Prenatal personal trainer in Singapore

Can you train through pregnancy?

Yes, for most uncomplicated pregnancies, once your doctor clears you. The Perinatal Society of Singapore's guidelines call physical activity safe for pregnant women and their babies when there are no obstetric or medical complications, and ask for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, as Singapore's physical activity guidelines do.

An SGH obstetrician advises avoiding exercises on your back, particularly after 16 weeks. Keep the effort to one you can talk through: phrases or short sentences, but not singing. The NHS adds to stop if you feel uncomfortable, too hot or unwell.

Which conditions rule out exercise in pregnancy, and what about gestational diabetes?

Some conditions do, and only your doctor can tell you whether one applies to you. Check with your doctor or obstetrician before you start, and tell your coach what they said.

The Perinatal Society of Singapore's full guidelines (January 2020) say pregnant women with these conditions should not exercise, or should be cautious, and should consult their health care provider early. The list is not exhaustive.

Gestational diabetes: the guidelines count it among the risks of obesity in pregnancy and list its prevention as a benefit of exercise, with no separate plan for a woman who already has it. High-intensity exercise, or exercise lasting more than 45 minutes, can cause hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), so they advise drinking enough, eating first, shorter sessions and a cool place to train.

If you have gestational diabetes or any other diabetes, ask your doctor what is safe for you before you train, and tell your coach. This page is general information, not medical advice.

How does prenatal training change by trimester?

Effort comes down a notch and positions change as the bump grows, always within your doctor's clearance. The biggest change: no exercises on your back, particularly after 16 weeks, an SGH obstetrician advises.

Every session runs at "somewhat hard" (12 to 14 on the rating of perceived exertion scale), checked with the talk test, with water before, during and after, per the guidelines from the Perinatal Society of Singapore, developed by a committee led by KKH. They list hot yoga and hot Pilates, sky diving, scuba diving, contact sports and anything with a high risk of falling as activities to avoid.

What does a prenatal session look like at 20 weeks?

A coach might run 60 minutes like this for a client about 20 weeks into an uncomplicated pregnancy, already cleared by her doctor. It is an example, not a prescription, and how the hour is split is our own coaching practice, not a guideline figure.

Effort stays moderate all hour, checked with the talk test: you can talk in phrases or short sentences but not sing (Singapore's guidelines, NHS). Eat beforehand, because the NHS warns that exercising on an empty stomach could make you faint. Train somewhere cool, in cool clothing, as the SGH obstetrician and Singapore's guidelines advise.

The same hour can run as prenatal yoga, which Winnie's profile lists, with postnatal yoga and strength training. In Singapore's guidelines a woman 18 weeks pregnant joins a weekly prenatal yoga session for extra strength and to learn simple exercises she can do safely at home.

Warm-up, cool-down and the core and pelvic floor block stay, off your back. Strength becomes standing and seated postures with a wall or chair for support, and no new advanced postures.

It is never hot yoga, which the Perinatal Society of Singapore lists among activities to avoid. Winnie also holds an NCSF personal trainer certification, so the strength version is open with her too.

How do you choose a prenatal personal trainer in Singapore?

Start with a pregnancy credential on the coach's own profile, then judge how they talk about your clearance and your trimester. Courses vary in depth, so a certificate tells you what a coach has studied, not how well they coach.

Winnie is the woman among them, and both versions of the sample session are open with her. None of them clears you to train. Your obstetrician does. Whoever you choose, ask whether they will work within your obstetrician's advice, how they change a session each trimester, and which signs make them stop.

For after the birth, Lilian holds a postnatal certification, which covers training after delivery rather than during pregnancy. She is on our postnatal personal trainer page.

What does prenatal personal training cost?

Each coach's own 1-to-1 rate. With Winnie, the woman coach whose profile lists prenatal yoga, a 60-minute session is S$120. The other coaches with a pregnancy credential on their own profile charge S$80 to S$210.

Most coaches use that ladder off their own rate: packs of 5 sessions at full rate, or 10, 15 or 20 at 5%, 10% or 15% off. A coach not on that ladder agrees the package with you in writing.

Benetton (S$80 to S$180) and Salam (S$160 to S$180) publish a band, so your rate with either is confirmed in writing before you pay. From S$80, the bottom of Benetton's band, the first session is S$72, 5 sessions are S$400 and 10 are S$760. Valen charges S$210 a session. Every coach's live rate is on the pricing page.

When should you stop a session and call your doctor?

Stop and contact your obstetric team if any of these happen during a session. The list is the one in the Perinatal Society of Singapore's guidelines, whose tenth recommendation is that a pregnant woman with warning signs should stop exercising and seek medical attention at once.

Our coaches stop the session at the first of these signs. The NHS adds a simpler rule for every session: stop if you feel uncomfortable, too hot or unwell. Weekly minutes and what to avoid in each trimester are in our safe exercise by trimester guide.

What does a coach change for pelvic floor and diastasis in pregnancy?

Five things: pelvic floor work most sessions, core work that keeps the tummy flat, two stop checks, a safer way to get up, and work off your back after about 16 weeks. Some separation of the tummy muscles is normal.

A women's health physiotherapy leaflet from Oxford University Hospitals explains that the tissue between the six-pack muscles softens and stretches to let the bump grow, so the tummy may bulge or dome when you sit up in bed, cough or sneeze. Singapore's guidelines say core and pelvic muscle training may be done regularly in pregnancy, to strengthen the trunk and lower the risk of leaking urine.

1. 01Pelvic floor work most sessionsHold a squeeze up to 10 seconds, up to 10 times, then quick one-second squeezes 10 to 15 times, breathing normally (the leaflet).
2. 02Core work that keeps the tummy flatThe coach swaps any move that makes your tummy dome, which the leaflet's postnatal section treats as too hard for now. In pregnancy, check with your obstetrician or a women's health physiotherapist before progressing core work.
3. 03Two stop checksPressure down on your pelvic floor, or holding your breath, means stop: the technique needs changing.
4. 04Getting up safelyRoll onto your side and push up through your elbows, not straight up, to avoid straining the tummy.
5. 05Off your backAfter about 16 weeks (SGH obstetrician), core and pelvic floor work moves to sitting, standing, side-lying or hands and knees.

A coach does not diagnose or measure diastasis. If you have pain, leaking or a bulge that worries you, ask your obstetrician about a women's health physiotherapist, and your coach follows that plan. The leaflet also advises having your technique checked by one if you are unsure. After the birth, see our postnatal personal trainer page.