pace and make sure you pump those arms for extra oomph’!SECOND TRIMESTERYou can expect to gain ½ lb to 1lb a week from now on.Toning and strengthening muscles will help your body prepare for the birth. You could rejoin your favourite exercise class

Your body is performing a miraculous feat now you're pregnant.And yes, you feel like sinking to your knees. The trouble is, it's not to give thanks, but because you feel like you've run a marathon when in fact you only went to the corner shop. While

preparing for pregnancy right through to getting your body back into shape after birth. Marie Behenna
 is pregnancy exercise specialist, with a decade of experience, Marie’s passion is showing mums-to-be how to use health and fitness during their pregnancy

Statistics show the West Midlands as having the highest fertility rate in England and Wales. That means a lot of mums with a lot of potentially weak or problematic pelvic floor muscles! Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies programme is inviting the women

makes your body retain fluid, while caffeine will dehydrate you, so limit your intake. If you notice excessive weight gain, avoid dieting during pregnancy - instead, discuss it with your health advisor as this can also be a sign of pre

Remember that 'clean' can be too cleanTo help your baby develop a strong immune system, he needs to be exposed to germs, so his body can start building up its defences. If you sterilise your home from top to bottom, what will happen when your little

or triplets.  First Trimester : What's happening to my body? ‘During the first trimester, your heart rate, metabolic rate and blood volume are all increasing,’ says Prima Baby’s pre- and antenatal fitness expert Melinda Nicci. ‘If you already follow a regular

start exercising while pregnant. But as Tommy's midwife Sharon Broad explains, 'exercise will help your body get in the best possible shape for labour, but start off slowly. Begin by walking then gradually add in some swimming or an aquanatal class

Once you've stopped throwing up your breakfast, you may well start throwing off your inhibitions with your clothes. Raging pregnancy hormones can send your libido rocketing, while an increased blood supply makes every part of your body super

on the belief that an energy, or life force (or 'chi'), flows through the body in channels called meridians. It's thought that when chi cannot flow freely it causes illness, and that inserting needles at points on the body can restore the flow and boost health