As I write this, I’m nearly 37 weeks pregnant.
I’m still working with my clients as a pre and postnatal nutritionist and personal trainer. I’m still walking 3 times a day with Amber trotting happily beside me. I’m still strength training in a way that feels good for my changing body. And perhaps most importantly, I’m still learning. Because pregnancy has a way of teaching you that what once felt important may no longer matter quite as much.
For many women - especially highly sensitive women - movement can become tangled up with expectations. We absorb messages from every direction. Stay fit. Don’t gain too much weight. Bounce back quickly. Keep doing what you’ve always done. Listen to your body. Push yourself. Slow down. The noise can be deafening! And if you’re someone who naturally processes deeply, notices subtle changes, and feels both your internal and external worlds intensely, all of that conflicting advice can leave you feeling disconnected from your own wisdom.
But here’s what pregnancy has taught me:
Movement during pregnancy should feel supportive, not punishing.
It isn’t a test of discipline.
It isn’t something to endure.
It isn’t a way to earn rest, justify food, or prove your worth.
It’s an act of care.
As highly sensitive women, we often have a heightened awareness of our bodies. We notice the small shifts. The slight ache in our hips. The heaviness in our legs. The days when energy feels abundant and the days when simply getting dressed requires more effort than usual. For years, I viewed this sensitivity as something I had to override.
Push through.
Ignore it.
Be tougher.
But pregnancy has invited me to do something radically different: listen. At nearly 37 weeks pregnant, my movement looks very different from what it once did. My pace is slower. I pause more often. I modify exercises without guilt. Some days, a strength session leaves me feeling energised and capable. Other days, a gentle walk with Amber is exactly what my body and mind need. Both count.
I think one of the greatest misconceptions surrounding exercise during pregnancy is that more is somehow better. More steps. More yoga or Pilates classes. More productivity.
Yet support rarely looks like “more.”
Support looks like asking yourself, “What do I need today?” Maybe your body craves the grounding rhythm of a walk outdoors. Maybe you need the confidence and stability that strength training can provide. Maybe just stretches or breathing exercises help you reconnect with yourself after a difficult day. Maybe rest is the most supportive choice available. The answer doesn’t have to be the same every day.
As someone who works in the pre and postnatal space, I’ve seen how powerful it can be when women shift their mindset around movement. Instead of asking, “How can I burn calories?” they begin asking, “How can I support my body?” It’s a subtle change in language, but it transforms everything. Movement becomes nourishment.
A walk can regulate an overwhelmed nervous system. Strength training can prepare you for the physical demands of labour, birth, lifting a baby, carrying a car seat, and navigating the repetitive movements of motherhood. Gentle mobility work can relieve tension and improve comfort. Even five minutes of intentional movement can offer a sense of grounding when emotions feel heightened.
Highly sensitive women often live in a state of constant awareness. We notice everyone’s needs. We anticipate problems before they arise. We carry mental lists that seem to multiply overnight. Pregnancy can amplify this tendency. There is planning to do. Appointments to attend. Decisions to make. Endless advice to navigate.
Movement offers an opportunity to return to yourself.
When I walk with Amber, I notice things I might otherwise miss: the changing seasons, the softness of early morning light, the familiar comfort of her looking up at me every few minutes to check that I’m still there. Those walks aren’t just exercise. They’re anchors. They remind me that I exist outside of productivity. I think highly sensitive mothers need these moments more than most.
Because motherhood has a way of pulling us outward. Toward everyone else’s needs, feelings, schedules, and expectations. Movement can gently guide us back inward. That doesn’t mean movement always feels magical. There are days when pregnancy feels physically demanding. Days when your pelvis aches, sleep has been elusive, and putting on trainers feels like an achievement in itself. Supportive movement honours those days too. It allows flexibility, welcomes adaptation. It lets go of perfection.
One of the most compassionate things you can do during pregnancy is release the version of exercise rooted in punishment.
You don’t need to earn your meals.
You don’t need to compensate for changing body composition.
You don’t need to maintain the same pace or performance you had before pregnancy.
Your body is already doing extraordinary work.
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As I prepare to meet Ella, I find myself feeling grateful for everything movement has given me during pregnancy. Not tighter muscles or improved fitness metrics - but trust.
Trust that my body deserves support rather than criticism.
Trust that slowing down isn’t failure.
Trust that adaptation is wisdom.
Trust that consistency doesn’t have to look perfect.
I hope this is something Ella learns one day too. That movement isn’t punishment for taking up space. It’s a celebration of what our bodies allow us to experience. For the highly sensitive woman navigating pregnancy, perhaps the invitation is this:
Move in ways that help you feel more like yourself.
Choose movement that steadies your nervous system rather than overwhelms it.
Allow your body to communicate with you instead of fighting to silence it.
Trust that gentleness and strength can coexist.
Because supportive movement isn’t about doing the most. It’s about offering yourself the care, compassion, and respect you so readily give to others. And maybe that’s one of the earliest lessons of motherhood. Learning that you, too, are worthy of being nurtured.
