#3 Episode of 2025: Redefining Exercise in Pregnancy & Postpartum: New Research Insights — with MARGIE DAVENPORT, PhD

In this episode, I sit down with Margie Davenport, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta and former national team athlete. Her research focuses on elite sport participation during pregnancy and postpartum, aiming to create more inclusive exercise guidelines for high-level athletes. We dive into the importance of movement during pregnancy, how to navigate outdated advice, and the role of sleep and mental health in postpartum recovery. Whether you’re an elite athlete or just looking to stay active through pregnancy, this conversation will challenge misconceptions and offer evidence-based insights.

We Talk About:

-Encouraging early movement

-Mental health & anxiety concerns

-Knowledge mobilization in perinatal care

-When to see a pelvic floor PT

-Sleep interventions for postpartum recovery

-Common misconceptions about exercise in pregnancy

Time Stamps

1:00 Introduction

2:45 setting up the guidelines 

5:49 the importance of early movement

10:30 getting the new guidelines to OB/BYNs

13:03 get active questionnaire for pregnancy

19:55 gatekeeping of information

25:14 variability in practice patterns

27:08 the impact of sleep

34:00 impact of exercise

36:53 addressing diastasis recti

42:25 elite athletes in postpartum 

47:35 traveling to Nepal

CONNECT WITH CARRIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

Website: https://carriepagliano.com

CONNECT WITH MARGIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/exerciseandpregnancy/

Website: exerciseandpregnancy.ca

The Active Mom Podcast is A Real Moms’ Guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond for active moms & the professionals who help them in their journey.

This show has been a long time in the making!

You can expect conversation with moms and postpartum professionals from all aspects of the industry.

If you’re like me, you don’t have a lot of free time (heck, you’re probably listening at 1.5x speed), so theses interviews will be quick hits to get your the pertinent information FAST!

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