The Female Body: Pre and Postnatal Edition

10 question quiz on completion of all modules, awarded a certificate with 10 CIMSPA CPD points.

Learning Outcomes:

• Better understand the emotional, physical and practical challenges of these lifestages and how it can impact sport and exercise;
• Appreciate and acknowledge your scope of practice in supporting pre and postnatal women;
• Be able to offer effective support (within your remit and skillset) for pre and postnatal females;
• Recognise signs of stress, anxiety and other mental health red flags in pre and postnatal females;
• Build a trusted network of qualified professionals
• Know which professionals to refer athletes onto when specialist help is required;
• Be able to safely support a woman’s return to exercise after she has a baby;
• Increase your understanding at this lifestage and appreciate exactly why an individualised approach is required.

• Support during motherhood - In this module we list and discuss considerations for women considering starting or growing a family. There are many ways to have children and, as a coach and perhaps part of her inner circle, you can understand the options she has as well as the role you can play in supporting her choices.
• Training in pregnancy - Until recently rest is best was the prevailing philosophy regarding sport and pregnancy. Not now. More women than ever want to train in pregnancy, and return to competition quickly after, so this module offers the info you need to support safe training (and safer expectations) in pregnancy.
• Return to exercise - Every woman is different. Every pregnancy, childbirth and experience of motherhood is different. This module offers clear, evidence-based guidance on how to support a new mum’s safe return to exercise, and how to work with her unique situation, body, health and priorities when doing so.
• Returning to training and competition - Return to exercise is one thing. Return to training and competition is another. This module offers insight and understanding around the factors that’ll inform and influence her timeline to return and how you, as coach, can support her back to full-speed in her chosen sport.
• Support for mental health - This module presents the numerous different barriers and struggles for women in the pre and postnatal stages and the potential impact on her mental health. As a key part of her support network, you can understand her situation and be able to offer an appropriate level of support.
• Nutritional requirements - Nutrition is absolutely fundamental for pre and postnatal women to fuel, grow, heal and recover. This module offers an overview of nutritional requirements during these lifestages, and helps coaches understand how to inspire positive food behaviours at a time when they can be complex.
• Pelvic health - Pregnancy is often the first time a woman ever considers her pelvic floor. This module helps you, as coach, to understand this underappreciated power centre so you can inspire women in your care to engage with healthy practice. We’ll also teach pelvic floor exercise and how to fold it into your work.
• Breast support and kit - The pregnancy and postnatal stages trigger life’s biggest-ever changes in breast size and shape. And that’s before the challenges of breastfeeding. This module helps you, as coach, to support breast health and safety, and to understand the importance of sports bras in easing posture problems.

This course is aimed at anyone who trains and coaches women. Content has been carefully created to be accessible to all – regardless of current experience or knowledge. The only prerequisite is that learners are over 16 years old.

With the exponential rise in women's sport and the interest that organisations have to close the gender gaps this course will help with career progression through:

• Retaining female talent in the workforce - because by completing this course they will have a better understanding of their own bodies and will be able to apply this learning to themselves so that they are healthier.
• Anyone completing this course will be upskilled so that they can better serve the girls and women they work with - as teams, clubs and brands look to tailor their approach more to the needs and requirements of girls and women they will be looking for people who have this education and experience.
• These courses will enhance the learning that you have and be able to make you operate better when working with girls and women in sport and exercise.

If you are a coach, teacher, personal trainer, or any other professional who is working with females who are thinking about having children, are pregnant or have had children and you would like to be able to offer suitable levels of advice and support then this course is perfect for you.

However - This course is NOT a pre- or post-natal qualification that will teach you everything you will ever need to know about the subject.