Pregnancy abdominal exercises can be taken up to strengthen your abdominal muscles during pregnancy. However, one must consult the doctor before taking these up to prevent any complications in pregnancy. Also, the exercises that require one to lie on the back must not be performed after the first trimester of pregnancy as they can interfere with the flow of blood to the uterus and brain

Pregnancy abdominal exercises

#1 Standing Pelvic Tilt: Stand with your shoulders on the wall, legs shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and feet about a foot-and-a-half away from the wall. Now move your hips towards the wall so that your lower back flattens against it. Keep your abdominal muscles tight. Relax and repeat.

#2 Hip Hiking: Lie down on your right side, right leg bent and left leg extended out. Take a pillow to support your head. Now lift your left leg 2 inches above and use your abdominal muscles to pull your hip towards the shoulder. Keep the left leg straight and don’t move your right leg. Hold for sometime, and then repeat 10 times. Turn to the other side and repeat 10 times.

#3 Abdominal Curl-up: Lie down on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Keep your hands folded on your chest and lift your head and shoulders slightly off the ground, till the shoulder blades are in the air. Relax and repeat.

#4 Pelvic Tilt with Heel Sliding: lie in the same starting position as above, arms comfortably at your sides. Tighten your abdominal muscles and tip your hips backwards till your lower back flattens against the ground. Then, hold the tilt, slide one leg gently forward till it straightens out without arching your back. Slowly bring the leg back to the original position. Repeat, with the other leg.

#5 Tummy Tuck: This is one of the easiest exercises to shape and tone your abdominal area. Inhale and then while exhaling pull your belly button into your spine. Hold for a few seconds, and then relax.

Don’t over-do these exercises and stop at the slightest sign of fatigue or dizziness.