Pilates and Pregnancy – Week 34: Safe Stretches and Standing Leg Work

Welcome back to our Pilates and Pregnancy blog! I am 34 weeks along and baby is roughly the size of a pineapple. He is likely between 19 and 22 inches long and at least 4.9 pounds.

I have been feeling pretty well although my heels occasionally hurt when I’ve been on my feet too long. I searched the internet to find out why my heels might be hurting and the answer was pretty simple. Basically, as my stomach grows my body shifts posture to accommodate the extra weight up front and I end up leaning back for balance, thus shifting weight into my heels. As a remedy, I’ve been soaking my feet, applying foot lotion, and wearing socks to bed.

Another side effect of my growing belly is that muscles get tight that otherwise would work in balance with my other muscles. In particular, my outer hips and inner thighs. To combat the tightness, Carey had me focus on both exercising and stretching those muscles. We started with standing side leg kicks using the high barrel for balance. The side leg kick series is a traditional series of leg movements performed while lying on your side on the mat. That version is good for pregnant women too, but the work to stand while doing side leg kicks adds a level of difficulty to the movement.

Standing with one hand on the high barrel for balance, we did 3-5 of each of the following leg movements on each leg:

1. Side leg lifts – extending your leg straight out at your side and lowering it back down
2. Bent leg kick backs – keeping your knee bent and foot flexed, kick your leg behind you to open the front of your hip and lower it back down
3. Développé – a classic ballet-inspired Pilates move where you start with your leg externally rotated at hip height and then pull the toes in to drag along the standing leg, bending the knee as the toes slide up the leg, and then straightening the leg back to its starting position (and then the reverse)
4. Rond de jambe – another ballet-inspired Pilates move where you sweep one leg forward and then lift it out to your side and behind you in a half-circle movement (and then the reverse)

After working the legs, we did a nice stretch called Scooter on the Reformer. Scooter is a modified version of front splits that gives a great stretch without having to worry about balancing in a standing position on the Reformer – or, in my case – trying to bend down over my big belly to reach the footbar. (See photo to the right.)

To start, Carey had me line my right toes up with the front of the Reformer while placing my left knee on the carriage and bracing my left foot up against the shoulder block for stability. I held on to the footbar for support. To stretch, I inhaled as I pushed back with both legs until I felt a stretch in the back of my standing leg and the front of my kneeling hip. I repeated this movement 4-5 times on each side, each time trying to gently stretch a tiny bit further. The stretches felt great!

Check back next week for ultrasound updates!

-Cassie