In the Season of Pregnancy with Leah Barto

We all have a general understanding of how pregnancy works, but in so many ways the greater comprehension and deeper understanding go unrecognized. The complexities and individual experiences vary not just for each woman, but for each pregnancy. And when pregnancy crosses over with the life of someone who is working through fitness goals and a generally healthy lifestyle, changes sometimes have to be made. Not much in the fitness world truly caters to this reality, and this is why people like Leah Barto have grown in success by highlighting something she found a personal interest in. As a doula, fitness coach, and Program Director for Birthfit, she has grown a community in partnership with like-minded individuals to guide women in various stages of pregnancy.

About Leah

Leah Barto was born and raised in Houston Texas. She attended college in Austin and currently lives just outside of Houston. Her love for Texas is apparent, not only because it is where she has made her home, but because it is where she, alongside her husband, has made a business. This business has significantly grown their community into what it is today. In 2016, Leah came onto the scene of Birthfit—a company that gives special focus to fitness for motherhood and transitioning through the process of becoming a mother. She knew she needed more information about training for pregnancy both for herself and for her coaching. Through her drive to learn, she found herself racing down a path of discovery and now has the effect of bringing to light issues that have been unnoticed.

Leah’s Approach to Training for Birth

Leah believes the initial shift for anyone approaching pregnancy has to be their mindset. During her own pregnancy, Leah’s experience made her realize gyms were not set up in a way to cater to a woman’s experience, not by some conscious effort to discriminate, but by the very fact so much of fitness is about consistency and progression. Women’s bodies change and experience much more change than male bodies. For this reason, Leah has found the first step in this fitness journey and pregnancy journey to be a shift in mindset. Accepting you are in a season of birth and change is key. This way you can allow yourself to dive in fully to the experience. From there, Leah put into practice not just her own standard rules for exercises, but specified rules for certain individuals depending on where they are at in different stages of pregnancy. Everything incorporated is done with the general needs in mind, but also with the needs of that individual woman, all through the different times of her pregnancy.

Nourishing Your Body

Leah offers guidance for women and their families at every stage of pregnancy. Throughout the entire pregnancy season, she will offer instruction on fitness and movements. However, she feels it is important to highlight the value of nourishing your body. Eating foods that are nutrient-dense and taking in supplements that will boost your body's natural functions will make every part of a woman’s pregnancy experience better. Leah believes that maintaining proper nutrition, before, during, and after pregnancy will help in numerous ways and especially in staying healthy and healing your body. Though what foods are consumed can dramatically impact the results and experience for a woman during her pregnancy, Leah believes the missing piece in the puzzle is support. Having a strong community and a caring attuned spouse can be a huge game-changer. This is especially important during the postpartum stage. Leah often feels and has observed a sort of specified treatment of women who are pregnant as though they are super fragile and delicate. And while there is truth to treating women correctly while pregnant, Leah explains the most fragile state for a woman during the pregnancy experience is after she has delivered the baby. During the postpartum stage, when women have gone through so much change and so much intensity and the nine-month period of carrying a child ends, it is then that women and those surrounding them have to exercise extra prudence. This is why Leah emphasizes community and support to her clients. She can even attest to the benefit of having her husband around to tend to her needs and to make sure she was comforted and taken care of when she really was at her most vulnerable.

A New Age of Fitness

There is no standard rehabilitation for birth, and Leah believes they have found ways to give women everything they need through the whole process of pregnancy. Birthfit has programs for women in each phase of pregnancy and even offers a program for those not in a season of pregnancy. Each program is specifically meant to cater to the needs of certain stages of pregnancy. If you’d like to hear more from Leah you can watch our recent IG Live with her. And if you’re interested in upping your nourishment try BUBS Naturals to get educated on nutrition and to try key supplements. Leah Barto is changing the game of the fitness world in ways that are bigger than people realize. She, and those sharing her passions are shedding light on what mothers endure, and even more, helping mothers and their families through the process of one of the most miraculous and profound aspects of life. She loves her work and has a passion for what she does, and finds fulfillment in touching the lives of each individual woman seeking out her advice, coaching, and support.