Exercise in Pregnancy is Recommended

Exercise in pregnancy is recommended, can and should be practiced during pregnancy.

When a woman knows that she is pregnant You must continue with your usual lifestyle habits and request a visit with your trusted obstetrician or gynecologist.

If the pregnant woman used to exercise regularly, she should not stop practicing it. She always does it in a moderate way and without excesses that could compromise the oxygen supply to the mother and her baby.

Regular physical activity can provide benefits for many pregnant women.

On Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Barcelona, Dra. Gómez Roig Institute, our midwife or midwife will inform you at all times of the doubts or clarifications you need about the practice of exercise during pregnancy.

exercise and pregnancy

Exercise is necessary during pregnancy because:

• Provides energy.
• It strengthens your back muscles, which can help control back pain and tension as your belly grows.
• Improve posture.
• It also improves circulation.
• Helps in weight control.
• Relieves tension.
• It improves sleep and also favors a better rest.
• It allows a better recovery after childbirth.

All of these benefits not only help maintain a few recommended health levels for the mother. But they also help the baby develop and grow in a favorable and healthy environment.

Precautions

During pregnancy you should take into account some Precautions, because the existing changes in the mother's body due to pregnancy can condition our activity.

For these reasons, in the gestational stage:

• An excessive increase in body temperature should be avoided. For this reason, it is not recommended to immerse yourself in hot water. Exercising to the point of sweating excessively. You should also reduce your level of exercise on hot or humid days.
• Exercising to the point of exhaustion is not recommended.
• It is advisable to avoid exercise if the woman is sick or has a fever.
• If a person does not feel like exercising on a particular day, it is better not to do it. The pregnant woman should not be forced.
• It is not necessary and neither is it advisable to increase the intensity of the usual sports program during pregnancy. That is why it is best to always work at less than 75 percent of your maximum heart rate.
• Also, if the pregnant woman has any illness or complication during pregnancy, talk to us and our midwife before continuing or restarting an exercise program.
• If you are not sure if a particular activity is safe for your pregnancy, consult us before starting it.

pelvic floor and pregnancy

The pelvic floor muscles become weak during pregnancy and during childbirth (vaginal delivery), so it is very important to start conditioning these muscles early in pregnancy.

Appropriate exercises may be prescribed by a physiotherapist. It's important to continue these throughout your pregnancy and resume them when you feel comfortable after the birth.

And remember that exercise during pregnancy is beneficial and very important.

What exercises can I practice?

There are many exercises that can be practiced during pregnancy.

Sport is necessary for the mother and her baby, although diseases or pathologies that could contraindicate a specific practice should always be ruled out.

In list of beneficial exercises that are recommended to practice during pregnancy include:

• Walk: It is good to walk regularly and daily, at an adequate pace, but without the need to exhaust yourself. At the end of the pregnancy this practice may be limited if the mother is more tired. In cases of pathology, the specialist can recommend rest.
• The swimming: We could say that it is one of the most recommended sports during pregnancy. But, once the term is reached, where there may be changes in the cervix, it is better to stop swimming. The dilation of the neck favors the exposure of the membranes of the bag of waters through the vagina, and direct contact with the pool water is best avoided.
• Cycling outdoors or on a stationary bike is also recommended.
• exercise in the water, what called aerobics, is also beneficial. Like swimming, it is better to avoid it when the woman has reached the end of her pregnancy, and there may be cervical changes.
• Yoga, stretching and dancing are also typical exercises that can be practiced during pregnancy.
• Pelvic floor exercises: these exercises are important before, during and after pregnancy. Pregnancy favors a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. This situation may influence the appearance of pelvic organ prolapse in the future. The prolapse can affect the urinary bladder, uterus, and rectum. Carry out kegel exercises During pregnancy it strengthens the pelvic floor.

Abdominal exercises

Now that we know that exercise during pregnancy is beneficial, let's talk about the abdominal exercises.

The abdominal muscles act as an existing natural girdle to protect pelvis, where the uterus is located, and the lumbar spine.

During pregnancy, it is common for women to experience a weakening and separation of the abdominal muscles.

This separation is known medically as a diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles.

This usual fact of pregnancy does not cause pain. But sometimes it can be somewhat annoying with the movements or aesthetically.

Traditional squats or crunches can make this condition worse, and may also be ineffective during pregnancy.

For that reason it is better not to do the classic sit-ups during this period of life.

Despite this, they are not contraindicated and stability exercises are recommended during pregnancy to strengthen the abdominal muscles.

These types of exercises must follow the following recommendations:

• The woman should concentrate on moving the navel towards the spine. During this exercise the woman has to exhale while she presses her belly in.
• It is necessary to maintain the previous position, working the abdominal muscles and counting to 10 to maintain it. The exercise is followed by relaxation and deep breathing.
• This type of practice is best done serially. It is usually repeated 10 times, and as many times a day as possible.
• These exercises can be performed in a sitting, standing, or stretched position. The way in which they are performed does not influence the final result.

On Dra. Gómez Roig Institute in Barcelona We inform you which exercise is the best for you. Our midwife and our specialists They will advise you in the best way.

Do not forget that exercise in pregnancy is beneficial. cheer up!