The French and Canadian recommendations on physical activity during pregnancy refer to minutes, rarely to steps. The official reference remains 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, spread over several days. Translating this volume into a daily step count requires cross-referencing several data points, and the answers are not as clear-cut as some online tables suggest.
Daily Steps and Pregnancy: What Recent Data Says
The figure of 10,000 steps per day is widely circulated in the mainstream media. When applied to pregnancy, it notably comes from the work of the Exercise and Pregnancy Lab at Western University in Canada. Michelle Mottola, the director of this lab, associates a goal of 10,000 steps per day with better management of gestational weight, in the context of an uncomplicated pregnancy.
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The French institutional guidelines (Ministry of Sports, Public Health France) do not adopt this conversion into steps. They stick to the 150 weekly minutes of moderate intensity, which roughly corresponds to brisk walking. Determining how many steps per day a pregnant woman should aim for therefore requires making the connection between duration and distance oneself.
The guide from the Ministry of Sports published in 2023 specifies that brisk walking constitutes a good base of moderate activity and that it can be broken down into short sequences throughout the day. This logic of breaking down is well-suited for tracking with a pedometer: several small walking blocks rather than one long outing.
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Walking During Pregnancy Trimester by Trimester: Adapting the Volume
The body changes with each trimester, and the realistic number of steps evolves with it. In the first trimester, fatigue and nausea may hinder motivation, but mobility remains close to normal. A woman who walked regularly before pregnancy can maintain her usual pace without any particular modifications.
In the second trimester, most pregnant women regain energy. This is often the period when the walking volume is easiest to achieve. The center of gravity begins to shift, but the joints are not yet overly stressed.
Third Trimester: Slowing Down Without Stopping
Weight gain, pressure on the pelvic floor, and ligament laxity modify the stride. Reducing the duration of outings and breaking them down further becomes a more comfortable strategy than aiming for a fixed goal. The guide from the Ministry of Sports also recommends regularly breaking prolonged periods of sedentary behavior, including in the third trimester.
The available data do not allow for setting a precise step threshold for each trimester. The variability among women (previous fitness level, singleton or twin pregnancy, associated pathologies) makes any universal benchmark approximate.
Contraindications and Warning Signs While Walking
Walking is the most accessible activity during pregnancy, but it is not without conditions. Certain situations require medical advice before maintaining or increasing the daily step volume:
- Vaginal bleeding, regular contractions, or leaking amniotic fluid: immediate cessation and consultation
- Multiple pregnancy with a risk of premature birth: the volume of activity must be validated by a healthcare professional
- Gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, or placenta previa: walking may be contraindicated or strictly monitored
- Pelvic or lower back pain that worsens with walking: adjust duration and speed before continuing
The Naître et grandir website reminds us that symptoms such as disproportionate shortness of breath, dizziness, or chest pain justify stopping the effort. These signals are not trivial: they may indicate a cardiovascular or placental issue.
Pedometer and Walking Tracking During Pregnancy: Practical Limitations
Tracking steps with a fitness tracker or smartphone seems simple. In practice, several biases distort the figures. Pedometers often underestimate slow steps, which are common in late pregnancy, because their algorithm is calibrated for a standard stride.
The displayed number can vary by 15 to 20% depending on the device and walking speed. A pregnant woman who slows down in the third trimester will see her counter decrease without her actual effort decreasing proportionally.
Another limitation: focusing on a numerical goal can generate guilt on days of intense fatigue. The breakdown recommended by the Ministry of Sports (small sequences spread throughout the day) offers a more flexible framework than a rigid daily total.
Complementing Walking with Other Moderate Activities
Walking is not the only option. The Hospices Civils de Lyon cite swimming, prenatal yoga, and stationary cycling among activities compatible with pregnancy. Alternating these practices with walking allows for maintaining the activity volume without overloading the same joints.
- Swimming: relieves the weight of the belly and reduces lower limb edema
- Prenatal yoga: works on posture and breathing, complementary to walking
- Stationary cycling: less impact on the pelvic floor than long walks in late pregnancy
The goal of 150 weekly minutes can include all these activities, not just walking. Converting the total into steps no longer makes sense.
Setting a daily step count during pregnancy remains a useful benchmark for women who like to quantify their activity. The figure of 10,000 steps pertains to uncomplicated pregnancies and does not replace the advice of a healthcare professional. For many pregnant women, breaking walking into short sequences and listening to the body’s signals proves more relevant than a strict counter.