The Active Pregnancy Foundation has released a pivotal new report, "MOMentum Lost: Unpicking Maternal Physical Activity Patterns in 2022," authored by Dr Marlize De Vivo, Dr Hayley Mills, and Dr Kathryn Hesketh.

This report shows that pregnancy in itself is a barrier to women’s engagement in physical activities during the childbearing years and highlights barriers and critical insights into the challenges faced by women in maintaining an active lifestyle during this period.

Key Findings

• Around 40% of pregnant women and only 27% of postnatal women felt they had the opportunity to be active, and fewer than 50% of women felt they were able to be physically active. Only 35% had the confidence to be active and many also felt guilty when they were not physically active.
  
  
• Nearly two thirds of women (59%) stated that they had experienced some form of pelvic floor and/or abdominal wall issue during or after pregnancy. The majority of these women (58%) did not consult with a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist about their concerns. Of those women who sought further advice, most (63%) paid privately to obtain professional help.
  
  
• Half of the respondents wanted to be more active, but only 8% of pregnant and 10% of postnatal women felt supported to be active.
  
  
• Less than half of the participants received advice about physical activity during pregnancy, with midwives and fitness professionals most commonly providing this advice.
  
  
• Postnatally, of the 76% of women who had had their 6-8 week check; physical activity was discussed with only 13% of women during that appointment, and 63% of women had not been given any advice about returning to physical activity.

The report highlights that physical activity levels in pregnant and postnatal women remains staggeringly low, despite evidence showing us that there are substantial physical and mental health benefits for both women and their babies including a 40-67% reduction in depression, gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia without increasing the risk of adverse maternal and/or infant outcomes.

It emphasises the need for tailored support to help women integrate physical activity at their own pace, addressing barriers such as time constraints and childcare responsibilities.

The report also recommends creating supportive environments with necessary resources, particularly for those with childcare duties, and underscores the need for accessible information on safe physical activity practices.

There is still a significant gap in the provision of support and advice on physical activity during and after pregnancy, which can be bridged by knowledgeable healthcare and fitness professionals. Additionally, the report calls for reliable, evidence-based online resources to boost women's confidence in engaging in physical activities throughout motherhood.

With the World Health Organisation releasing their report on inactivity trends, and their call for an increased focus on women, our report highlights specific insights into pregnant and postnatal women’s physical activity behaviours.

Dr. Marlize De Vivo commented:

"Despite a strong desire to be more active, women face several barriers that make it difficult for them to enjoy and benefit from an active lifestyle during their childbearing years,” "Our findings emphasise the need to create conditions where women feel supported and able to engage in activities they love, whether that is walking in a well-lit, buggy-friendly park with breastfeeding and changing facilities; attending an exercise class at a local leisure centre led by a qualified Pre- and Postnatal instructor; or even performing on the world stage as a mother athlete. We must do better."

click on the image to view the report

Our work in pre and postnatal physical activity
- helping to create a supportive environment for pregnant women and new mums to be active.

We are proud to be working closely with our maternity and neonatal care services in Lincolnshire, and our role alongside Better Births colleagues within maternity transformation has enabled and continues to support healthcare professionals to feel confident to have physical activity conversations with women and their families during the perinatal period.

We are looking forward to launching our Active Mums Lincolnshire resources very soon which will further support and empower women to make informed choices about movement and activity before, during pregnancy and following childbirth, and will hopefully contribute to reducing the barriers that are highlighted by Active Pregnancy Foundation's report, as well as addressing the issue of providing women in Lincolnshire with accessible information on safe physical activity practices.

Find out more about Active Lincolnshire's work in the pre and postnatal area and further information to help health professionals to support pregnant women and new mums to be active on our Health & Care Professionals Knowledge Hub.

Local advice for pregnant women and new mums in Lincolnshire is available on the Active Mums pages on the Let's Move Lincolnshire website.