The 6 Most Common Pregnancy Core Mistakes (+ what to do instead)

During pregnancy, your core goes through some of the most significant changes in your entire body. As your belly grows and your posture shifts, your core muscles are working overtime to support your spine, stabilize your pelvis, and adapt to the increasing pressure inside your abdomen.

But here’s the thing: most women don’t stop training their core during pregnancy — they just don’t realize that how they’re training it might be working against them.

Your core still plays a critical role during pregnancy. When trained properly, it can help support your growing belly, reduce aches and pains, improve pelvic floor function, and even help prepare your body for labor and postpartum recovery.

However, many pregnant women unknowingly fall into a few common traps when it comes to core training.

Here are 6 core training mistakes I commonly see during pregnancy:

• Avoiding core work altogether because it feels confusing or intimidating

• Continuing traditional ab exercises (like crunches or sit-ups) for too long instead of shifting focus to the deep core

• Doing exercises that create too much pressure on the abdominal wall, often showing up as doming or coning

• Not learning how to properly connect to the deep core muscles (the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor)

• Improper breathing mechanics resulting in too much pressure on the abs and pelvic floor

• Over-relying on Kegels instead of supporting full pelvic floor function through proper breathing and mobility

The good news? These mistakes are very common — and once you understand what your body actually needs during pregnancy, small adjustments can make a big difference.

In the full episode on the Strong Mama Podcast, I walk through each of these mistakes in more detail and explain what to do instead so you can train your core with confidence throughout pregnancy.

If you want to feel stronger, support your pelvic floor, and set yourself up for a smoother postpartum recovery, be sure to listen to the full episode.

Want More?

• Follow and say hello over on Instagram @strongmamawellness

• The Built For Motherhood membership Interest List is NOW OPEN! Sign up here to learn more about early access and founders pricing.

I’m Nicole, Pre/Postnatal Fitness Coach and founder of Strong Mama Wellness. I take the confusion out of exercising in pregnancy and postpartum and help women strengthen their body for pregnancy, delivery, and recovery. You deserve to have a thriving, healthy pregnancy and postpartum journey!

Keep your pregnancy workouts safe with our FREE Guide!

You’ll learn important exercise modifications for each trimester of pregnancy.