From Conversation to Confidence: Seeing the Impact of This Mum Moves

At The APF, we’ve always believed in the power of movement during the childbearing years, not just for physical health, but for confidence, wellbeing, and connection. We also know belief alone isn’t enough, and what really matters is impact.

Are women actually feeling more confident to be active? Are healthcare professionals equipped to have the right conversations? Is the system shifting in a meaningful, sustainable way?

These are the questions that drive us and why it’s so important to see how the impact of This Move Moves is landing in real-world settings.

Where Change Really Happens

We know that for many women, the barrier to being active in pregnancy isn’t motivation, it’s uncertainty. Is this safe? Am I allowed to do this? What if I get it wrong? That uncertainty can quietly erode confidence.

This is where healthcare professionals, particularly midwives, play a crucial role.

A single conversation, grounded in evidence and delivered with confidence can change how a woman feels about moving her body during pregnancy. It can shift fear into reassurance, hesitation into action and doubt into trust.

From Training to Practice

This Mum Moves was designed with exactly this moment in mind. Not as an “add-on” to an already stretched system, but as a practical, evidence-based way to embed supportive conversations into everyday care.

Through training, we aim to:

• Build confidence in healthcare professionals

• Provide clear, consistent guidance

• Normalise conversations about physical activity

• Support behaviour change in a way that feels achievable and human

  
  

What’s most encouraging is seeing this translate into practice. A recent case study from Greater Manchester Moving brings this to life, showing how midwives, when equipped with the right tools and knowledge, are more confident to initiate conversations about movement, and more consistent in the messages they share. More importantly, women feel it. They feel reassured that being active is something that’s for them.

You can read more about the case study here:

https://www.gmmoving.co.uk/case-study/how-midwives-can-support-movement-in-pregnancy-this-mum-moves/

Why Impact Matters

In a system under pressure, it’s easy for good intentions to get lost. Training can become a tick-box exercise, guidance can sit on a shelf and opportunities for meaningful change can slip through the cracks. That’s why we believe seeing, and sharing, impact matters.

It's telling us:

• This approach works

• These conversations are happening

• Women are benefiting

It gives us the evidence we need to go further, reach more professionals, and support more women.

Every Conversation Counts

One of the most powerful ideas underpinning This Mum Moves is simple: Every contact is an opportunity, as it's an opportunity to reassure, encourage and empower.

When healthcare professionals feel confident, these moments aren’t missed and over time, those small moments add up to something much bigger - a cultural shift in how we support women during pregnancy and beyond.

Be Part of the Change

If you’re a healthcare professional, organisation, or system leader, there are two ways to get involved:

• Join our next open training course - A practical, evidence-based session designed to build your confidence and capability to support women to be active.

• Commission training for your team or organisation - We work with NHS trusts, Active Partnerships, local systems, and organisations to embed This Mum Moves at scale, and it's tailored to your workforce and context.

Find out more and book your place / enquire about training HERE

Looking Ahead

The ambition is simple, but powerful - to ensure that every woman receives consistent, confident, and compassionate support to be active during her childbearing years. We know we're not there yet, but with every trained professional, every informed conversation, and every woman who feels more confident in her body, it's another small step forward towards our goal. We think you'd agree, that’s impact worth building on.