Pregnancy Pilates in Sydney CBD

Physio-led pregnancy Pilates in Sydney CBD

Pregnancy Pilates, also called prenatal Pilates, is a small group class taught by a physiotherapist, for women at any stage of pregnancy. It is the clinical Pilates we teach in the main studio, changed for what pregnancy does to your posture, your pelvic floor and your balance. Classes run in 10-week terms at $55 a class, on George Street opposite the QVB.

Most women arrive for one of two reasons. Something has started to ache, usually the lower back, the ribs or the front of the pelvis, and they want exercises that will help rather than aggravate it. Or nothing hurts yet, and they want to stay strong and prepare for labour without guessing which exercises are safe at 12 weeks, at 28 weeks, and in the last month.

Either way the class is taught to the body in front of us rather than to a routine, so it works whether this is your first pregnancy or your third.

Who the class suits

• Women in their first pregnancy who want to keep exercising with guidance
• Women in a second or later pregnancy, whose body is doing more of the work this time
• Women who already did Pilates and want their program changed for pregnancy rather than stopped
• Women with back, rib, hip or pelvic girdle pain who want exercise they can trust
• Women planning a pregnancy who want their pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles working well first

If you are expecting twins, are on bed rest, or have a condition your obstetrician is watching closely, talk to us first. We will tell you honestly whether the class is right for you, or whether one-on-one pregnancy physiotherapy is the better starting point.

Why a physiotherapist teaches the class

A fitness instructor can run a pregnancy class. A physiotherapist can tell, mid-class, that your pubic bone is starting to complain and change what you are doing before it becomes a problem, explain why your ribs ache on the right side, and give you something specific to do at home between classes. That difference is why these classes are physiotherapy consultations rather than gym classes, and why most health funds rebate them.

Every physiotherapist teaching here is trained and certified in The Fix Program for Pregnancy. The program itself was designed by physiotherapists and is endorsed by obstetricians, and the studio has taught it for years.

What happens in a class

Each class starts with breathing and the pelvic floor, because everything else builds on that connection. From there the work moves through positions you use in daily life: sitting, standing, side-lying and on hands and knees. You will do postural work for the upper back and shoulders, strength work for the hips, legs and deep abdominal muscles that carry the extra weight, and mobility and stretches where pregnancy makes you tight.

Props do a lot of the teaching. Mats, Swiss balls and resistance bands let us progress an exercise safely without asking your body to do more than it should that week. The last part of the class is quieter: breathing, relaxation, and the positions and breathing patterns that help in labour.

There is education built in as well: what changes in each trimester, how to get out of bed and off the floor as your belly grows, how to lift and carry once your baby arrives, and what to expect from your body in the weeks after birth.

How your program changes through pregnancy

In the first trimester, when tiredness and nausea set the pace, the class is shorter on effort and longer on technique. We teach you the pelvic floor and breath coordination properly now, so it is automatic later.

The second trimester is usually where the work builds. Your ribs are expanding, your centre of gravity has moved, and the muscles between your shoulder blades are carrying a load they are not used to. The class turns towards postural endurance, hip and leg strength, and a pelvic floor that lifts and lets go on cue.

In the third trimester the positions change. Less time flat on your back, more side-lying, sitting, standing and hands and knees. The focus shifts to the muscles and breathing you will use in labour, and to keeping your pelvis comfortable as the baby settles lower.

Pelvic floor, labour preparation and after birth

A pelvic floor needs to lift, hold, and then fully relax, and it needs to work with your breath rather than against it. We teach both directions, because a pelvic floor held tight all day is its own problem.

As your due date gets closer, class time goes into positions and breathing for labour, and into the strength you need for the first weeks at home: getting up from a low chair with a baby in your arms, carrying a pram up stairs, and standing long enough to settle a newborn.

After birth, the same physiotherapists run post-natal Pilates classes where babies come with you, and we recommend a check around six weeks before you return to exercise.

If something is already sore

Pregnancy pain is common, and most of it is treatable rather than something to put up with until the baby arrives. Start with the page that matches what you are feeling:

• Pregnancy back pain, including sacroiliac and pelvic girdle pain
• Pelvic pain physiotherapy for pain, heaviness, leaking or urgency
• Pregnancy physiotherapy: a one-on-one assessment and hands-on treatment

You do not have to choose between treatment and exercise. Many women do both: a short course of one-on-one physiotherapy to settle the pain, with the class running alongside to keep everything else strong.

Prices, term and how to book

Every new client starts with a one-hour one-on-one assessment. Your physiotherapist takes your history, checks your posture and movement, looks at how your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles are working, and records a baseline so your progress can be measured rather than guessed. You then join the class with exercises chosen for where you are starting from.

Because the classes are physiotherapy consultations, most private health funds rebate them under physiotherapy extras, and we issue a full receipt for each term. Medicare does not cover group classes.

Medical clearance from your GP or obstetrician is compulsory before you start. Download the medical clearance form and bring it completed to your assessment.

Book online or call (02) 9264 0077. No doctor's referral is needed to book the assessment.

Book your pregnancy assessment

Enjoy our FREE ONLINE Pregnancy Workout

What class members say

Rated 4.7 stars from 20 Google reviews.

The same classes to do at home

Between classes, or in the weeks you cannot get into the city, you can do the same physio-led work through The Fix Program Online. The pregnancy library covers every trimester and the early post-natal weeks, and the free workout above is a good way to try a class before you book.

Related reads

• Pregnancy Pilates: what's safe, what to modify, and why physio-led matters
• 15 minute Pilates workout for pregnancy
• Can Pilates help with pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy?
• Pregnancy and rib pain
• The 6 best ways to control your abdominal separation in pregnancy

Why The Fix Program?