This exercise works the shoulders, arms, and trunk muscles. This exercise lifts your ribs and makes breathing easier.

This is how the alternate arm stretch exercise is done.

This exercise relaxes the shoulder muscles. This is how the elbow circle exercise is done.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the neck muscles. This is how the neck stretch exercise is done.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the neck muscles. This is how the head rotation exercise is done.

This exercise stretches the muscles in the back of the legs and hips. This is how the calf and hip stretch exercise is done.

This exercise stretches the muscles situated on the inside of your legs.

CAUTION: When you are in this position, never use your hands or elbows to press your knees towards the floor. This could cause over-stretching and tearing in your pubic area.

This is how you can adopt the tailor sitting position.

This exercise stretches the leg muscles. This is how the leg stretch exercise is done.

This exercise helps prevent and relieve backache and strengthens abdominal muscles. This is how the pelvic tilt exercise is done.

The next two exercises are designed to help you strengthen and control your pelvic floor muscles. Your pelvic floor is made up of the layer of muscles that is attached to your pubic bone in the front and your tailbone in the back.

During pregnancy you need strong pelvic floor muscles to support your uterus. During childbirth you need to be able to control these muscles, so you can relax them during the birth of your baby.

These exercises are often referred to as "hidden exercises" or "Kegel exercises". You can do these exercises anytime - when you brush your teeth, while watching TV, or standing in line at the grocery store. In fact, you can do these exercises anytime, anywhere, in any position - lying, sitting, or standing.

This is how the basic pelvic floor exercise is done.

This is how the elevator exercise is done.

The exercises in this section are intended to help strengthen your abdominal muscles. Strong abdominal muscles will help you to be more comfortable now and will help you during labour and delivery.

Before you do any abdominal exercises, you need to check for abdominal muscle separation. This separation occurs at the central connecting seam of the abdominal muscles. It may be slight or very noticeable, and it happens to about one out of every three pregnant women. Ask a friend, your partner, health care provider, or prenatal educator to help you check this out.

to check if you have an abdominal muscle separation.

To do the following exercises later in pregnancy, you may want to put pillows under your upper back so you are lying on a slant. This will allow you to continue with your abdominal exercises and place less strain on your trunk.

To begin, this is how to do the curl-ups that will strengthen your abdominal muscles.

This is how to do the diagonal curl-ups - an exercise that strengthens your diagonal abdominal muscles.

CAUTION: Avoid this exercise if you have an abdominal muscle separation.

This exercise helps to relieve lower back pain. This is how the pelvic rock exercise is done.

This exercise helps strengthen all the upper leg and hip muscles and helps with blood circulation in your legs. This is how the side-lying leg lift exercise is done.

This exercise helps with blood circulation to the legs and helps reduce ankle swelling. If your ankles continue to swell, lie down and raise your ankles above your hips to do this exercise.

This exercise helps to strengthen your upper back. This is how the push-off exercise is done.

This exercise helps strengthen the upper leg muscles.

CAUTION: Avoid this exercise if you have knee problems.

This exercise helps to strengthen the thigh muscles.

CAUTION: Avoid this exercise if you have knee problems.