Exercise During Pregnancy

EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY

Benefits

Exercising during pregnancy provides many benefits:

  • It helps prepare you for labor.
  • It increases your energy.
  • It strengthens your bones and ligaments.
  • It improves your posture and helps with backache.
  • It gives you more strength and endurance.
  • It helps you sleep better.
  • It helps lessen stress.
  • It may help prevent gestational diabetes and is recommended by the American Diabetes Association if you have gestational diabetes.
  • It helps to control weight gain.
  • It helps speed up your recovery after delivery.

Talk to Your Doctor First

To determine what level of exercise is safe for you and your baby, talk to your doctor before you start an exercise program. If you didn't exercise before you got pregnant, it is especially important to consult with your doctor before you begin. He or she will take into account both your general health and the progress of your pregnancy. Even pregnant women with some minor health problems can safely exercise when they follow doctor-approved programs designed by experts.

When Exercise Is Not Advisable

Your doctor will tell you not to exercise if you have a health condition that makes it inadvisable. These conditions include:

  • serious heart or lung disease
  • an abnormally weak cervix (the lower portion of the uterus through which the baby will pass during birth) that begins to open before the baby is ready to be born
  • an abnormal location of the placenta (the tissue that nourishes the baby before birth) that covers or partly covers the cervix
  • being pregnant with more than one baby
  • vaginal bleeding
  • a break or tear in the fluid-filled sac that surrounds the baby in the uterus
  • when labor starts prior to the 37th week of pregnancy
  • preeclampsia/toxemia, a dangerous condition of late pregnancy that can cause you to have high blood pressure, swelling, liver, and kidney problems.

Do not exercise if it causes pain or makes you dizzy. And if your doctor tells you that your baby is not growing or developing at the normal rate, you should not exercise.

Recommended Activities

For pregnant women who can safely do so, doctors generally suggest they engage in moderate intensity, low-impact exercise for 30 minutes a day, three to seven days a week. Aerobic activities such as walking, swimming and cycling help your heart and lungs work harder and make you more fit. Yoga or pilates exercises tailored to pregnancy can help improve strength and flexibility.

Your exercise program will change from the first trimester through the third trimester to reflect changes in your weight, endurance and balance. For example, your doctor may advise against sit-ups and weight training after the first trimester.

Remember to pay attention to how you feel when you exercise and stop if you become dizzy, overheated or short of breath.

Activities to Avoid

You should avoid high-impact activities and those that pose a risk of falling or injury. These include:

  • scuba diving
  • downhill or water skiing
  • contact sports
  • gymnastics
  • horseback riding

WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR FOR EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY

Call 911 Now (you may need an ambulance) If

  • You faint or pass out.
  • You have heavy bleeding.
  • You have chest pain.

Call Your Doctor Right Away (day or night) If

  • You feel dizzy or lightheaded.
  • You have fluid leaking from your vagina.
  • You have swelling or pain in the calf of your leg because it might mean you have a blood clot in your leg.
  • You have contractions.
  • You are more short of breath than usual.
  • You have a headache for an hour or two that will not go away even after you have taken acetaminophen (Tylenol) for it.
  • You notice that your baby is moving much less than before.

Call Your Doctor During Regular Office Hours If

  • You need a note from your doctor to permit you to participate in an exercise program.
  • You want written instructions about exercising while pregnant.
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PREPARING FOR EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY

  1. Wear loose clothes.
  2. Wear a bra that fits well.
  3. Drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration.
  4. Avoid exercising in hot and humid weather.
  5. Avoid walking on snow and ice.
  6. Before exercising, warm up for 5 to 10 minutes with stretching or slow walking.
  7. After exercising, cool down for 5 to 10 minutes with stretching, slow walking or cycling.
  8. Take acetaminophen (Tylenol®) for muscle soreness or mild headache after exercising. Ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) and naproxen (Aleve®) should only be taken at the direction of your doctor. They can reduce the amount of fluid within the amniotic sac, which could be harmful to the baby. Pregnant women should avoid taking aspirin because it can contribute to bleeding and also because it can cause stomach upset.

After you deliver the baby, talk to your doctor as to when to begin exercising again, especially if you had a cesarean section or complications.

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For More Information Click on the Links Below

References

  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee Opinion, Exercise During Pregnancy and Postpartum Period Number 267, 2002.
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ACOG Educational Pamphlet AP119, 2003, Exercise During Pregnancy.

Disclaimer:

Peer-Reviewed by the Faculty of the University of Colorado Denver Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new healthcare information becomes available. The information is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional

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