Steph Claire Smith opens up about her pregnancy and training

For the most part, Aussie fitness star Steph Claire Smith had a relatively smooth pregnancy, but there was one symptom that hit her “pretty hard”.

For the most part, Aussie model Steph Claire Smith had a pretty easygoing pregnancy.

The new mum, who gave birth to her son Harvey John Miller in May this year, said that while she managed to escape morning sickness, she was “hit hard” by another symptom that left her in bed most days, as well as pelvic girdle pain (PGP).

“I had a very positive experience with pregnancy, I know how fortunate I am to say that,” the 27-year-old fitness star told news.com.au

“It didn’t really impact my lifestyle too much as I didn’t have morning sickness, (however) fatigue hit me pretty hard particularly in the first trimester.”

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Aussie fitness model and influencer Steph Claire Smith opens up about her pregnancy, 10 weeks after giving birth to her first child Harvey, with husband Josh Miller. Picture: Instagram/stephclairesmith

Steph, who is the co-owner of the fitness program Keep It Cleaner and boasts an Instagram following of 1.5 million, said she had never been so lethargic or tired in her entire life.

“I am not much of a napper but I was having daily naps and just falling asleep in front of the TV,” she said.

“Luckily I still had points of the day where I was motivated and still had energy to get a workout in or yoga, but anything outside of that I just felt so tired.”

Steph said it helped that Melbourne was in lockdown at the time, adding that she could just take it easy and nap whenever she needed.

She also joked that apart from obvious changes to a woman’s body during pregnancy, she was surprised to find darker hairs in places that never existed.

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She said fatigue hit her ‘pretty hard’ and also had to step back from exercise in her last trimester due to pelvic girdle pain. Picture: Instagram/stephclairesmith

“Like on my tummy and on my bottom,” she laughed. “My acupuncturist said it’s because I had a boy and had a lot more testosterone, that is perhaps what had to do with it.

“Those were the kind of things I found myself googling and after seeing a bunch of articles on it I realised it was normal.”

“They’re still hanging around,” she joked.

While the 27-year-old battled with severe fatigue during the first three months of her pregnancy, she said it was important for her to try and keep her body moving.

And with the nod of approval from her doctor, she was also able to continue exercising given she is already highly active.

However, it was during her final months of giving birth she was forced to take a step back, adding how important it is to listen to your body.

“At the start I was doing KIC HIIT, strength and pilates, really mixing it up and it was only towards the last trimester I switched to more physio-based pilates as I was having some pelvic girdle pain (PGP).”

PGP is caused by the joints in your pelvis moving more than usual, or moving unevenly, during pregnancy.

Steph gave birth to her son Harvey in May. Picture: Instagram/stephclairesmith

She said it was at that point when she began to feel “really” pregnant.

“Right towards the end of my third trimester I was told I had to cut back on my walks. I was still allowed to go for a walk, but due to my pelvic girdle pain I couldn’t go very far, or for very long,” Steph said.

“Walking is like meditation for me. So that was tough.

“And after birth, I was so excited to hit that six week mark and get my clearance to start KIC training again.”

The model, who has represented brands such as Bonds and Adidas, said while being a new mum is exhausting, moving her body and working out is a huge part of who she is.

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Steph said during pregnancy she steered clear of anything too intense as it left her feeling light headed. Picture: Instagram/stephclairesmith

“I missed it so much and didn’t quite feel myself post-partum. Now that I’ve started again I’ve realised how much strength and fitness I’ve lost.”

But Steph said she isn’t worried and is instead more motivated than ever to feel strong again.

“I haven’t done any HIIT training in months. During my pregnancy I steered clear of anything too intense as it left me feeling quite light headed.

“And now post-partum I’ve been advised to avoid HIIT training for now until I rebuild my pelvic floor strength.”

It’s also one of the main reasons Steph wanted to introduce a new program to the Keep It Cleaner program, called KICBUMP.

“There’s a lot of that ‘bounce back’ culture after pregnancy but I wanted an educational program to empower women to listen to their body,” Steph said.

“To educate them on things like pelvic floor and the importance of certain stretches and exercises before and after giving birth.”

She said the post-natal program has been developed to help guide new mums to return to exercise safely and minimise injuries – something she is currently in the process of doing.

“We are pretty fortunate Harvey is a good day napper and I can still smash out a (20 minute) workout, but it’s not always easy to find the motivation,” she said

Steph, who co-owns KIC with best friend Laura Henshaw, reminded fellow mums that just as every person is unique, every pregnancy journey is too.

“The best advice I can give is don’t compare yourself to others particularly in the new motherhood stage,” she said.

“We’re already so vulnerable so try and go easy on yourself. Be kind and patient with yourself.”

Originally published as Steph Claire Smith opens up about her pregnancy and training