Why Core Strength Matters During Pregnancy
When it comes to preparing your body for pregnancy, birth, and recovery, how you move matters more than how much you move.
During pregnancy, your body goes through incredible changes — your posture shifts, your center of gravity moves forward, and your core muscles stretch to make room for your growing baby.
Building prenatal core strength isn’t about doing crunches or “toning your abs.” It’s about learning how to connect with your deep core and pelvic floor, support your spine, lengthen, and prepare your body for an easier birth and smoother postpartum recovery.
What Is the “Core” Really?
Your core is more than your abs — it’s an integrated system that includes:
Your diaphragm (your breathing muscle)
All your deep abdominal muscles (especially your transverse abdominis)
The pelvic floor
And fascia, the connective tissue that supports your entire body
When these layers work together, your body feels more balanced, supported, and strong from the inside out.
How Strengthening (and Relaxing) Your Core Prepares You for Birth
Your deep core and pelvic floor play a major role in labor and delivery.
Learning to both strengthen and relax your pelvic floor can help you:
Support your baby’s position for birth
Reduce common pregnancy pains (like back or hip pain)
Improve core stability and posture
Prepare your body for the pushing phase of labor
Recover faster postpartum
This balance of strength and relaxation is what I call true functional deep core training — it’s all about helping your body move and adapt with ease.
Try This Prenatal Core Strength Workout
Here’s a simple, safe sequence you can practice at home — no equipment required!
(Always check with your healthcare provider before starting a new workout.)
1. Core Breathing + Pelvic Floor Connection
Sit or stand tall, both hands on the lateral side of your ribs.
Inhale through your nose, feeling your ribs gently expand laterally and trying to feel the breath expand into your low back and pelvis.
Exhale through your mouth, lightly lifting up your pelvic floor and “zipping” your belly up, as if you are giving your baby a hug from underneath the belly.
→ Repeat 10 breaths to wake up your deep core.
2. Pelvic Tilts + Hip Rolls
Lie on your back with knees bent (or sit up tall on an exercise ball or stable chair).
Inhale to lengthen tall through your spine.
Exhale and lightly lift your pelvic floor and hug your baby by gently zipping your belly up, while allowing the pelvis to begin to tilt forward. (you ideally want to feel this more in your core and not in your hip flexors or glutes)
→ Repeat 8–10 times to release tension and strengthen your lower body connection.
3. Side-Lying Leg Lifts
Lie on your side, knees slightly bent, top hand resting on your belly.
Inhale to prepare, exhale to gently lift & lengthen your top leg while engaging your core.
Inhale to lower.
→ Focus on staying stable through your torso and pelvis and allowing your deep core to “lift” your leg.
→ Repeat 10–12 reps each side.
4. Cat-Cow with Breath Connection
On all fours, inhale to expand your ribs laterally, allowing your belly to gently lower.
Exhale to round your spine slightly by engaging your pelvic floor + deep core and lifting your baby gently toward your spine.
→ Flow through 8–10 reps to mobilize your spine and connect breath to movement.
5. Standing Squat + Core Engagement
Stand with feet a little wider than hip-width apart and toes turned out just slightly, inhale to lower into a wide squat. (Only go as far as it is comfortable for you and doesn’t put a lot of pressure on your pelvic floor.)
Exhale to engage your pelvic floor + deep core, while “hugging your baby” to lift you back up to stand.
→ Repeat 10–12 reps, focusing on length and control.
Train Your Core for Birth and Beyond
Your prenatal core workout should leave you feeling centered, not exhausted.
By learning to move with intention — connecting your breath, fascia, and pelvic floor — you’re not just strengthening your body; you’re training it for one of the most powerful experiences of your life.
Inside our Knocked-Up Fitness® Prenatal Program, you’ll find guided workouts, breath work sessions, and birth prep education that help you:
Strengthen and release your pelvic floor
Minimize diastasis recti
Prepare for labor and recovery
Feel more confident in your changing body
Click here to try a free Knocked-Up Fitness workout
Join our Knocked-Up Fitness® Membership to start your prenatal core training journey today!
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