Creating a movement practice while pregnant brings up a lot of questions, and can make us pull back. But it can also be a time to stay connected to your body in a more intentional, informed way.
So while the physical shifts can feel sudden and be disorienting, movement can be feel like a grounding constant. We spoke with Madeline Custer, founder of @Madeline_Moves and mother of 3, to share her expertise on navigating prenatal movement. Together, we cover movement that adjusts to your energy, your anatomy, and your needs—trimester by trimester. Read along for our conversation.
Perelel: You work with women across all hormonal life stages—how does your approach to fitness shift during pregnancy compared to postpartum recovery?
Madeline: Pregnancy is a beautiful chance to invest in the recovery process on the front end, but also has to be specific to the demands of our changing bodies. It’s important that women know and feel supported to strength train, maintain and build muscle, but in ways that are flexible to energy level shifts and positions that feel comfortable on the body as we grow. Special attention and awareness to connection between breath and pelvic floor while our babies grow is key and we take that trimester by trimester within the Moves App prenatal program.
P: Pregnancy can feel like a time of constant change in the body. How do you help women stay connected to their bodies as they move through each trimester?
M: The changes are so apparent and sometimes growth spurts happen seemingly all at once which makes us feel very foreign in our own skin. Breathwork and deep core work in different positions is a key to maintaining that connection throughout pregnancy. Sometimes we are individually able to connect to the muscles we are trying to connect with more easily in a sidelying or quadruped position– sometimes standing or with a pillow between our legs is better. Within the core centric and mobility days we explore all of that!
P: There’s often confusion around what’s “safe” during pregnancy. How do you guide women in building strength while honoring those evolving boundaries?
M: Truly one of the greatest disservices to women is equipping them with fear around strength training in pregnancy instead of support. Growing your strength and human life at the same time is one of the most beautiful experiences if we’re able and such a gift. If there are not contraindications from your provider, ACOG supports regular physical activity including strength/ resistance training as safe and beneficial for women. Moves App prenatal helps you feel supported, structured and strong throughout pregnancy, not fearful.
P: What does a realistic, sustainable movement routine look like for someone navigating fatigue, nausea, or low energy in early pregnancy?
M: I say this with all the love in the world: survival. The first trimester can look so vastly different from mom to mom that comparing it is useless. If you feel good and want to move in ways that feel good and can keep doing what you love, do it! If you need to full pause, do it, but don’t let the first trimester’s survival keep you from reaping some of these benefits in the second and third trimester! Mom Moves is designed to be entry level as needed whenever you’re able to begin and the 3 foundational sessions each week to keep things purposeful and doable.
P: Pelvic floor health becomes a big focus during pregnancy. How can women start building awareness and strength before symptoms arise?
M: Learning to breathe. It sounds simple and it is, but often our posture and mechanics and life’s stresses can disrupt what anchors us in both life and workouts. Understanding and becoming aware of 360 degree breathing and letting the pelvic floor work through full ranges of motion, contraction and relaxation and expansion is beneficial.
P: Breathwork is often overlooked in fitness. Why is it especially important during pregnancy, and how does it support both movement and delivery?
M: When our core (I like to think of it as a soda can) is expanding and working in conjunction on all sides– the pelvic floor and diaphragm work together instead of pressure being redirected outward towards our more fragile and stretching front core, we are able to reduce symptoms of leakage, diastasis recti, back pain, etc. And when we have deep expansion instead of short and shallow breath, we are better able to utilize it for both managing contractions and using it to calm the nervous system versus stay in a heightened stress state. It’s the key to so much!
P: As the body grows and posture shifts, many women experience discomfort or pain. What types of movement or mobility work can help support the body through those changes?
M: Mobility work is woven into all of the workouts as a form of “prehab” for some of the discomfort that often accompanies so much rapid change and the compensations our bodies find in an effort to reduce it. Thoracic rotations, supported deep squats and rocks, cat-cow and pelvic tilts are amazing to start and we get more specific in third trimester for labor prep within Mom Moves Prenatal.
P: Beyond workouts, what daily habits or lifestyle shifts can make the biggest difference in how someone feels throughout pregnancy?
M: I’ll never say that anything is universal, but in my third pregnancy I got serious about iron intake due to knowing my third would be a C-section and very close to my second (they’re Irish twins). I made smoothies with leafy greens, ate more steak and ground beef, bone broth, beans and lentils and I really did notice more energy and less depletion in my 3rd postpartum recovery.
P: Nutrition and energy needs change significantly during pregnancy. Can you share some of your go-tos to fuel before and after workout, especially in tricky 1st trimester?
M: I’ll be the first to say I eat a LOT of Chick-fil-a in the first trimester—Egg White Grill Sandwiches with honey roasted bbq sauce are a craving that I don’t even try to kick. That said, when you’re able and with the food sources that you can stomach, getting protein is great to preserve muscle even if training is on the back burner. I tend to add protein powder to my milk and pour it over cereal because that also sounds good early on– I think I ate 70% Golden Grahams and 30% Cinnamon Toast Crunch during my first pregnancy especially. I wouldn’t put too much pressure on the early days, but try to be strategic when you’re able and remember that it’s such a short time in the grand scheme.
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P: For someone who feels overwhelmed or disconnected from movement or their body during pregnancy, what’s one simple place to start?
M: Walking! Enjoy the outdoors and get some vitamin D if you’re able. From there, I would try to get in 2-3 strength sessions a week to ensure enough stimulus to muscles is happening to preserve and build muscle. Then, just keep being active in ways that feel fun to you: pickleball, swimming, hiking, cycling, etc. It really does all contribute to our mental, emotional and physical health to be around others and doing things that we love. And to think that your baby is a built in partner for all of it is a sweet thought.
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and we recommend that you always consult with your healthcare provider. To the extent that this article features the advice of physicians or medical practitioners, the views expressed are the views of the cited expert and do not necessarily represent the views of Perelel.
