Sophie Guidolin is weightlifting while 26 weeks pregnant with twins. And people are freaking out.

On Monday, personal trainer Sophie Guidolin shared a photo of herself lifting weights at the gym.

Exercise snaps are standard fare on social media, but there’s one little detail that’s made this post stand out: Guidolin is 26 weeks pregnant with twins. For that reason, the Gold Coast resident has been copping dozens of angry, upsetting comments from complete strangers over the past two days.

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“I blocked and deleted most of the comments I thought were just way out of line… everything from ‘I hope you don’t miscarry’ to ‘your babies are going to be deformed’ to ‘your placenta’s going to prolapse’,” Guidolin, a mum of two, tells The Glow.

Prior to falling pregnant, Guidolin — a fitness model, trainer and ebook author — was CrossFit training three times a week in addition to using weights. Pregnancy hasn’t stopped her from being active, but she’s pared back her usual routine; the days of squatting with an 80kg weight are done for the time being. (Post continues after gallery.)

Now, under supervision from her husband Nathan, an experienced strength coach, Guidolin lifts 30kg weights — 50 per cent of her usual capability — using slow, controlled movements, and takes long breaks. She says her current regimen doesn’t resemble her previous one “in any way, shape or form”.

For anyone who isn’t a fitness enthusiast Guidolin’s approach might sound a little out-there. Yet she insists it’s been given “full clearance” by her obstetrician since she first learned she was expecting twin girls — and she is constantly checking in with him.

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“Every time I go in, I confirm the exercises that I can do, what I need to do to keep my heart rate under, confirm there’s nothing else that’s changed, and I do that every single time I go in to make sure there are no changes,” Guidolin says.

She’s also guided by how her body feels; if she’s tired on a particular day, she’ll rest rather than work out.

According to Dr Joseph Sgroi, a representative of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, a woman's peak physical activity before falling pregnant has a huge impact on the prenatal exercise she will be capable of.

It's one of the many factors an obstetrician will assess before making any fitness recommendations.

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"If you’re coming into pregnancy with an athletic ability more than normal of course during the pregnancy, you’ll be able to do things that the average woman certainly wouldn’t be able to," Dr Sgroi, a Melbourne-based obstetrician, gynaecologist and fertility specialist, says.

"So if you’ve been running marathons, to run up to 24 weeks, until you are really feeling the baby being quite big, is going to perfectly and utterly fine because your body is going to be able to cope with it."

Unless there are certain conditions or complications present, obstetricians encourage expectant mothers to exercise to maintain both their health, and their baby's. For a woman who doesn't usually do a lot of exercise, Dr Sgroi says even a daily walk is enough to minimise any harmful effects of being sedentary while pregnant.

Sophie Guidolin will attest to this. During her first two pregnancies, she had "zero education" regarding the importance of health, fitness and nutrition, and she wishes someone had told her that exercising could have prevented some of the complications she endured.

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"I gained 28 kilos and had gestational diabetes, they were [both] 10 pounds," she recalls. This time, she's gained 7.5kg to date.

"I had huge interventions and was in labour for four days with my first [son]. I had everything you can imagine, from forceps to the vacuum to stitches. I wouldn't wish that upon anybody. By exercising you're doing the best thing for your babies and it will reduce intervention." (Post continues after video.)

Dr Sgroi says regardless of what exercise a pregnant woman chooses to do, it's important to pay attention to how the body is responding.

"If you’re running, or lifting light weights and your finding the body is just, feeling stress on certain joints or getting short of breath earlier then normal then you need to tailor the exercises to what the body expects of you versus what you may potentially want to do," Dr Sgroi says.

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Judging by many of the comments in response to Sophie Guidolin's photo, there seems to be an attitude that doing certain exercises during pregnancy — like weightlifting — is potentially unsafe.

Guidolin believes much of the judgement she's attracted comes from the fear that naturally comes with being pregnant, which she completely understands. "It's the unknown — when you're pregnant you can't see your baby except for ultrasounds and you're only relying on what the doctors are giving you," she says.

However, she's horrified by commenters who have made scary, scientifically unsound claims about 'damaging' effects of exercising while pregnant — like the Instagram follower who warned that jumping would cause her 'baby to develop a cleft palate'.

"I said, 'Where did you get that information from?' and she goes, 'Well, someone told me that when I was pregnant' ... I think it's so scary for other women to read things like that," Guidolin says.

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"There’s absolutely no research to say exercise, and even high impact exercise will in any way damage the baby, lead to miscarriage or premature labour," Dr Sgroi explains, adding there is a lot of research indicating the benefits of prenatal exercise.

That said, he advises pregnant women to be mindful of exercises that could damage the tummy; for instance, falling from a flying trapeze could potentially impact this area. (Post continues after gallery.)

"Your body and the demands it is going to have naturally changes over the course of a pregnancy... the way your centre of gravity is, and in addition to that the way your heart and your lungs work are all going to be different," Dr Sgroi says.

"The most important thing is to listen to your body, consult with a health professional about any form of exercise you are going to do. And if you are undertaking any new forms of exercise that you are not use to, consult with a specialised exercise trainer who deals with pregnant women."

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Sophie Guidolin agrees, and says the main intention behind sharing her photo was to let women know there's no reason they can't continue being active while expecting a child — as long as there are no complications and their medical specialist approves.

"My goal is to inspire pregnant women to have the best pregnancy and labour in the best way they possibly can, with full medical clearance and as long as you're under constant supervision and following the doctor's advice and what they've prescribed for you personally. The benefits are extraordinary," she says.

Did you exercise during pregnancy? How did you stay fit?

It's important to consult your doctor about your exercise regime while pregnant, as every individual is different.

You can follow Sophie Guidolin on her website, Facebook and Instagram.

You can contact Dr Joseph Sgroi on his website or on Twitter.