Can you work abs when pregnant?

FitFighter812

I was wondering if I can do ab exercises like crunches or hanging leg raises.  I'm afraid I will hurt the baby.  

Sazhrah

strengthening your abs is excellent during pregnancy. just try not to lay on your back. Pelvic tilts are a great way to do ab work. You can also sit on the edge of a chair or stool. Tuck your hips under and pull your bellybutton to your spine and march your legs.  Wonderful to keep your back from hurting too.

LaRue86

According to the information provided by my doctor:

1.Never do double leg lifts. This puts too much strain on the lower back. It may also pull on the round ligaments in front of the uterus.

 2. Do not perform full sit-ups. This strains the lower back and may also pull on the round ligaments in front of the uterus. Do not perform exercises flat on your back after the first tri. Also check for vertical separation of the abdominal muscles.

3.Err on the side caution. It it doesnt feel right, dont do it.

I am assuming the hanging leg raises would put a ton of strain on your low back and round ligaments. I have not done a hanging raise since my spine surgery, so I would either go with dont do it or if you do it and it doesnt feel right, stop. I hope this helps.

O2BaMom

I don't see why you would want to but I'm sure you could. 

bdunbar

You wont hurt the baby. core an ab work is great to do. Good luck.

tokenhoser

I'm still doing ab work on my back. It doesn't hurt. I listen to my body, and if something feels bad, I stop.

Incidentally, I've had no back pain and minimal other pain. I think maintaining a strong core has a lot to do with that.

kelklump

I have been doing all of my exercises with my trainer modified for pregnancy- you can do a crunch, not a full situp, reverse crunches until a certain point, and usually things like side bends with weight, and modified exercise. I will tell you I am 26 weeks and I was told by the doc to give up the standard ab exercise and stick to side bends and pelvic lifts, no real abs. She said the baby can feel way more of it (plus it is getting uncomfortable and funny looking when I do them). I find other ways to keep my exercise going now without them.

toadstool

My doctor said no ab workouts, so I have been sticking with his advice. Why don't you see what your doctor recommends?

bt3701

I don't know how far you are, but for me, I can't do much ab work any more anyway. It is just really uncomfortable, both because of the bump, and due to the fact that my abs are parting like the red sea--when I lean back I can actually see and feel where the abs are, and a fleshy bump in the middle where they used to be. 

Other core work, on the other hand, I'm still able to do. For example, at yoga tonight I was doing an exercise on my hands and knees, alternately raising and lowering opposite arms and legs.  

bethybjj2

I teach yoga and in our training  highly recommend that you don't do any "core specific" ab work while pregnant, especially crunches etc. You can keep your abs strong via a variety of other exercised mentioned above. The only ab exercise I do is plank pose, which I demo for the class when I teach. Which is only twice a week. Your ab muscles need to soften to allow for expansion for the baby. Be really careful of any twisting exercises too!