As part of NRF’s CPD initiative, a one-day hands-on Workshop on ‘Pre- Natal Exercises’ was organized at the Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Memorial Society (DCMS) premises on 21st April 2024.
There are numerous potential health benefits for women who exercise during pregnancy, including better weight control, improved mood and maintenance of fitness levels. Regular exercise during pregnancy can also decrease the risk of pregnancy-related complications such as pregnancy-induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia.
WHO recommends that women, who before pregnancy, habitually engaged in vigorous intensity aerobic activity, or were physically active, can continue these activities during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Many recent systematic reviews show positive effects of prenatal physical activity on maternal and foetal health. Challenges for practising physical activity during pregnancy are numerous, and include lack of knowledge about existing recommendations, unawareness of how to engage in physical activity and unavailability of resources to adequately address the topic. However, pregnancy may provide a ‘teachable moment’ for positive health behaviour change.
With this background, a hands-on workshop was held on ‘Prenatal Exercises’ aimed at motivating and preparing exercise professionals for promoting physical activity and implementing prenatal exercise programs in their respective professional fitness centres.
The content of the workshop was focused on 5 topics :
- Role and professional development of the pregnancy exercise specialist
- General physical and physiological adaptation during pregnancy
- Evidence-based benefits of physical activity during pregnancy
- Pre-exercise Assessment
- Exercise prescription and adaptations, trimester-wise
The workshop was conducted by Dr Aditi Srivastava, a LAMAZE-certified childbirth educator with over 20 years’ experience in Childbirth Education, Labour Support & Lactation Counselling to thousands of couples. She has also trained 2000+ physiotherapists across 37 countries in obstetric physiotherapy. She is also the only Physiotherapist in Delhi-NCR with internationally recognized certifications/training from reputed obstetric training institutions like LAMAZE, DONA and BPNI.
Fourteen participants attended the Workshop; they included professionals and Physiotherapy students in their 3rd and 4th year of BPT. The content of the workshop was delivered in 8 hours, beginning with theoretical explanation of pregnancy-induced changes in the body, followed by trimester-wise exercise prescription and modification. Practical demonstration with adequate practice of each exercise was done. Participants were also apprised with techniques of breathing, ergonomic and nutrition tips for pregnant females.
The workshop came to a close after an interactive session with the participants putting forth their queries. Dr Aditi responded at length, delving into much detail. Vote of thanks was followed by distribution of Participation Certificates to all participants. A memento and letter of appreciation were given to Dr Aditi Srivastava as a token of thanks from NRF.
All participants appreciated the workshop and expressed their desire to be a part of the next NRF Continuing Professional Development Program.
