Natasha C.
Great knowledge in the foundations, I just wish the whole program was better
Background: When I'm not pregnant, I primarily do CrossFit and yoga to work out. I'm still doing some garage CrossFit, but heavily modified (empty barbell or dumbbell, no gymnastic movements or Olympic Lifting, and of course modified intensity). I was interested in Bloom because I wanted some accessory work to support my core through pregnancy, and because of the pandemic prenatal yoga classes are all online in my city. The good: The foundations courses gave me a lot of great information for using my core in all kinds of workouts and I will definitely use that knowledge throughout my pregnancy. I feel like even though I cancelled my prenatal membership after two months, I may return to Bloom for support with postpartum rehab. The app is beautiful and easy to use. The not-so-good: Some of the prenatal classes ask you to spend a lot of time on your back, which isn't advised after 17-20 weeks. I wish there were clearer modifications, or that those classes weren't listed in the prenatal section. I also wish there were more and longer yoga classes. That's what I really was excited about, and this just isn't the program for that. Lastly, there isn't a huge diversity of race or body type from the instructors and demo folks. I think there is a lot of great knowledge here, but I don't think it's worth $30 a month... yet. Maybe it will be when they include more programming.
Response from The Bloom MethodMay 19, 2021
Hi Natasha, Thanks for sharing your feedback - We're sorry that you didn't feel safe lying on your back but this is a guideline that is very outdated and doesn't serve the majority of pregnant women. Most expecting women can be on their backs comfortably for 5-10 mins without any issue and none of our back lying exercises last more than 2 mins. Some of the classes that contain moves like this do offer a simple modification of propping yourself up with pillows if you are one of the small percentage of women who experiences discomfort lying on you back. Bloom is all about empowering women and teaching women to listen to their bodies is vital from our perspective. Its great to question things but we can promise that everything we teach out prenatal moms comes from a very expertise level and deep understanding of the pregnant body (and our babies). We'd be happy to answer any questions you have about this specific guideline if you want to email us :) We also have 3 BIPOC women on our team as coaches (Georgette for example is going live on our app next week with 30-40 min yoga classes). We work very hard at including as many BIPOC women in our branding, and on studio bloom but with our headquarters being in Boulder, Colorado it can be challenging at times. We hope you find what you need in another prenatal program but are always happy to support you if you wish you choose us again!