Expectant mothers have to go through a lot during their pregnancy, and sometimes they may experience pelvic pain or just loneliness which is where The Bump Room comes in.
First set up in 2008 by Ailish Cleary, who is herself a trained physiotherapist, The Bump Room offers fitness and well-being classes both in-person and online to pregnant women. She wanted to merge her physiotherapy training with exercise and movement, and she began creating classes that are a fusion of several different exercises such as pilates, aerobics, strengthening/resistance and stretching exercises.
Speaking to Dublin Live this week, Ailish explained the inspiration behind the services they offer. She said: "I set up The Bump Room in 2008, I was working as a physiotherapist at a maternity hospital in Limerick and I worked with pregnant women who were having pelvic pain and tightness.
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"It was inspired by what wasn't available for pregnant women, to do exercises that would help women keep strong. Pregnancy is like an endurance sport, so the idea evolved into different exercises like pilates and strengthening/resistance," explained Ailish.
The Bump Room currently offers online classes as well as in-person classes in Dublin, Limerick, Clare, Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, Tipperary and Waterford with further locations in Sligo, Westmeath and Cork set to open soon. In 2009, Ailish experienced Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) first hand during her pregnancy in 2009, she worked on developing and modifying the class content to support women with PGP to keep moving.
As demand for classes grew, Ailish was joined by fellow qualified physiotherapist Caitriona Quinn, and in 2013, the Bump Room brand was born. From then, the business has grown and today is run by Ailish, Caitriona and Fiona Healy, who is also a qualified physiotherapist, along with their wide team of expert physiotherapists nationwide.
According to Ailish, the classes are 50 minutes of exercise and the rest of the time is spent on education and support.
Ailish explained how she pulled a lot of her classes from her physio knowledge. She said: "Very quickly I realised how critical it is to be a physiotherapist, to be able to women that reassurance and confidence during pregnancy and postnatal.
"Sometimes there's a lot of uncertainty and fear within pregnant women, especially if their journey is longer due to miscarriage and other things." Ailish explained how the Covid-19 pandemic saw their classes move online.
"We were so busy, at one stage we were having 16 classes a week during a Covid. A lot of Irish women living abroad all over the world joined us for those classes, we'd have it live on Zoom and a recorded session as well."
Ailish explained how the fitness and wellness classes help promote social support among the women in their classes. "Seeing the women walking together, going for a coffee afterward, it's magical. The Bump Room is really about a community and social support for these women.
"Becoming a mother is such a huge transition, you need a lot of support," added Ailish. She also explained how they are looking for more pregnant women to join their classes in Donneycarney, Dublin with teacher Anne Graham which starts back on Thursday, 23 February from 5:45pm to 6:45pm.
For more information visit thebumproom.ie
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