Studio Bloom

I originally subscribed to Studio Bloom in May during their Mother’s Day sale, which was shortly after discovering that my husband and I had conceived. Unfortunately, we miscarried a couple of weeks after. As a result, I did not want to see anything pregnancy related for a while but also didn’t want my subscription to go to waste- especially since I had no idea when I’d be comfortable rejoining. So, I reached out to Studio Bloom and asked if they could put my account on hold, which they so kindly did. I am now pregnant again and had Studio Bloom’s support in reactivating my account and even extending my subscription to make up for the 6 months that I didn’t use it due to the miscarriage and grieving. I’m really happy with the videos, instructors, and appreciate that they use props for visual learning! They do have one calendar that suggests which videos to do, but I do wish they’d have more “calendars” that offered variety (yoga, stretch, etc.), otherwise you just follow the videos in the “yoga” category without knowing which video would be best to do first. This might not be a big deal to people already in the habit of working out, but I’m not lol so I always appreciate that extra guidance. Regardless, I recommend getting a subscription and trying out the videos, they’ve been wonderful not just for my physical health, but my mental health as well. Oh! And they now have videos for pregnancy loss and moving through the grief, which was really nice to see after I rejoined Studio Bloom.

I started using studio bloom early on in pregnancy (sometime in the 1st trimester) because I have been very worried about diastasis and want to do everything I can to help prevent/keep it to a minimum! I have done Crossfit, Pilates, Barre, and even competed in bodybuilding. While Studio Bloom’s exercises may be a bit different than the routine I’m used to, I quickly realized that with my changing body this is what’s best for me right now. I have had SI joint issues in the past, and this has flared up during pregnancy, so I have also utilized Studio Bloom’s pelvic pain workouts and tips for modifications as well. I did take the time to go through the foundations - which I HIGHLY recommend to ensure you are breathing correctly and engaging and RELAXING your pelvic floor muscles correctly. I appreciate the layout for the classes, and usually pick and choose classes based on what I want to work on for the day (core, upper body, lower body, etc) in addition to selecting the classes based on how much time I have.... What’s nice is that I can layer on a couple different classes if I want and still keep it short, or go for something longer if I have more time. I highly recommend Studio Bloom. They have kept me more active than I EVER thought I would be during pregnancy, esp. during quarantine! No gym? No problem! You can do everything from the comfort of your living room! I will likely be using this same platform for post-natal recovery as well.

I am NOT a fan of working out and very easily get discouraged when I finally give it a try. That being said, I knew how important training for my birth was and I turned to the Bloom Method to help me learn about my changing body. I admit I didn't do many of the actual cardio-type workouts, but the foundational principles of how to functionally move and support my body were so so so helpful. Belly-pumping throughout the day was a simple way for me to keep checking in on my core and I could really feel the difference. The concepts taught not only helped me go about my daily activities safely while pregnant, but they absolutely prepared me for my daughter's unmedicated birth. I better knew how to breathe (diaphragmatically) and was in touch with the muscles needed in my core to deliver my baby. I also enjoyed the stretching videos on days I didn't feel like working out, yet needed some movement to relax my body. Their coaches' approach with gentle guidance and encouragement to listen to your own body and what it needs at that time is SO refreshing, and it really does allow me to stick with exercises I would otherwise give up on in other programs. I do have a goal to get back into exercising regularly and utilize the growing library of workouts they have available through their app/website. I really do recommend the Bloom Method and Studio Bloom to all my pregnant and mom friends. Thanks for being a wonderful resource!