Training
      Back to home
      1. Lattice Support
      2. Support
      3. Training

      Pregnancy and Postpartum

      Guidance on training plan options whilst pregnant or postpartum

      Welcoming a new baby into the world is an exciting time! At Lattice, we’re committed to providing tailored support for women during this journey. Below, we've outlined what we can currently offer, upcoming initiatives, and resources that may be helpful to you during this special time.

       

      Topics covered in this article:

      Training during pregnancy

      IMG_4050Image: Coach Jemma with her beautiful family


      We are pleased to say that we can now offer training to women who are pregnant and have been cleared to train with a remote climbing coach by an OB-GYN doctor or midwife. 


      Currently, we would require all pregnant women to sign up for a Climbing Training Plan+ and work with Coach Jemma, who is a Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist and also a mother of two. This is essential, as you will receive 1:1 remote coach support and so that plan edits can be made to dynamically work around the ever-changing symptoms that you may be experiencing during your pregnancy. 


      Note: All pregnant women must attend the free, 45-minute - 1 hour, 1:1 coach consultation prior to starting the plan, plus a further 30-minute 1:1 consultation during trimesters 2 and 3.


      As with all training, there are some total contraindications, so if you are pregnant and have any of the following conditions, training with Lattice will not be possible until after you have given birth. See Training Postpartum below for more information on this. 


      These contraindications include:

      • consistently increased blood pressure

      • incompetent cervix

      • placenta abruption

      • pre-term labour

      • persistent bleeding

      • failure to thrive


      During the final trimester of pregnancy, all climbing sessions will be listed as shorter Open Climbing sessions only, as opposed to structured climbing sessions. Any supplementary strength and conditioning sessions listed will be centred around effectively managing pressure to protect the pelvic floor and the musculature of the abdominal canister, maintaining strength and promoting mobility during pregnancy. 

      Could training harm my baby?


      For many women, the primary concern regarding training during pregnancy is that training may result in an increased risk of miscarriage. It’s important to talk about the elephant in the room and highlight that miscarriage during pregnancy is common. 1 in 8 pregnancies in the UK ends in a miscarriage. Additionally, this figure is likely much lower than the true figure, due to the fact that many women miscarry during the first trimester when they don’t realise they are pregnant. However, 50% of miscarriages that occur during the first trimester arise due to genetic conditions and this is something that cannot be prevented (1). If you experience a miscarriage and would like further support with this, Tommy’s is a fantastic charity that both offers help and guidance as well as actively researching an extensive list of topics in this area.


      There is now a growing body of evidence to suggest that exercising during pregnancy does not pose any additional risk and is actually beneficial for the health of both the mother and the baby (2, 3, 4). In fact, in a study of 92,671 pregnant women, miscarriage was no more likely for exercisers than for sedentary women (5). This was supported by a systematic review in which no studies reported a miscarriage due to exercise. If training and exercise intensity/volume are adapted to meet the needs of the individual, exercise is safe and beneficial! (6). 


      Whether the pregnant woman decides to continue climbing and the form that this climbing takes, will depend on both the individual’s previous climbing experience and how the pregnancy progresses. Exercising has also been shown to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes (7) and improve the outcomes of IVF/ICSI treatment (8).

      Training Postpartum

      If you're within the first 12 months postpartum, we would require that you sign up for a Climbing Training Plan+ so that we can assign you a coach with the experience of working with postpartum women and so we can give you that 1:1 remote support.


      You will start your plan with a 1:1 online coach consultation so that you and your coach can get to know each other better, and learn more about your experience of pregnancy/labour, your training history, your support network and what it is about climbing that really motivates and inspires you!


      Before proceeding with the plan, we would require the following:

      • Confirmation that your OB-GYN doctor or midwife has given you the green light to restart training/climbing, typically around six weeks postpartum.

      • We ask that you have an in-person session with a pelvic floor PT (or other medical professional with knowledge in this area), once you have received approval from your doctor/midwife. This session will help identify if any modifications need to be made to your training and if any specific pelvic floor or other rehabilitation work should be incorporated. (Please let us know if you would like further detail on the kinds of questions to ask).

      • Please note that as our coaches are not medical professionals, any specific rehab or pelvic floor strengthening work advised by a PT would need to be the guiding factor in building your training plan. Our coaches can then work around these recommendations until you reach a point where you can train without modifications.

      Please get in touch if you’re interested in signing up so we can save you a spot with a coach who can support you. 

      We look forward to working with you!

      We're thrilled to announce our new Pregnancy & Postpartum Consultation service with Coach Jemma!

      Working with coach Jemma, you will discuss some of the major physiological and psychological considerations when training during pregnancy and postpartum recovery so that you can continue to exercise safely.

      Learn more and book here. 

      Jemma_Postpartum_Consultation_Service-1

      What's coming next? What are we working towards?


      We are currently looking to increase the number of our coaches who are trained to work with pregnant and postpartum athletes so that we can support as many women as possible during this journey and beyond. Once further training has been provided, we hope to make specialist postpartum Climbing Training Plan+ available with a larger number of the other coaches on our team. We are also looking to continue providing free content and resources through our social media networks to keep you up to date with the most current research and guidance.


      Useful Resources

      References


      1. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/miscarriage

      2. Clapp, 2006. Influence of Endurance Exercise and Diet on Human Placental Development and Fetal Growth.

      3. Evenson & Hesketh, 2021. Monitoring Physical Activity Intensity During Pregnancy.

      4. Prevett et al, 2023. Impacts of Heavy Resistance Training on Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Outcomes.

      5. Newton & May, 2017. Adaptation of Maternal-Fetal Physiology to Exercise in Pregnancy: The Basis of Guidelines for Physical Activity in Pregnancy.

      6. Pauldsen et al, 2023. The Effects of Exercise During Pregnancy on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Preeclampsia, and Spontaneous Abortion amongst Healthy Women -a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

      7. Sanabria-Matrínez & García Hermoso, 2015. Effectiveness of Physical Activity Intervention of Preventing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Excessive Maternal Weight Gain: a Meta-Analysis.

      8. Rao et al, 2018. Maternal Physical Activity Before IVF/ICSI Cycles Improves Clinical Pregnancy Rate and Live Birth Rate: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

      Still need help?

      Get in touch

      This article was last updated: November 2024