Fitness Exercises During Pregnancy Keeps Mother And Baby Healthy

Fitness Exercises During Pregnancy Keeps Mother And Baby Healthy : If any of your ‘well-wishers’ tell you that exercising during pregnancy is not suitable for your health as well as that of your unborn baby and you believe in it, then stop doing any of your household chores and lie down on your bed till the time you give birth to a weak and unhealthy baby.

On the other hand, if you want to have a healthy baby as well as stay fit enough to give birth with no complications, then listen to the experts. They say that doing specific exercises during pregnancy is good for the health of both the mother as well as the baby. As a caring mother, at least that much is expected from you!

Research has shown that strong mothers typically give birth to healthy babies. Therefore, fitness for a pregnant woman is crucial because you will need that strength and stamina to endure the agonizing pleasure of giving birth to a child.

However, any and every exercise may not be suitable for a pregnant woman which is why you will need to consult three different people such as:

Your doctor
Your trainer as well as
Your dietician.

They will all ensure that you are doing it in the right way and form, and no adverse effects are developing in you that will affect the child eventually.

Conditions to avoid exercising

To start with, you must know when or who should not exercise during pregnancy. Ideally, if you suffer from any medical conditions, such exercises may not be advisable. These medical conditions include:

Asthma
Diabetes and
Heart disease.

Exercising during pregnancy may also be harmful to women suffering from different pregnancy-related conditions that include:

Bleeding
Low placenta
Spotting
Previous premature births
History of early labor
Recurrent or threatened miscarriage and
Weak cervix.

In such conditions, you must talk to your health care provider before starting any exercise program. The health care provider may give you tips about a few personal exercise guidelines according to your physical ability, need, and your medical history.

There are a few exercises that are safe during pregnancy. While most are safe as long as you do it with caution or do not overdo. A few of the most reliable, productive, and comfortable exercises and activities are:

Brisk walking
Swimming
Jogging in moderation
Step or elliptical machines
Indoor stationary cycling and
Low-impact aerobics.

All these activities have little or no risk of injury and will benefit your health and entire body. You can continue doing these until birth. You may even try tennis and racquetball but without any rapid movements to affect balance.

Exercises to avoid

You must always exercise under an expert trainer. The good thing about this is that the expert trainers will make it a point that pregnant women avoid a few specific exercises. You may also get some tips on sites like https://babeappeal.com.

There is also a list of few don’ts to follow such as:

Do not lie flat on your back when you are after 16-weeks pregnant as this the bump will presses the blood vessels making you feel faint and also reduce blood flow to the baby
Do not play any contact sports such as judo, kickboxing, football, or rugby to avoid being hit
Do not go for horse riding, ice hockey, downhill skiing, cycling, and gymnastics to avoid the risk of falling
Do not go for scuba-diving because the baby will have no protection against gas embolism or decompression sickness
Do not do any exercise at heights over 2,500 meters above sea level if you are not acclimatized because you and your baby will feel altitude sickness or lack of oxygen and
Do not do any repetitive high impact exercise that has several twists and turns, sudden stops, or high stepping as that will cause joint discomfort.

You must also avoid exercises that will make you feel too hot. As it is, your body temperature will be a bit higher during pregnancy, and such intense exercise will raise the core temperature of your body that may be unsafe for the baby. Also, do not overdo, do not drink less water, or wear heavy clothing during exercising. Always see that the area is cool and well ventilated. Avoid saunas and spas for that matter.

Benefits of exercising during pregnancy

Whether you do prenatal yoga or any other low impact exercises, there are lots of advantages of exercising during pregnancy. If you exercise for at least on all or most of the days in a week, it will benefit your health as well as that of your baby. It will keep you active and also ensure the proper flow of blood in your body.

In addition to that, other benefits include:

Reduced backaches, swelling, constipation, or bloating
Preventing or treating gestational diabetes
Increased energy
Improved mood
Improved posture
Promoting muscle strength, tone, and endurance and
Sleep better.

It will also help you to cope with labor and get back in shape soon after the baby is born.

Squatting and pelvic tilts

As said earlier, exercising during pregnancy will help you a lot during labor. Two particular exercises are:

Squatting, as that will open the pelvis during labor. For this, stand on the floor with your feet shoulder-width apart and back straight. Lower slowly with your knees not forward than your flat feet and hold for 10 seconds or more and then push up slowly.
Pelvic tilts will strengthen the abdominal muscles and reduce back pain. Go down on your hands and knees, tilt the hips forward, pull the abdomen in, arch your back and hold for a few seconds. Let the back drop when you release.

The American Pregnancy Association recommends a few specific exercises that will prepare you for labor and delivery.

Maintain caution

Set your limits during exercising, especially those that involve balancing and toe pointing. It is good to have a chair or do it close to a wall.

Always work slowly and do not get over-ambitious or compete with others, especially those who are not pregnant. Lastly, listen to your body and throw in the towel when it is tired.