Prenatal DVD Reviews

Prenatal Yoga with Shiva Rea
A well-balanced, gentle yet challenging video with few of the production errors found in similar selections, this video provides time flexibility for the busy mom by breaking down the 60 minutes workout into 4 manageable parts. Required equipment is minimal (a chair, a block, and a strap) and a woman in each trimester of pregnancy is shown to help demonstrate variations both in position and equipment. I found this workout to be ideal for me, helping to alleviate back pain, leg cramps, and general sleeplessness.

ZenMamma by Rainbeau Mars
An odd tendency to chat with the camera and other participants makes this video more awkward than interesting. The exercises, overall, seem to be well-balanced and presented in an easy to understand way with an eye to safety. Women at each trimester of pregnancy are shown so that variations are not simply explained but also demonstrated. The editing and camera work lacks finesse (a common flaw in many workout videos) as does the dialog provided by Ms. Mars, detracting from the workout.

Pilates for Life: Prenatal and Postnatal
As a prenatal workout video, this piece is sadly lacking. Unlike most similar videos, this lacks any adjustments for trimester specific concerns and does not discuss the potential issue of abodominal muscle separation. It does not, in fact, have any pregnant women in the video. The background for the video is a lackluster, painted cinderblock gymnasium which, while obviously not the focus of the video, provides a somewhat depressing atmosphere. The exercises themselves are simple and unchallenging. Overall, the video was disappointing.

Leisa Hart: FitMamma - Prenatal Workout
An excellent video for those just starting to workout, this video provides a good workout without overtaxing the audience. Simple moves with frequent repetition (a combination that will quickly become tiresome for experienced viewers) combine to provde the confidence building success needed when a workout program is started. Participants in each trimester are shown, so variations can be observed as well as described. Overall, a good solid workout video for beginners.

Week 15, Cruisin'

Starting into week 15, which means 2nd trimester. Hooray! Risk of miscarriage at this point is much lower, but, as previous experience tells me, not impossible.

We've started letting people know, which is good because I'm starting to "show" - God bless the bellaband! I still have nausea occasionally and am hungry a bit more often. And it's exceptionally hard to sleep at night - muscle aches, need to urinate, and difficulty in getting comfortable - but I find that if I work out, that gets better.

Currently I'm renting FitMamma as a workout DVD. Not bad, but fairly repetitive - if you didn't work out much before you got pregnant, it'd probably be a good starting point. Even then, I'd recommend it as a rental, but not a purchase - you'll get bored. I like the Perfect Pregnancy workout better - it's more interesting and more challenging (especially good if you were working out before pregnancy). I should have regained my breath/endurance enough by next week to start using it again. I don't want to push too hard, but I also don't want to be a couch root vegetable!