This week on TalkMum we’re focussing on exercise during. Our resident mum- blogger Catherine, tells us how she kept fit while she was pregnant and the benefits it can bring.

I love walking and fortunately it is a really good form of exercise. When you are pregnant and struggling to get through the day, exercise is probably the last thing on your mind. However, staying active and keeping fit is really important when you are pregnant. An easy way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine is to go for a walk at lunchtime. The fresh air can also help prevent the mid-afternoon slump that pregnant women can suffer from.

Other benefits of exercise are

• Exercise can help you sleep better
• Exercise can help you feel better about your growing body, as staying active can improve your chances of only gaining a healthy amount of weight whilst pregnant
• Exercise makes you fitter and will help your body cope with labour better
• If you join an aquanatal or  pregnancy yoga class, not only do you benefit from the exercise but the added bonus it is a great way to make new friends
• Exercise can help ease constipation
• Exercise can help you regain your pre pregnancy weight much quicker as you will already be in a routine of exercising

What types of exercise should I do when pregnant?

Whilst contact sports like hockey are not advisable there are still lots of different activities that you can take part in. Walking is excellent exercise and inexpensive and swimming is excellent as the water supports your weight. Many leisure centres and gyms run aquanatal classes for pregnant women which are usually run by physiotherapists or trained midwives.

If you already attend exercise classes you should always tell your instructor that you are pregnant. This is so that they can advise you if the exercises aren’t suitable for pregnant women and give you alternative exercises to try instead.

What were your favourite ways to exercise whilst pregnant?

When you are pregnant your body shape changes enormously and most expecting mothers will find that they grow out of their clothes very quickly. Whilst the prospect of a shopping trip to buy new clothes can be exciting, many women need to be practical and make their money stretch as far as possible! Whatever your budget, buying clothes to suit your new figure can be a daunting task and you might not know where to start! Talkmum blogger Cath decided that a couple of basic items so she could mix and match tops and create different looks for any occasion was the forward. Here she talks us through her must-have maternity wear essentials:

Black trousers – Perfect for work with a blouse or with a tunic top for evenings.

Jeans – if you buy a darker pair they are so versatile. They can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

Wrap round dress – these are brilliant as they are so comfy and because they have lots of material in them they can be worn throughout the pregnancy. If you buy a plain colour you can add a stretchy vest top underneath to have a different look. They are also perfect for breastfeeding!

Flat shoes or sandals – I live in high heels but found my legs became tired as my pregnancy progressed. I was pregnant over summer so I bought a pair of flat black sandals that looked good with either jeans or trousers.

White shirt – I wore mine for work and added bright jewellery and teamed it with jeans or leggings at weekends.

Black Leggings – these can be worn with a tunic top and sandals in summer or a chunky jumper and boots in winter.

Tunic top – these are great as they usually have a tie to fasten at the back and like the wrap dress have “growing room”.  Again they can be worn with black trousers, jeans or leggings.

A long cardigan – perfect with jeans or leggings.

Stretchy camisole vests in bright colours – they can be worn under the wrap dress or layer a couple of contrasting colours and wear with jeans.

A good fitting bra – it is very important to have a good fitting bra and you should  have regular fittings as your pregnancy progresses.

There are lots of high street stores selling maternity clothes these days  - from the major supermarket chains right up to high-end and designer and retailers so whatever your budget you will be spoilt for choice!

I also treated myself to some colourful chunky necklaces and bracelets which helped to brighten up outfits.

Have I missed anything out? What are your maternity essentials and where are the best places to shop?

This week on TalkMum we’re focussing on pregnancy in the media. Our resident mum- blogger Catherine, gives us her views on the portrayal of pregnancy in our newspapers and magazines…

Fact – celebrities are big business

If we weren’t so interested in other people’s lives, magazines that show celebrities wouldn’t exist as there just wouldn’t be a market for them.

Over recent years celebrity Mums seem to be everywhere. Magazines love showing photographs of celebrity Mums out and about with their families. The manufacturers of baby products must love the free publicity and I can almost see them rubbing their hands in glee as a major celebrity is shown with their new pram, baby carrier or accessory. Having a star with their product must boost sales no end and is the sort of free advertising every company must wish for.

Magazines have pages dedicated to copying a celebrity’s style. A picture of a pregnant celebrity is often shown along with where you can buy the clothes from. Usually these clothes are expensive and way out of our price range! Celebrities always seem to look good, even when pregnant but then they have the money to go and buy whatever clothes they like. Most people I know have a budget and need to buy maternity clothes that can be worn for a number of different occasions. I used to buy basic black maternity tops and team them with jeans for the weekend and a smart skirt for work. I used brightly coloured necklaces to try and make them look different. My “capsule maternity wardrobe” was packed away after my first son and then came out again for number two. Four years later fashions had changed but having bought wisely first time round I just added different accessories to bring them back up to date. I can’t imagine many celebrity Mum’s storing their maternity clothes for number two as with the amount of publicity they receive they must also feel under pressure to always look good and be fashionable.
Whilst I looked at the articles in the magazines, I felt no pressure at all to copy celebrity styles but I’m sure there are lots of women out there who see these articles and then rush out to buy whatever their favourite celebrity is wearing.

I do feel the media are portraying an unrealistic image with all the coverage they give to celebrity Mums. No sooner have these celebrities given birth than they are seen out pushing the pram having lost all their baby weight in a couple of weeks. This isn’t the real world! These Mums can afford a personal trainer and probably also a nanny to look after their child whilst they work out!

New mums shouldn’t feel under pressure to be like a celebrity as losing weight should be done by eating sensibly and exercising. Most people I know realise that whilst they might dream of losing weight as quick as Victoria Beckham, it just isn’t going to happen!

What are your thoughts on the way celebrity Mums are featured in the media?