Pregnancy brings amazing changes, but also new challenges for your body. These practical tips from physical therapists can help you feel your best during pregnancy:
1. Practice Good Posture
As your belly grows, your center of gravity shifts. Stand tall with relaxed shoulders and keep weight evenly on both feet. Instead of just “standing tall,” think of stacking your ears over shoulders, shoulders over hips, and hips over ankles. This reduces strain on your back and pelvis. When sitting, keep your feet flat and knees slightly apart to avoid hip tension.
2. Use the “Exhale on Effort” Rule
When lifting groceries, getting up from a chair, or doing other activities that require effort, exhale during the hardest part of the movement. This helps connect with your core and pelvic floor and prevents breath-holding, which can increase pressure in your abdomen and pelvis.
3. Hip Hinge for Lifting
Skip bending at the waist. Instead, hinge at your hips with a straight back and bend your knees. Keep the object close to your body. This technique reduces stress on your spine and pelvic floor.
4. Side-Lying for Comfort
If lying on your back feels uncomfortable, switch to your left side with a pillow between your knees, one between your ankles, and another under your belly for support. This position improves circulation and reduces back strain.
5. Gentle Core Connection
Before standing up or lifting, gently draw your belly in and engage your pelvic floor (like stopping urine flow) for a few seconds. This builds awareness and stability without overdoing it.
6. Move in Ways That Feel Good
Gentle activities like walking, swimming, or prenatal yoga help keep muscles strong and protect your joints. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of regular physical activity per week for adults, even during pregnancy. Try to include:
Aerobic Activity. Recommendations for pregnancy include:
- At least 150 minutes per week (or 30 minutes per day, five days a week) of moderate-intensity activity (e.g., brisk walking, water aerobics, prenatal yoga).
- For those who are already active and used to more intense exercise, continuing vigorous activities is safe, as long as there are no medical complications and no risk of falling.
Muscle-Strengthening. Perform muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days per week, working major muscle groups.
Pregnancy-Specific Considerations. After the first trimester, avoid exercises that require lying flat on your back to prevent decreased blood flow to the uterus.
Regular physical activity can help manage pregnancy weight gain, reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, support heart and lung health, and ease postpartum depression and recovery.
7. Listen to Your Body.
Fatigue is normal during pregnancy. Break tasks into smaller steps and rest when needed. Staying active matters, but pacing yourself is just as important.
8. Consider a Preventive Physical Therapy Visit.
Self-care is essential during pregnancy, and a proactive visit with a physical therapist can help you stay strong, informed, and confident from bump to baby, even if you don’t have pain or an injury.
Many expectant mothers see a physical therapist to:
- Learn safe exercises for pregnancy.
- Reduce risk of back pain and pelvic discomfort.
- Prepare for labor and postpartum recovery.
- Get tips for lifting, sleeping, physical activity, and daily movement.
- Address common pregnancy-related problems such as pelvic pain, incontinence, or diastasis rectus abdominis (a separation of the muscles along the midline of the abdomen).
Why See a Physical Therapist?
Physical therapy can help you feel stronger, improve posture, and manage pregnancy-related changes with confidence. It’s personalized care for your unique journey and an investment in “future you” and your baby. A physical therapist will provide you with:
- A personalized assessment: Physical therapists start with your goals and health history, then evaluate movement, posture, balance, and flexibility.
- A customized plan: You’ll get tailored exercises—safe, paced, and designed for your stage of pregnancy.
- Support and tools: Your physical therapist will teach you how to fit self-care into daily routines, avoid discomfort, and stay active as your body changes. They also can address pelvic pain and other problems you may be experiencing.
Physical therapists are movement experts. They improve quality of life through hands-on care, patient education, and prescribed movement. And the good news: You can see a physical therapist directly for evaluation and treatment without a physician’s referral, though obstetricians are increasingly referring their patients to physical therapy during and after pregnancy.*
Ready to add a preventive visit with a physical therapist to your pregnancy self-care? Many physical therapists focus on pelvic and women’s health. Visit Find a PT to search for one who focuses on pelvic and women’s health near you.
*A referral may still be required by your insurance plan (some states may limit the type or duration of treatment without a referral).
