Expecting a baby and not sure what you’ll want or need when you get to the hospital or birth centre to give birth? We’re here to help! We’ve talked to thousands of people who have given birth over the years and have come up with this list of things to consider. Whether you’re headed to a Birth Center or the Hospital to have your baby, there are a few things you might want to have with you when it’s time to go. Most people will give birth somewhere around the 40 or 41st week, although some will go earlier. You might want to have your bag mostly packed by 37 weeks, just in case. If you’re plann ..read more

Primary Health Care Providers As a pregnant person, you’re able to choose the type of primary health care provider you would like, to follow you during your pregnancy. These are your options: Midwife: Training Nursing degree, nursing diploma or midwifery college program with approximately 4 - 8 years of training Scope of Care Manages low-risk, uncomplicated pregnancies.  If a Cesarean (or other intervention such as forceps or vacuum) is required, care is transferred to an OB at the hospital. Midwives are present at the birth for the entire process, even if care is transferred to ..read more

We often discuss common pregnancy discomforts in our classes. There are many, but these three issues are the ones we hear about most often. We’ve added some suggestions to help you find relief from these discomforts: Pelvic Girdle Pain Pelvic Girdle Pain (often referred to as Pubic Symphysis) is the pain or discomfort that a pregnant person experiences as a result of pelvic instability, weak glutes and tight inner thighs. It’s often felt as a sharp pain after engaging in typical daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs or rolling over in bed. It can also feel like a deep muscle pain a ..read more

3 Simple Moves to Incorporate into your Next Stroller Walk! So many of our FITMOM Members report that regular walks with their baby/toddlers are an important part of their fitness routine. We are big supporters of regular and consistent exercise since we know that frequent movement breaks help to improve your sleep, boost your mood and break up your day. Taking your exercise outdoors is also known to help reduce stress and feelings of anger or frustration. Exposure to sunlight helps to increase Vitamin D production, which may also be linked to improving your mood. Spending as li ..read more

A seemingly never-ending global pandemic pushed us into the world of virtual workouts and nearly 2 years later, we’re loving it! Our members love it also - they are showing up to our live classes’ week in and week out, with more consistency than ever, as we’ve tweaked our schedule and classes to fit well with an online format. There was a learning curve for our business, that’s for sure! We needed to figure out the best format for our classes, which times and days were the best to set our members up for success and what technology would give everyone the best experience. Now that we’ve sorted ..read more

Why do we Love Exercising with Babies? At FITMOM, we talk a lot about mental health and wellness (we have a whole month dedicated to it!), especially when a new baby comes into your life. Add the shorter days, and long winters in Ottawa and you’ll find a higher instance of depression, anxiety and mood disorders, especially in the post partum period. It’s been proven that exercise is one of the best ways to help improve our mental wellness. We’d like to take it a step further and encourage you to exercise with your baby! And here’s why… You’ll have more time for exercise when you involve your ..read more

Tips for Staying on Track After Having a Baby After making the decision to start a fitness program of any kind, the next challenge is to stay committed. This can be difficult for any person who is looking to be more active in their daily life, but it’s even harder after you have a baby! I have experienced it first hand, twice, so I thought I would share some tips that helped me stay consistent and get the benefits that regular exercise gave me following the birth of each my two babies. Add it to your calendar. The truth is, exercise needs to be a daily habit. Just like brushing yo ..read more

What you Need to Know about Postpartum Recovery and your Return to Exercise At FITMOM, we pride ourselves on our postpartum protocol that gets women back to their more advanced workouts injury free. But, before progressing to more advanced or higher impact exercises, we strongly encourage all new moms to meet the following benchmarks as they return to exercise: Follow our Core Restore Protocols to ensure proper core function. Complete a self-assessment for abdominal separation and learn how to engage your core properly, building a strong foundation before progressing into abdominal exercise ..read more

Have you just had a baby? In the list of your new priorities, you’ve probably placed many things higher than a fitness routine, and we can’t blame you. However, if you’ve ever been active, you know when you exercise, even just a little, you feel great. When you stretch your tired, achy muscles, when you take care of your body and give yourself permission to carve out the important ‘me time’ that you crave, it’s better for you, and your baby. If you’re beginning to feel recovered post-birth, you may be excited to get active again, but many forms of exercise aren’t recommended until after 6 week ..read more

My Top FIVE Reasons for Staying Fit I spend lots of my time motivating others to improve their level of fitness, so I felt it was time to share my own reasons for working out and staying fit! 5. To Sleep Better The fitter I am, the better I sleep. And now that my babies are all grown up, I do LOVE to sleep for the entire night. When your body is physically exhausted, it has no choice but to shut down and rest, which means that you can sleep all night and feel refreshed and ready to go in the morning. I still enjoy my cup of coffee first thing in the morning though! 4. To Feel Happy Exercise he ..read more