevents painful pressure bands and guarantees all-day circulatory support.

Sleep Sack With Sleeves vs. Sleeveless: Which Is Better for Your Baby?

Sleep Sack With Sleeves vs. Sleeveless: Which Is Better for Your Baby?

Transitioning your baby from a swaddle into an arms-free sleep sack around 12 weeks is a critical safety milestone once rolling begins. When deciding between sleeved and sleeveless sleep sacks, room temperature and versatility are the primary factors to evaluate. Sleeveless sleep sacks allow heat to regulate naturally through open armholes and make layering adjustments easy, though hands can feel chilly on cold nights. Sleeved designs provide uniform warmth for cold nurseries, but they offer little flexibility if the room temperature fluctuates overnight.

Convertible sleep sacks with removable press-stud sleeves offer the best balance by adapting quickly to changing conditions. Regardless of sleeve style, maintaining infant sleep safety requires selecting an appropriate TOG rating (1.0 TOG for mild rooms, 2.5 TOG for cooler spaces) and checking warmth by feeling your baby's chest or tummy rather than their hands. Choosing a bag with a wide, hip-healthy base and a two-way zip ensures proper joint development and easy nighttime changes while keeping your baby comfortable and safe.

Search