Working nine to nine

Keeping fit while pregnant is not only part of the nine-month plan but nowadays top of a woman's priority list. Becoming pregnant can often bring up concerns of weight gain and taking regular exercise can help keep the body in proportion. While pregnancy is a time for nesting and nurturing, it is also a time to get moving. Health professionals cannot recommend exercise like yoga and swimming enough. So while exercise is encouraged, don't work out as vigorously as you might have done pre-conception. It's the norm in these modern times for women to combine work life with home life. We are more body-conscious than ever and it's OK to want to keep the body in shape while nurturing body change. Apart from keeping fit and in proportion, exercise like yoga has so many added benefits like playing a key part in labouring comfortably and helping the transition into motherhood be a smooth one. In other words, the benefits go far beyond the nine-month gestation. Keeping up a regular exercise plan can also help bring the body back to shape post-birth. Even with its burst in popularity, yoga still continues to capture the mindset of people in a 'flower power' way. While yoga can be a gentle form of exercise with emphasis on breathing and relaxing, there are also other types of yoga that trump a run on the treadmill and a tough spinning class. Finding the right balance of physical movement and relaxation techniques were key to creating my popular pre-natal yoga class that exists in Ashbourne today. Childbirth will challenge a woman's body and mind to the limit. Being in good physical shape is vitally important and will stand to those who practice regularly. The times we currently live in differ greatly to that of our mothers. Women work while pregnant and return to work post-pregnancy. With unemployment statistics showing mostly men out of work, women must work, some even being the main earner. High mortgage rates means it is necessary that two wages come into the home on a monthly basis. This transition of returning to work after maternity leave can often bring up feelings of worry and concern, even guilt. So finding time to exercise may be put on the back burner. This is where the benefits of pre- and post-natal yoga can help. It gives coping skills that stay with the woman through motherhood and if she returns to yoga or another form of exercise, feelings of guilt can be replaced with acceptance. Endorphins released during physical activity combined with correct breathing induce positivity and feelings of happiness. There is a baby boom and the volume of women going on maternity leave hasn't dropped. Employers are taking note and some women feel it on their return. It is also worth pointing out that mothers in the workplace are not alone when it comes to discrimination and curtailed career opportunities and I speak from my own real experience and what I see and hear around me. I know so many mothers who have been victims of the darker side of work life. Requests for a shorter working week are often knocked back (even though it can bring financial gains for a company), forcing mothers to continue their long working week in the office and picking up another role when at home. Employer maternity pay is also being curtailed, giving an even shorter period at home with their new baby. This can be depleting for the body and affect overall health. Yoga is an excellent coping tool and it is no wonder new mums come back to the ashtanga practice while on maternity leave. On a positive note, this treatment in the workplace is giving rise to female entrepreneurs. It is also giving the dads a chance to be at home with their children, providing support in a way some of our own fathers could not do when we were growing up. Changing times for changing people. Claire Maguire teaches pregnancy yoga on Monday evenings at The Yoga Room, Ashbourne. See www.yoga-meath.ie