Exercise During Pregnancy For You and Your Baby

For many of us, pregnancy may seem like the perfect time to take an extra scoop of ice cream or lounge on the sofa in front of the TV a little longer. You probably feel a bit more lethargic then usual, your back may ache, and your ankles may swell. What better excuse to take it easy and set those workout shoes aside? After all, your gym clothes probably are a bit too tight and even your exercise shoes may not fit right since your foot has grown a half size larger.

Well there's good news and bad news and it's pretty much the same news. Exercise during pregnancy is good for both mother-to-be and baby. Exercise can help you moderate your weight gain to a healthy range, improve circulation, ease joint discomfort and get your body in shape for its biggest event on delivery day. Research has shown that moderate exercise throughout pregnancy can shorten your labor time and quicken your postpartum recovery time. You can also regain your pre-pregnancy shape a lot faster. The bad news is that provided you have a normal pregnancy without complications, you really do not have an excuse to lounge on the couch and open another chip bag.

Recent research has shown that exercise not only regulates the expecting mother's weight the her baby's weight as well. As published in the October 2009 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Norwegian researchers discovered the odds of delivering an oversize baby dropped by 28 percent when expecting mothers exercised regularly. Fetal macrosomia, which is a medical term for heavier weight newborns, poses health risks to both the baby and mother. These risks include higher probability of C-sections, delivery complications, postpartum hemorrhage, and lower Apgar scores. Also, heavier babies were at a greater risk for obesity later in life.

Getting your Doctor's OK
As with any activity during pregnancy, it's important to get the OK from your health care provider. It's also important that you pace your exercise during pregnancy and not overdo it. Most doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day for an expecting women who is in good health. Shorter and more frequent low-impact workouts are preferable to long intense sessions.

Listen to your Body
If you regularly exercised before you were pregnant, then you can probably continue to work out around the same level in the beginning as long as your are comfortable and you have your health care provider's OK. If you were not much of an exercise buff before pregnancy, then start out slowly with an activity like walking. Start easy at maybe 10 minutes a day and build up slowly to 30 minutes over a few weeks or months.

Pregnancy is not a time to take on a new sport. High altitude activities such as scuba diving, hiking at high altitudes or water or snow skiing are probably activities you want to avoid. As you get bigger your center of gravity changes and your ligaments and tendons become looser with your increased progesterone making you more injury prone.

Sports such as swimming or water aerobics are good choices as you do not risk falling and your body weight is supported by the water. Also it's hard to injure yourself or get overheated when swimming in a cool pool, provided you pace yourself.

Drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated and not overheating are important precautions. Remember to stretch out before and after your workouts and never exercise to the point of exhaustion. You also want to make sure that you dress comfortably for workouts in clothes that are not too constricting for your shape or restrict circulation. Now is not the time to squeeze into tight spandex gym clothes, so go ahead and invest into a maternity workout pant with a comfortable waistband. Find a comfortable workout bra and invest in a maternity swimwear with plenty of stretch if you are swimming. Comfort is important for your body as well as your baby's health.

A regular exercise program can ease your stress and improve your well being now as well as prepare your body for the physical challenges of delivery. Even if you have not been a regular exerciser before pregnancy, with your health care provider's OK, pregnancy is a great time to start.