Staying active throughout your pregnancy can help ease aches and pains and also help prepare your body for labor, the website KidsHealth notes. If you typically include abdominal exercises during your routine, you may need to adjust your exercises slightly as your pregnancy progresses. Avoid exercises that require you to lie on your back during your second and third trimesters because of the potential for decreased blood flow and oxygen delivery, advises certified trainer Lisa Stone writing for the website StorkNet.
Side Crunch
The side crunch works your oblique muscles. Lie on your left side, your arms extended over your head and your legs straight. If you need to, place your left arm slightly in front of your body and bend your left leg slightly to help you remain balanced. Place your right hand behind your head and bend your right leg, rotating your knee toward the ceiling and opening your right hip. Place your right foot on the floor. Tighten your abs and pull your torso upward as you pull your right knee toward your right elbow, crunching your right obliques. Release the movement, then repeat 12 to 15 more times before performing the exercise on your other side.
Quadruped Tighten
Kneel on the ground with your hands on the floor directly underneath your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips, your back in a flat position. Inhale and tighten your abs as you try to pull your belly button in toward your spine. Hold for five seconds, exhale and release your abdominal muscles. Continue inhaling and exhaling, tightening and releasing your abs for 10 repetitions.
Modified Plank
As your belly grows, performing a traditional plank exercise may become difficult, but you can continue performing a modified plank, strengthening all the muscles of your abs and back. Start in a quadruped position with your knees and hands on the floor, your back flat. Extend your legs behind you, moving into a full push-up position. Usually during a plank exercise, you want to keep your back straight and flat, forming a straight line from your heels to your head, but because the weight of your belly might strain your back, push your buttocks up into the air slightly to counteract the pull of your belly. Hold the position for 15 seconds, then lower your knees back to the ground. Rest for five seconds, then repeat. Try to perform four or five repetitions.
