Exercise During Pregnancy - Family - Pregnancy

Now you may not even want to think about exercise at the moment as the morning sickness is taking over your life, but believe me when it comes to labour, you will wish you had. I had a very long hard first labour and had I exercised during pregnancy and kept myself fit, practiced my pelvic floor muscles I am sure it would have helped push out that baby much easier.

Now if you don't normally exercise I would definitely get checked out by your doctor to make sure your exercise routine won't harm you or your unborn baby. As for those of you who are already fitness fanatics then you may need to modify your existing exercise program.

It is suggested that regular exercise during pregnancy is beneficial for many pregnant women, now the kind of exercise I am talking about is walking, swimming, yoga, tai chi, stretching, pilates, dancing, exercise in the water and of course those pelvic floor exercises. It is important to practice these before, during and after pregnancy, in fact we should always exercise those pelvic floor muscles to help prevent problems later in life. If you haven't done these before it is pretty easy. Just follow these simple steps:-

1. Sit or stand, you can do these exercises in nearly any position.

2. Close your eyes, imagine what muscles you would tighten to stop yourself from passing wind or to 'hold on' from passing urine. If you can't feel a distinct tightening of these muscles then ask for some help when you see your health professional and they will help you get started.

3. Now that you can feel your pelvic floor muscles working, tighten them around your front passage, vagina and back passage as strongly as possible and hold for 3 to 5 seconds. By doing this, you should feel your pelvic floor muscles 'lift up' inside you and feel a definite 'let go' as the muscles relax. If you can hold longer then do so but no longer than 8 seconds. Repeat up to 10 times. Rest for a few seconds in between each squeeze.

There are no excuses as you can perform these exercises sitting, standing or even in the checkout queue at your local store.

It has been stated that exercise during pregnancy has many benefits and may even help manage some of those terrible pregnancy symptoms. Not only that but I am sure you will feel better just knowing that you are doing something good for you and your baby. If you continue to regularly exercise during your pregnancy you will probably feel like you have more energy, you will strengthen your back which will help manage back pain and strain as your tummy gets bigger and bigger. Regular exercise will also help with your weight control and will relieve any stress that you may be under. After all that exercise throughout the day you will hopefully get a better nights sleep and ultimately when the time comes and you go into labour your body will be in the best condition to deal with the physical demands of labour.

Now that you are exercising you need to be aware of the changes in your body. You definitely need to take care as your body will now be producing hormones that loosen all of your joints, this of course increases your risk of joint injuries. As your tummy gets bigger your centre of gravity will change, just be aware of this, we don't want any accidents. Avoid raising your body temperature too high, if you start to sweat heavily just slow down, definitely don't exercise to the point of exhaustion, your body is very busy working on creating that new human being. If you wake up one morning and don't feel like exercising, then don't, it is important to listen to your body.

Now there are definitely some exercises that you will want to avoid during your pregnancy and these would include contact sports or anything where there may be a risk of you falling for example the trampoline in your back garden. As your pregnancy progresses you wouldn't want to be lying on your back for any length of time as the weight of the baby can slow the return of blood to the heart, this normally happens around 5 months. You will know if this is happening you will get light headed.

Remember that you can always ring your doctor, midwife or other healthcare professional for advice if you are not sure if a particular activity would be safe. Good luck and happy exercising.

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