World first in Wiltshire to support pregnant women in the Armed Forces

The inaugural event aims to change the stigma around fitness and pregnancy

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 2nd Oct 2023

Pregnant and recently pregnant women have taken part in a world first festival of sport with the army.

The Armed Forces inaugural Perinatal Festival of Sport saw personnel from the army and civil servants take part in a physical training day.

It aimed to support the women in remaining healthy in the Perinatal period, with the event open to women who had been pregnant in the past two years.

Attendees included a mum-to-be at 36 weeks pregnant, a mum of seven weeks as well women who had suffered the heartbreak of miscarriage and still-birth.

Event Project Officer, Corporal Lucy Blair, said she wanted the break the stigma of fitness being a negative during pregnancy.

“I worked out from day one of my pregnancy, I was four weeks pregnant whilst doing Nordic Ski training in Norway and was 100 per cent at my peak fitness and felt great, I’ve never felt so good or so strong before.

“I wanted to carry that on throughout the pregnancy. I like to challenge my own body, I wanted to see how much I could do through pregnancy but safely.”

The event coincided with National Fitness Day, with an educational journey including talks from military and civilian specialists.

The Rt Hon Dr Andrew Murrison, Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families visited the event and said the day showed pregnancy and having children is not a barrier to a career in uniform.

“Our Armed Forces offers fantastic career opportunities irrespective of gender. We will continue to do everything we can to make women feel welcome in MOD and able to fulfil their potential.

“Not only is this the right thing to do, but it is operationally imperative. In a more dangerous world, our future forces will need to be far more balanced – drawing power from all parts of our nation. We simply cannot afford to miss out on any of the fantastic talent in our midst.”

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