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Mum credits pole dancing for getting 'back to normal' just three days after giving birth at home

A mum credits pole dancing during her pregnancy for helping her get “back to normal” just three days after giving birth at home.

Georgie Baddley, 26, took up the exercise regime two years ago after struggling to lose weight after her two previous pregnancies.

After falling in love with pole dancing and dropping more than five stone, when she fell pregnant again the mum-of-three vowed to keep using the pole as long as she safely could.

Not even her growing bump could stop Georgie, who was still pole dancing at 39 weeks pregnant, with her final lesson taking place just 12 days before little Silas was born.

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The new mum also credits the unusual exercise for ensuring she was able to give birth at home, and without pain relief in her fastest labour yet - taking just 134 minutes.

“Pole dancing I was pregnant with Silas was such a good move, it really helped the pregnancy and even the labour,” Georgie from Oldham says.

“My recovery period after was also so quick - I was back to normal after a week.”

Georgie continued pole dancing until she was 39 weeks pregnant [Photo: SWNS]
Georgie continued pole dancing until she was 39 weeks pregnant [Photo: SWNS]

Though she said she put on some weight during her third pregnancy, around two-and-a-half stone, she said her new fitness regime helped her lose the extra pounds quickly after giving birth.

“I just wanted to concentrate on keeping as fit as I possibly could, as in my other pregnancies I was very sedentary,” she says.

She believes her pregnancy regime helped with labour this time around too.

“It was by far my quickest and easiest [labour], from start to finish - no interventions were needed and I just had him at home!”

And her recovery time was shorter, too, with Georgie saying she felt fine just three days after giving birth.

“In my past pregnancies, I was low energy in the weeks following labour - I didn't walk properly, and struggled with daily tasks,” she says.

“But with Silas I had much more energy, and felt able to carry on as normal.

“I really do believe it was down to how fit I kept through the pregnancy.”

“They say to exercise and keep well anyway during pregnancy, so I suppose I was just really following obvious advice!

“Pole dancing's very core and pelvic floor muscle intensive, so keeping everything working and fit and healthy can make labour much more efficient.”

Matt and Georgie Baddley with their children [Photo: SWNS]
Matt and Georgie Baddley with their children [Photo: SWNS]

READ MORE: Why it's so important to exercise during pregnancy

Georgie first attended a pole dancing class in the summer of 2017 after giving birth to Joseph, six, and Anastasia, three, and seeing her weight creep up to 18 stone.

Between August 2017 and May 2018, Georgie lost an impressive five stone - by doing aerial hoop, pole-dancing, and aerial silk exercises and cutting junk food from her diet.

She decided to continue her new regime throughout her third pregnancy and was back up the pole at 10 weeks postpartum.

“As it's very core-intensive and it would've been dangerous trying to do it any closer to having had him,” she explains.

Now, six months after giving birth, she's still losing the extra 2.5 stone she put on during her pregnancy but is losing it steadily, up to 4lbs per week.

By February 2020, Georgie aims to be back down to a size 8.

And Georgie wants to encourage other women to try out the unusual fitness regime, claiming it can work wonders for confidence.

“The exercises are so good for your muscles and your core,” she explains.

“The whole experience has been physically and mentally transformative, I feel like a completely different person now.”

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According to the NHS the more active and fit you are during pregnancy, the easier it will be for you to adapt to your changing shape and weight gain.

It will also help you to cope with labour and get back into shape after the birth.

The NHS site says pregnant women can keep up their normal daily physical activity or exercise (sport, running, yoga, dancing, or even walking to the shops and back) for as long as they feel comfortable.

“Exercise is not dangerous for your baby – there is some evidence that active women are less likely to experience problems in later pregnancy and labour,” the site adds.