Such a sexy topic!!! But one that affects many Pregnant Women, particularly at the end of pregnancy. Popping your legs up against the wall is really effective at helping to reduce the fluid build-up which happens during the day. You might need lots of pillows or cushions under the hips, shoulders, and head to make it comfortable for you, and remember, if at any point, you feel uncomfortable or dizzy, immediately roll to the side. Follow my advice in the video.

If you find lying on your back even for one minute is not an option for you, any amount of raising your legs up will be beneficial, so sitting more upright on the bed or couch with pillows under the legs, will also help.

It's also a lovely short exercise to do if you are not pregnant and if you have been on your feet or sitting at a desk for a lot of the day.

The lighting in the video is a little dark, but functions great!

Please do like and share xxx 

If you'd like help getting baby into a good birthing...

Good question! It's one I get a lot :)

So I would break this into 4 areas - Physical, Mental, Breath and Community.

Physical:

I'm not a believer in doing very little exercise just because you are pregnant. In fact, if you exercise for about 30 minutes a day, it is proven to help you have a more comfortable pregnancy, a shorter and therefore easier labour, and a faster recovery. So a 'shorter and therefore easier labour' should bring music to your ears mamas-to-be! Focusing specifically on labour and birth, prenatal yoga will help you stay strong, toned and open, therefore making your labour easier and more manageable, and helping you have the strength and stamina required to keep you upright for as long as possible. Sometimes, and of course not all the time, labour can be a long process particularly for first-time mamas, whose bodies haven't gone through the experience of childbirth before. The majority of first-time mamas who come to my classes in Dublin, can be quite surprised...

I recently wrote an article for the Huffington Post about Exercising in Early Pregnancy. It was always something I felt unsure and even nervous about, particularly having experienced 3 miscarriages. 

As well as being a Prenatal & Postnatal Fitness Specialist, and Prenatal Yoga instructor, I'm a keen runner and exerciser in general. I've always had so many worries and queries myself, so I've gone through all the areas of concern and answered all the questions you could possibly have inside the blog!

You know that I'm going to reassure (and advise ;-)) you that you should be exercising, all throughout pregnancy, but there definitely are important things you need to know about.

So if you'd like to know more, please delve in...

HuffPost Article - All you need to know about exercising in early pregnancy

If you have any questions at all, just comment below or get in touch on email or social media links.

Enjoy

x

_{Helen Plass is a Pre & Postnatal Fitness...}

So, you've peed on that stick and either you are feeling one of two ways: 

                     OR                              

Either way honey, congratulations, you're preggers!

Any time I found out, I was always more Buddy, than JLo in my reaction! But either way, you are probably asking...now what?!

Here are 8 things I'd recommend, and have done myself in the past:

1. Ensure you are taking your folic acid daily, and some form of prenatal vitamins. For me personally, prenatal vitamins I've taken previously haven't had a very positive affect on my digestive system. So I took the folic acid and specific, very high quality,  EFA Omega-3 and Omega-6 capsules, and made sure my diet was awesome.

2. Clean up your diet. Get rid of refined, sugary and processed foods. Increase your veggie intake and try to eat as healthily as you...

Ah the glow of pregnancy, isn't it just beautiful? Eh no, no it's not. For some women, all they seem to have to do is go from sitting to standing and they break out in a sweat!  Do you find yourself peeling off the layers sometimes when everyone else isn't even warm?! All this increased heat and sweating is a right royal pain in the bum.

So why is it exactly that as pregnant women we tend to get all hot and sweaty more easily? What do we need to avoid doing? And is there anything we can do to reduce the sweats?

 Why the increased sweatiness?!

As we know, the body is under enormous change during pregnancy. It has to work extra hard as the mother's body has increased heat from a multitude of sources.

• All pregnant women's systems are increasing their workload massively - the cardiovascular, respiratory, excretory and more - and all this extra energy creates extra heat. Mama-to-be also has an increased metabolism, which causes a rise in temperature.
• As well as that...

Pretty much every pregnant woman suffers from some form of back pain. Here are 5 simple exercises to do daily which will relieve back pain. Also listen out for my 2 tips to help prevent back ache too!

Exercises start at 2mins 50 sec.

Enjoy

x 

If you would like to learn more about freeing yourself from discomfort in Pregnancy, feeling strong, sleeping soundly, and feeling prepared for your labour, check out our comprehensive Online Prenatal Program.

I know you might be feeling exhausted and exercise is the last thing you feel like doing. However, exercising during pregnancy will actually give you more energy and that's only the start of the benefits!

• Combat tiredness - as we mentioned, exercising will give you more energy and will increase the circulation in your body, and also reduces swelling. 
• Exercise helps with the dreaded constipation also, by decreasing the time it takes food to move through the large intestine. 
• By exercising you are strengthening many of the muscles around your back, therefore preventing back pain which is something most pregnant women suffer from.
• Studies also suggest that exercise helps your sleep patterns by improving the quality of your sleep. 
• All exercise boosts your mood and allows those lovely endorphins to flow!
• It will prepare you for childbirth, giving you greater endurance. Some studies show that a fitter mother is more likely to have a shorter labour.
• If you'd...