Print   |     Bookmark 

10/11/2008 - by Anne Marie Nielson
  
Exercise During Pregnancy

Women used to be urged to take it easy during pregnancy. Today, unless there is a medical condition to be dealt with, women are encouraged to be active and get regular exercise during pregnancy. Care givers now know that exercising can not only keep mom and baby healthy during pregnancy, it can help labor and birth easier. Exercise will help you avoid back ache, bloating, swelling and constipation. It will increase your energy, your posture and your mood. It will help you to sleep better and increase your endurance for labor. Exercising does not take anything away from the baby. You may find you need to drink more water or eat more to maintain your own stores, but the baby will be fine.

Exercise should be gauged by the rate of perceived exertion (RPE). This is a scale where the person exercising decides how hard they are working out based on how they feel. The same exercise may feel like more work when you're eight months pregnant than it felt when you were three months pregnant.

It is okay to work on your abdominal muscles during pregnancy, but you may need to use different exercises after the first trimester. Avoid exercises that put you on your back since the weight of the baby and uterus press on major blood vessels when you're on your back. Try some standing pelvic tilts, or tightening your abdominals, holding them and then releasing to give them a workout. It will help you during the birth and postpartum.

Just because you didn't regularly exercise before you were pregnant doesn't mean you can't take something up. Walking, stretching or yoga may just be enough to make you feel better, rest better and prepare for your baby's birth. Start slowly by maybe walking ten minutes a day. Later, you can do ten minutes twice a day. Then you can begin adding five minutes to your times. Walking around your block or in the mall will help you feel much better.

Some exercises should be avoided. Lunges, deep squats and such may put you at risk for injury due to the relaxin that is released during pregnancy to make your pelvis and other joints more flexible for the birth. Try to remain in your pre-pregnancy range of motion so you don't inadvertently injure yourself. Exercises that rely on balance like biking or contact sports should be avoided because of possible injury.

If you feel funny or experience lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, pain, or spotting, it may be a good idea to take a break. Make sure you talk to your doctor or midwife about what happened and get their input. They may want to do some tests to make sure everything is fine, or they may reassure you that what you are feeling isn't uncommon. Either way, it is good to let them know what is going on. If you experience bleeding from the vagina, decreased fetal movement, fluid leaking from your vagina, contractions, swelling, pain, headache, chest pain, faintness or shortness of breath, stop exercising and contact your care giver immediately. These are signs you should get checked out as soon as possible.

At From Pregnancy To Baby, we try to provide you with all of the latest information about going through your pregnancy from your first trimester to the first years of your new babies life. We also provide the highest quality books and products to help you through that time.

Source: http://www.frompregnancytobaby.com/Articles/Exercise-During-Pregnancy.html