"About 20 seconds later she glared at me and said 'I can still see I have pregnant people in this class'. She then said she would refuse to continue the class.
"So I picked up my stuff and muttered 'unbelievable' under my breath, resisting the urge to give her the middle finger, before walking out. I was absolutely stunned."
Unfortunately, Hillar's rough treatment wasn't over when the instructor decided to pick up the microphone and take aim at the expectant mum.
"As I was leaving the instructor grabbed the microphone and singled me out in front of everyone, shouting 'I know you're upset, but it's for your own good, love'. I was fuming."
Following the incident, the mother of two complained to First Fitness about the instructor, with the gym admitting it was "discrimination", saying the instructor "shouldn't have done that".
Hillar told the Herald the gym responded swiftly to her complaint and she accepts their apology - but hopes speaking out about her experience will prevent others from receiving the same hostile treatment.
"It's okay to discriminate against me and shame me in front of the class, I can handle it, but what if I walked in with a prosthetic leg or I was extremely obese? Neither of those things are 'ideal' for the class but maybe those people are fine to participate in it. Where do you draw the line of duty of care versus individual rights to be there.
"I'd just hate to see the instructor discriminating against other pregnant women who show up to classes to become healthier people.
"I wouldn't want a pregnant woman to go into her shell and stop going after a bad experience."
A First Fitness spokesperson told the Herald the safety of their customers is paramount.
"At Fitness First, the safety of our members is our number one priority. We understand the level of exercise during pregnancy is personal and usually determined by pre-pregnancy fitness levels and advice from general practitioners. In addition to advice from their GP, we recommend any pregnant members notify the group fitness instructor prior to participating in a class.
"All of our group exercise instructors are required to make members aware of any risks and recommend against exercises should they be unsafe. In this case, this was the professional recommendation given.
"The Les Mills class BODYCOMBAT is not recommended during pregnancy because of the joint instability.
"Our team are continuing to be in touch with Ms Hillar."
Despite the incident, the Sydney-based mum is still keeping active during her final three months of pregnancy.
With many women wanting to continue to exercise during pregnancy, Hillar would like to see gyms provide more training information for expectant mums and have clear policies.
She believes gyms need to show trust in expectant mothers and assist them on their journey rather than shoot them down.
"What they need to do better is look at their process. The gym needs to have information available to pregnant women of their protocols and regulations. And all instructors should be on the same page.
"They need to have information on what their policies are and which classes they do and don't recommend for pregnant women.
"We're not idiots. We know not to push our bodies too far. If you're hurting you stop. It's common sense."
