Prenatal and Postpartum Exercise Design Online CE Course 4E

Course components can be delivered as printed products or online:

• Workbook

• Continuing education exam

Discover what every fitness professional working with pre- and postnatal women should know about designing safe and appropriate exercise routines with the Prenatal and Postpartum Exercise Design, Fourth Edition CE Course. Learn the effect of exercise on maternal and fetal health and how to set intensity levels and modify exercise based on guidelines from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOCG). This course covers the latest research; demonstrates appropriate core strengthening and pelvic floor exercises; and includes suspended body-weight, flexibility, relaxation, and breathing exercises. It also suggests guidelines for strength training, water exercise, and competitive sports during pregnancy.

This self-guided course allows you to work at your own pace and explore the material through a comprehensive text and study guide, finishing with a 55-question exam composed of multiple-choice and true-or-false questions.

Course Objectives

• Identify the current research and the effects of exercise on maternal and fetal health.

• Describe anatomical and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy.

• Discuss the current American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and international guidelines for exercise during pregnancy and postpartum.

• Outline safe and appropriate exercise design for prenatal and postpartum women and discuss considerations for training during pregnancy and postpartum.

• Identify specific and appropriate exercises and activities for prenatal and postpartum women.

• Explain the benefits and guidelines of water exercises for pregnant clients.

• Outline suggestions for initiating or enhancing a prenatal and postpartum exercise program.

• Identify postnatal exercise goals and program design considerations for recover from both vaginal birth and cesarean delivery.

• Identify complications and common conditions of pregnancy and postpartum and management strategies.

• Discuss fitness practitioners’ professional responsibilities, including health screening, monitoring exercise, record keeping, and emergency procedures.

• Identify available resources that can be used in prenatal and postpartum exercise instruction and programming.

Catherine Cram, MS, is the owner of Comprehensive Fitness Consulting, LLC, a company that provides the most current, evidence-based prenatal and postnatal fitness continuing education courses and information to health and fitness professionals.

Catherine is coauthor of the 2012 edition of Exercising Through Your Pregnancy with Dr. James Clapp. She is the author of Fit Pregnancy for Dummies (Wiley, 2004) and a contributing author for Women’s Health Care in Physical Therapy (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009). Her patient education manual, Prenatal Fitness Exercise During Pregnancy, is part of the Army’s Uncomplicated Pregnancy education resources. She was appointed as the International Childbirth Education Association Perinatal Fitness Subgroup chair in 2013. Catherine received her master’s degree in exercise physiology in 1988.

Gwen Hyatt, MS, founded DSWFitness (Desert Southwest Fitness, Inc.) Center for Continuing Education in 1980 to provide continuing education for fitness, health, rehabilitation, and clinical professionals. With master’s degrees in exercise science and gerontology, Hyatt is highly respected for her work in exercise and aging. In 2013 DSWFitness was acquired by Human Kinetics, and Hyatt served as the director of continuing education for Human Kinetics until her retirement in August 2015. Hyatt is a former faculty member at Bemidji State University and the University of Arizona. She is a recipient of the 2005 ACE Fitness Educator of the Year Award, the Southern Arizona Small Business Award for Excellence as a Woman-Owned Business, the Utah Fitness Instructors Association Leadership Award, and the Arthur Anderson Small Business Award. For more than 40 years Hyatt has been an industry educator and role model.

“This course gave me valuable information to further my career goal in teaching and training prenatal and postnatal courses at my gym.”

C. Gilmore—California, KY

“An excellent course chock-full of knowledge on program design and bodily changes in pregnant clients.”

W. Lightfoot—Jersey City, NJ

“I have gained a detailed look into the physiological and psychological effects of pregnancy. I have learned to be more in tune to the changes incurred by pregnancy and to be more sensitive of pre- and postnatal conditions.”

A. Pacheco—Mountain View, CA

“I lead postpartum physical training for the military and will apply the knowledge in this course to the participants.”

J. Noess—Sierra Vista, AZ, Uruguay