Pre & postnatal · Pregnancy and after birth
Pre and postnatal Pilates in South Kensington.
One-to-one Pilates and strength training through pregnancy and after birth, with Alessia Barone — a Pilates instructor and personal trainer who is a mother herself. Sessions adapt week by week, in a private studio room in SW7 or at your home.
- Sessions
- One-to-one, 60 minutes
- Where
- A private studio room at 1 Harrington Gardens, South Kensington SW7 4JJ — or at home (women only)
- When
- Tuesday to Saturday, by appointment only
- Price
- £120 a session · £110 each in a block of 20
During pregnancy
Strong and comfortable as your body changes.
The NHS says exercise is safe for you and your baby in pregnancy, and that it's usually fine to keep doing the activities you already do. Sessions are built around how you feel that week: breathing and pelvic floor work, strength for your legs, hips and back, and mobility for a posture that is changing.
Exercises are adapted trimester by trimester, on the reformer, the mat or both. As your bump grows we follow NHS advice on positions — for example, avoiding lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes, particularly after 16 weeks.
After birth
Rebuild from the inside out.
Recovery comes first. After a straightforward birth, the NHS says gentle exercise — walking, stretches and pelvic floor exercises — can start as soon as you feel up to it, with advice at your six-week postnatal check before anything high-impact. After a caesarean or a more complicated birth, recovery takes longer.
From there, sessions rebuild the deep core and pelvic floor, work with abdominal separation (diastasis recti) where it's present, ease the shoulders and back from feeding and carrying, and build you back up gradually — for lifting, carrying and the exercise you love.
From experience
A mother herself.
Alessia practised Pilates through her own pregnancy and her recovery after birth, so she knows this work from the inside as well as from her training. Every pregnancy and every recovery is different — so every programme is too.
Safety
Your midwife and GP stay in the loop.
Before the first session you complete a prenatal or postnatal health questionnaire. If anything needs checking, Alessia will ask you to speak to your midwife, GP or a women's health physiotherapist first, and sessions then work alongside their advice.
Pilates and strength training support recovery; they don't replace medical care. If something doesn't feel right during a session, we stop.
How it works
Three steps to your first session.
I
Enquire
Tell Alessia what you're looking for — use the form below, email or WhatsApp.
II
Consultation
Talk through your pregnancy or birth, your history and your goals, and complete a prenatal or postnatal health questionnaire before the first session.
III
Train
60-minute one-to-one sessions at the studio or, for women, at home — booked singly or in blocks of ten or twenty.
Your instructor
Alessia Barone.
Alessia Barone is a personal trainer and pilates instructor based in South Kensington. She works privately, one-to-one, with a number of select clients, building strength, mobility and lasting health through carefully programmed sessions.
Her work spans postural strength, mat and reformer pilates, and specialist pre- and postnatal training, tailored to each client's body, history and goals.
A mother herself, she practised pilates through her own pregnancy and postnatal recovery. She teaches the full pilates repertoire — reformer, Cadillac, chairs, barrels and mat — at every level, and continues to study to keep her practice current.
Qualifications
- Pilates instructor certificationBalanced Body
- Personal training qualificationActive IQ
Pricing
Private, by appointment.
Sessions are 60 minutes one-to-one, either at your home (female only) or in-studio. No gym membership is required.
- Single session£12060 minutes
- Ten-session block£1,150£115 per session
- Twenty-session block£2,200£110 per sessionRecommended
Sessions can be shared by two or three at the same per-person rate, plus £10 per person.
Questions
Good to know.
For most women with a straightforward pregnancy, yes — the NHS says exercise is safe for you and your baby in pregnancy. Sessions are adapted to each stage, and if you have a health condition or any complications, check with your midwife or GP first.
The UK Chief Medical Officers advise aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, plus muscle-strengthening activities twice a week. One or two Pilates or strength sessions a week can cover the strengthening part.
Yes, gently. The NHS says that if you're new to exercise you can start slowly with a small amount of activity, and advises against starting a new vigorous activity in pregnancy — so sessions begin with the basics of breathing, pelvic floor and simple strength work, and build slowly.
After a straightforward birth, gentle exercise such as walking, stretches and pelvic floor exercises can start as soon as you feel up to it. The NHS suggests getting advice at your six-week postnatal check before any high-impact exercise, and recovery after a caesarean takes longer — talk to your midwife, health visitor or GP before anything strenuous.
Yes. It's common for the stomach muscles to separate during pregnancy, and the gap usually returns to normal by the time your baby is 8 weeks old. Sessions rebuild deep core and pelvic floor strength and, early on, avoid sit-ups, planks and high-impact exercise, as the NHS advises. If the gap is still obvious at 8 weeks, see your GP, who can refer you to a physiotherapist — sessions can then work alongside their advice.
The NHS advises starting pelvic floor exercises as soon as you can after the birth and continuing daily, and pelvic floor work runs through every session, in pregnancy and after. If you have leaking, a feeling of heaviness or pain, speak to your GP, who can refer you to a physiotherapist; Pilates can then support the plan they give you.
Yes. Home visits are available for women in Kensington, Chelsea and nearby, which many new mothers find easier. Otherwise sessions are in Alessia's private studio room at 1 Harrington Gardens, South Kensington (SW7).
A 60-minute one-to-one session is £120. Blocks bring the rate down: ten sessions for £1,150 (£115 each) or twenty for £2,200 (£110 each). Two or three people can share a session for £10 extra per person.
Other sessions
Enquire
Begin with a conversation.
Tell me a little about what you're looking for. New clients begin with a consultation to map the right approach.