Hooping through Each Trimester
Hooping through each trimester is something I have a lot of experience with! I started hooping before kids and progressively learned more about how to maintain my flow as my belly would grow - 4 times! So to start off, this post does not constitute medical advice, I am not a doctor. Please see your doctor if you want to know if hooping is right for you.
Generally speaking though, if you started hooping BEFORE pregnancy, you can still do it during!
First Trimester: You’re maybe not feeling so hot - maybe you’re wanting to throw up all the darn time. While hooping on my waist was very meditative for me, it might not be for you! I never pushed it til I was sweating bullets - just 30-40 minutes a day learning tricks and building up more offbody/doubles (two hoops) tricks. Try to “get” leg hooping! Your legs are gonna need the workout later down the line to hold up your growing body and leg hooping is really fun after your bump arrives. This will be so important later down the line to learn more arm tricks and leg hooping in your first trimester. The hoop I used during this time was generally a 3/4” 38” hoop (being size 12/14 pants ~ 1.1 x my waist in inches which is my normal preferred size before pregnancy)
Second Trimester: The bump is here and you’re energy may be back up! Now is the time to do more of that offbody stuff. I never really hooped ON my belly - it was more like the space between my belly button and my solar plexus. I also really loved hooping on my legs during this time. I would go for walks hooping on my legs, then take it up my body in a vortex to my arms and just do arm weaves around the park or letting the hoop circle on my verical plane next to my body. I did not give up regular walking during this time as I feel it is really good for getting the body ready for labor and for building muscle to recover quicker after labor (I was generally back to my normal routine after a week and had 3 other kids to care for so obviously FOR ME - getting back into my daily routines was essential). Hoop I used during this time was a 1/2” PE around 40-42”
Third Trimester: All offbody from here on! While you can hoop on your chest and legs, its best to avoid the bump if you can. This can cause diastasis rectii if you are hooping on your muscles while its being pushed out/relaxed. There may be some people who can do crunches when preggo, but for me it was not worth it. I did encounter separation after baby # 1 and I think it is because I hooped on my waist a lot still that first time. I did not see nearly as much separation after baby # 2 while hooping off the stomach more. But this is my personal experience of course! You are free to do it if it feels right I did SO MUCH arm hooping. I learned weaves, isolations, hoop juggling. My arms were very happy and it made for great practice after my hefty 9 pounders came in the world. Hoop used during this time: 1/2” PE around 42”-44”
LABOR: They tell you to walk, but I hooped! I did it on my solar plexus/chest above the baby and moved super slow and meditative during the labor process. This swirling pelvic floor was exactly the movements I did to push out baby # 1 and # 2 naturally and without pain meds. I made large circles like you’d do if you were trying to slow the hoop down, also lots of rocking back and forth / side to side during contractions. I am shocked how many hoop movements helped me during my labor process!
There is always a chance something happens and you might not even deliver vaginally - but in any event your healing process will be so much better with a healthy body that you keep healthy by hooping throughout each trimester!
