This Girl Can’s latest campaign, ‘We Like The Way You Move’ is around supporting pregnant women and new mothers to overcome the barriers that prevent them being active. Their latest research found that:
- Over half (57%) of pregnant women and mothers with children under the age of one have felt excluded or unwelcome when trying to be active.
- Three fifths (58%) of new mums and pregnant women say that pregnancy and motherhood negatively affected their physical activity levels, citing being too tired from childcare (46%), having a lack of time with a newborn (38%) and limited childcare options (21%) as barriers to getting active.
- Changes in their body are also significant, with women losing confidence in their body (39%) and having a different body to work with (31%) as concerns to getting active.
- Almost a third (32%) of pregnant women and new mums worry about harming their baby or are unclear about what type of physical activity is safe during pregnancy (24%).
When looking at opportunities to support pregnant women and new mums to be active just under half (47%) of pregnant women and new mums said they would benefit from pregnancy relevant support, including pregnancy safe prenatal classes and postnatal sessions where babies are welcome.