Beginning to Understand the How and Why Behind Modifications for Pregnancy and Postpartum

Probably the most common question I get is “what is a good modification for ____?”  I really am happy to answer these questions as many times as is needed but I’d also love to help you begin to understand the logic and reasoning behind these suggestions so that you can feel empowered and educated to make your own choices, now and in the future.

Every woman and every pregnancy is going to be different, so it’s important to know a little more about your specific circumstances and considerations. Things like: How far along in your pregnancy or postpartum are you? Have you experienced any symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction like incontinence, pelvic or lower back pain, cramping, etc.?  Have you been evaluated by a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist?  All of these things are going to be really essential in helping you find the most effective way to adjust your training or movement if needed.  Another important question is: What is your intention? For example, let’s say you want to know how to modify mountain climbers. If your intention is to build core strength and stability, I’d probably suggest doing something like dead bugs (I love the BIRTHFIT version of this called Functional Progression 1, bear crawls, or even a farmer carry.  But if your intention is to work on conditioning or get a little cardio in, I might suggest something like kettle bell swings, taps, or slam balls. All of these considerations play a big role in how we need to modify a movement on any given day.

A lot of women already understand that sit ups and crunches are usually not a good idea for pregnant or postpartum women who are still trying to heal. However, it’s also possible that even leaning too far back on the rower or just picking up your toddler are just as potentially harmful, if not adapted for the pregnant or postpartum body. What I think isn’t quite as clear as WHY these things may or may not be effective choices for movement and what else to consider when deciding if you need to modify.

The WHY behind needing to adapt certain movements quite often comes down to "How can I make this safe and effective for the body now AND in the long run?"  Is doing double unders now going to to prevent you from a full and speedy recovery down the road?  Is there another movement that would better serve your specific goals?  It also has a lot to do with managing the pressure in the abdominal wall and pelvic floor which is quite often already compromised by making room for a baby and the experience of birth itself. I like to consider the following factors when trying to figure out if I need to modify a movement or not.

1. BREATH - Can you maintain awareness of your breath and are you able to take more lower belly breaths than short gasps of air from the chest?  

   Your breathing muscles are the foundation of your core. If you are using them properly, like when you are taking deep, full torso breaths, it's much more likely that you’re core will be stabilized and supported. When you find yourself gasping for breath, holding your breath, or really needing to brace and bear down with your breath, it’s likely that you are in a position where you could lose your midline stability and compromise your core and pelvic floor.

2. POSTURE - Are you able to maintain a supported posture for your core?  

   Most humans these days have pretty terrible posture because of the way our lives are built up around cell phones and screens and sitting and driving. I’m not trying to nag you (like my mom used to nag me) about sitting up straight or standing with your shoulders back, that’s a conversation for a different day. ;) Instead, I just want you to consider the position of your pelvis in relation to your rib cage. Try to focus on neutralizing your pelvis so that it sits like a bowl right underneath the ribs.  This way the pelvic floor and the diaphragm are lined up on top of each other and can work together to stabilize your core.

3. PERFORMANCE - Are you able to complete the movement from beginning to end with good technique?  

   If you are unsure about lifting a certain weight or trying a gymnastics movement, take a moment to ask yourself if you are 100% certain that you could complete the movement with proper form.  There should be ZERO doubt in your mind.  Let’s say your slowly building up in weight on a back squat and it's becoming more and more challenging to complete the movement. If you put more weight on the bar and feel at all uncertain about whether or not you can complete the squat, it’s probably too much and not appropriate for this season of your life.  Let’s take box jumps as another example, you’re early in your pregnancy and don’t have any problems managing pressure in your belly or pelvic floor but you’re just feeling super tired and super fatigued. You get up to the box for your first jump and feel unsure about whether or not you have the energy to make it, it's probably not a good idea to try.  You have to always be weighing the risk vs. the reward.

Besides changing the movement completely, here are a few other ways to modify:

Load - Use less weight or a more manageable object; dumbbells vs. barbell or sandbag, etc.  Pick a weight and an object you are certain you can move well.

Reps - Pick a number of reps you feel comfortable completing while managing BREATH, POSTURE, and PERFORMANCE.

Time - Instead of doing an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) you could change the time domain to an EMOM (Every Minute On The Minute) or vice versa; work for less time; OR add in your own “rest period” as part of the prescribed work.  

Range of motion - Shorten or change the range of motion to make it work for your body; going from the hang vs. the floor, elevating your push ups to a box, etc.

Goal Oriented Priority - YOU get to decide what YOUR goals are and what are the movements that are going to support that. So just because you see burpees in your programming and you know that you could modify to a step in/out and elevated push up version of it, it does NOT mean that you have to do that. If you know that an air squat or glute bridge or 30 seconds of focusing on your belly breathing would be a more effective task for your goal of healing your core or pelvic floor, DO THAT!  

I'm excited to continue to share more tips and ideas for navigating the motherhood transition through these newsletters and the SP Moms Facebook group. Please reach out to me directly anytime if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns regarding your motherhood experience as a Street Parking member, I’m here to support you in any way that I can.

With Love and Support,
Carolina, Your SP Moms Coach
mamas@streetparking.com