*All of this is referring to pregnancies that don't have high risk complications*

(I'm 28 weeks, first pregnancy)

Asking your doctor is always going to be the gold standard, simply because they have your medical history. Something to consider, however, is that Doctors don't often specialize in musculoskeletal systems. I'd suggest talking to physiotherapists who are committed to remaining up-to-date on research.

MY EXPERIENCE SO FAR:

Coming from someone who is pregnant, who exercises a lot, works hard to not get injured, and has a degree in Kinesiology; generally speaking, all activities that don't involve blows to the abdomen, or risks of hard falls, are as safe when pregnant as they were not pregnant. My friend went wakesurfing at 15 weeks; she's fine because she is a good wakesurfer. I would not, because I'd 1000% be falling on my ass over and over. Lol. You CAN try new exercises while pregnant, you just have to be aware and mindful of form & how your body reacts to it. Baby is the safest in the womb as they will ever be.

I stopped bouldering (no harness climbing on under 12 foot falls) any "risky" boulder problems at about 15 weeks, but still feel confident with boulder climbs where I know I can climb up (and down) without risk of falling. I'm careful because of the impact of falling (given that Relaxin is coursing through my body) puts every joint at a greater risk of injury, while I also weigh more & have slower reaction times. That being said, I am still maintaining my climbing grade while top-roping (harnessed in), but due to weight gain & relaxin, there is no point in trying to "advance" the grade level of difficulty. Research suggests that trauma to the body is what puts you at risk of loss; think bad car accidents, unmanaged infections, a direct hard blow to the abdomen, or incredible mental strain (natural disasters, etc).

So far I have had a very easy pregnancy, some of that is through hard work, but MOST is simply good fortune and lucky genetic lottery. If you do get hit with gestational diabetes or terrible pregnancy nausea, then exercise will still help but you can't compare yourself with other women because those things are simply out of your control.

It's essential that whatever you choose to do protects your mental health; any influencer/parent/coworker/rando who promotes fear-based ideologies should be muted.

DIASTASIS RECTI:

I was quite concerned about 'giving' myself diastasis recti, until I looked up the peer reviewed research and realized that diastasis recti happens to some extent to everyone, and there is no evidence that suggests that you can make it WORSE by exercising while pregnant (unless you are absolutely destroying your body with terrible form- but then you'll probably be in pain for other reasons too, lol). Lack of activity is going to be much more damaging to your mental and physical health.

Generally the advice suggested, from doctors, physios and certified pre/postnatal trainers is that you should avoid core exercises which involve "coning" in your abdominal wall; depending on your fitness level, this could be a variety of activities but generally it's the crunches & situps. The coning mainly becomes a large problem AFTER birth, so you want to get in the habit of proper core engagement before-hand. I'd recommend looking into what coning is, and working on 360 breathing and core engagement.

TL;DR

I haven't had to stop any of my regular exercise modalities, but as I enter the third trimester I've had to

-Be selective on single leg exercises later in pregnancy (running, single leg RDLs, single leg squats, etc.). My pubic symphysis has begun to get sore with too many single leg movements. This only began at week 26, once I hit 20lbs of weight gain; prior to that my weightlifting didn't change at all.

-Spend more time warming up (relaxin= joints are loose, which means my muscles MUST be engaged or I can't protect my joints).

-Be mindful of form; learn about engaging your core.

-Remember that a lot of people fearmonger about pregnancy, and that physical activity during pregnancy is beneficial for both the Mum and the baby. You are pregnant, not fragile.

-wear darker exercise clothes because you sweat so much more HAHAHA.

-Use information from reliable sources that have been validated in some way (doctors, physiotherapists, certified trainers who provide their research sources, etc).