During pregnancy, abdominal exercises can help preserve muscle tone and take strain off the lower back. However, you might need to learn new routines, since most experts have counseled against lying on your back after the fourth month due to pressure on the vena cava, the blood vessel that returns blood from the lower body to the heart. One exercise is the Rocking Back Arch: kneel on all fours and count to five as you rock back and forth, then return to the original position and arch your back. Repeat five times, several times a day.
Postpartum moms should check their abdominal muscles for separation before starting any abdominal exercise program, because damage can be exacerbated by exercise if there is separation. Test this by pressing your fingers into the area by your belly button as you attempt to do an abdominal crunch. If you can put more than one or two fingers in between the muscles, they have separated and you will need to modify your crunches. Place your feet the same way, but cross your arms across the abdomen and squeezing the muscles together as you exhale and contract the abdominals, lifting only your head (not the shoulders). You may also use a length of material (such as old sheeting) wrapped around the abdomen and pulled across to achieve the same effect.
