Pregnancy Strengthening: April 17, 2011

We stand up. We sit down. We lay down. We toss and turn. Some of us don't think twice about it. Pregnant mothers, well, that can be a different story. "If you're having pain and its limiting your activities, then you need to ask your physician if physical therapy is appropriate for you." Janna Trottier specializes in physical therapy for pregnant women. Through various exercises, she shows women how they can move around easier, without pain.

"Most women don't want to take medication and sometimes the only thing they know to do is to take pain medication and a lot of women will not do it so they just suffer. Other women will take it but really not be happy about it so this is a non-narcotic way of getting you through your pregnancy without having to take medication."

For women who may be embarking on their second, third, or fourth pregnancy, sometimes the pressure points are even more delicate. "From a physical standpoint, it can be more challenging because in the first pregnancy you can go home and take a nap if you are a working mother. In the second pregnancy, you are required to do all these childcare things and you still have to handle the pregnancy and so you are more susceptible to having pain in your second pregnancy but you can have it as early as 12 weeks in any pregnancy," says Trottier.

In order to make things as comfortable as possible, Janna helps women build up their core strength which can be an advantage in the delivery room. "Absolutely because there are a lot of exercises that you can do when you are pregnant and its knowing what you can do even through the day you deliver. So, the stronger you are going into delivery, the easier it will be for you to do the pushing, and the labor and relaxation techniques for sure."