Clare Schexnyder and Kathleen Donahoe,
Oh Baby! Fitness Co-Owners
Our Mission
Exercise during pregnancy and after childbirth is life saving and life changing for new and expectant moms, and it’s the easiest thing to do to ensure a healthy and easy pregnancy, birth and quick recovery.
Our mission is to train fitness instructors to offer safe pre/postnatal exercise classes in their communities at wellness centers, yoga studios, pools and parks to give new and expectant moms a place to find support, make new friends, get fit and bond with their babies!
Training birth and medical professionals to recommend and refer their patients to fitness classes is an important piece of our work because moms-to-be listen to and trust their health care providers guidance.
About Us
See the story of how Oh Baby! Fitness was born:
Our Story
Two moms, Clare Schexnyder and Kathleen Donahoe, created a life saving company: Oh Baby! Fitness. They have helped over 25,000 moms to feel confident in how to move (literally!) through pregnancy and postpartum recovery.
Their expertise and experience has changed the industry: by participating in studies around exercise in birth, by partnering with multiple hospital systems, and by training instructors in all 50 states and 44 countries, Oh Baby! Fitness has brought confidence and safe exercise to moms and fitness instructors everywhere.
When you buy our training and training videos, you have instant online access to all the materials you need to get started training pregnant people and new moms! Printed class routines, videos, and more can be viewed immediately, so you can dive right in.
About Our Classes
Oh Baby! Fitness was founded in 2005 and quickly became the company offering the widest variety of pregnancy and mom & baby exercise classes in the USA.
Moms can take yoga, toning, water aerobics or Pilates classes during pregnancy. After they have their baby, they can return to all the same class types (plus Stroller Workout) and baby is incorporated into the exercise routine.
Classes are designed to take moms from pregnancy through birth, and then into the toddler years with their child. Our programs allow Mom to get out of the house, get her body back in shape and spend time with baby. All of our instructors are specially trained in our own nationally recognized pre/postnatal fitness certification, so classes are safe and fun.
Our instructors will help you make the modifications you need to build strength and lose weight. We’ve also partnered with area hospitals because they offer a safe environment for our classes and because doctors need to know what kind of exercise their pregnant and postpartum patients are participating in.
Find a Certified Oh Baby! Fitness Pre/Postnatal Exercise Specialist in your area.
Featured In
Click on the logos to read more about Oh Baby! Fitness in the news:
Meet The Owners
Clare Schexnyder
Clare Schexnyder is the founder, CEO and co-owner of Oh Baby! Fitness. The company, founded in 2005, offers the widest variety of pregnancy and mom & baby exercise classes in the USA. They also offer the world’s leading pre/postnatal fitness instructor training. Oh Baby! Fitness has trained thousands of instructors in 50 states and 44 countries.
Clare was a producer at CNN for 17 years before she came to the fitness industry. She is the proud parent of a teenager and lives in Atlanta with her family. She is certified by AFAA and SCW Fitness in group fitness and is the co-author of Oh Baby! Fitness’ own pre/postnatal instructor training.
So how did someone with such a non-fitness career decide to start an exercise program for new moms and pregnant women? Clare’s last job at CNN was as a producer for CNN Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. When she was pregnant with her first child, she was asked to produce a series of stories on newborns.
One of the stories focused on how to lose weight after pregnancy. All the experts told Clare the best way to lose weight was to work out with your baby.
Photo courtesy of Stacey Bode Photography
She looked all over Atlanta, but there really wasn’t a program that offered a variety of exercise programs to showcase Mom and Baby fitness. After traveling to major cities to profile different fitness programs, Clare seriously considered starting a business in Atlanta.
After the birth of her baby in 2004, Clare experienced serious postpartum depression for months. She didn’t want anything to do with her child, but being a control freak, she wouldn’t let anyone touch her baby either. Finally, a friend took Clare to a new parents’ support group where she met other moms and dads. They quickly became a close-knit group. Daily walks became the norm. Through exercise, the support of other mothers, and a brief doctor’s prescription, Clare was able to work through her depression.
Clare’s struggle helped convince her there was a real need in her community for a pre/postnatal fitness program where mothers can exercise with their babies in a safe, supportive and comfortable environment. The idea for Oh Baby! Fitness was born.
Kathleen Donahoe
Kathleen Donahoe is the COO and co-owner of Oh Baby! Fitness. Through Oh Baby! Fitness, Kathleen has trained over 25,000 pregnant women and new moms. As a co-author of the OBF Prenatal and Postpartum Instructor Training, as well as a presenter of live perinatal fitness trainings, Kathleen teaches fitness instructors and personal trainers the art and science of perinatal fitness. Kathleen carries certifications from ACE, AFAA and SCW Fitness.
Kathleen began her career as a personal trainer in Syracuse, NY. While there, she found she loved working with women who had gained significant weight (80 lbs or more) during pregnancy, and that helping them lose weight, recover from pregnancy and take control of their bodies was an exciting and satisfying job. After moving to Atlanta in 2005 for a job in non-profit management, Kathleen missed fitness and interviewed with Oh Baby in its first months as a company. From there, she began teaching a Pregnancy Water Aerobics class for Oh Baby.
She quickly realized she had found her passion, and within a year was teaching 15 classes a week for the company. She pursued further certifications in perinatal Pilates and pelvic floor recovery and was named the Senior Instructor for Oh Baby in 2010. She graduated with her MBA in May of 2012, and was brought on full time as COO and co-owner. After almost 20 years of training perinatal women, Kathleen joined their ranks when she gave birth to her son and daughter. She continues to teach for the company, while focusing on training and national expansion, from her home in Seattle.
Our Partners
