Keep Movin' Mama! Exercise During Pregnancy

There are no hard and fast rules about what you should and should not do when you exercise during pregnancy. Some women may only feel right about walking during their pregnancy, while others are doing back bends and headstands, and running marathons. Most of us will be somewhere in between these two extremes.

The only rule is to listen to your body and your intuition. Stop when something hurts or your intuition tells you that you should stop.

At some point, you may need to decrease the intensity of your exercise routine and its duration. Of course you will eventually have to modify some things for your growing belly.

Exercise During Pregnancy Tips

Drink water before you exercise as well as during and after. If you are getting enough fluids your urine will be pale colored. If your urine is dark yellow or smells badly that means you need more water.

Don't overheat

Raising your core temperature is dangerous for the baby. Especially in humid and hot summer temperatures you may need to exercise earlier or later in the day when it is cooler. Wear cool clothing or layers that you can take off.

Avoid doing exercise on your back for more than a few minutes

Laying on your back decreases blood flow to the baby from the weight of the uterus laying on the vena cava and the aorta.

Consume enough calories

This means not only the extra 300 calories you need because you are pregnant, but also the extra calories that you need to exercise. The growing baby reduces the amount of energy you have available for exercising.

Try Belly Dancing!

Not only is it great non-impact exercise, but belly dancing helps move and keep the baby in the optimal position for birth. Belly dancing is empowering, it connects you to your sensuality, your femininity and your birthing power. Maha Al Musa's book Dance of the Womb is a wonderful resource and a great place to start.

If you do nothing else you can always walk

Walk every day--for at least 20 minutes. It is good for you and good for the baby.

Swimming during pregnancy can also be a wonderful way of keeping active. You may be lucky enough to live near a lake so you can take advantage of swimming outdoors. Or you can go to the local YMCA or YWCA pool.

Staying active during pregnancy encourages baby to settle into the correct position in your pelvis--head down facing your back. Laying on a couch and being inactive encourages baby to be posterior--facing your front. Posterior babies typically are more difficult to birth.

Goals Are Different During Pregnancy

Realize that the goals are different for exercise during pregnancy than they are at other times in your life. Pregnancy is not the time to train or to increase intensity to attain new levels of fitness, or to lose weight.

The goals for exercise during pregnancy are to maintain fitness and health, to stay strong for labor and motherhood, to clear your mind and spirit, and to enjoy your changing body.

I slowed down on my exercise a bit (a lot!) when I was very nauseated and fatigued in the first trimester. After the first trimester, I tried to do yoga, belly dance, or walk every day throughout my pregnancy.

I also cycled occasionally (on a single bike and on a tandem with my husband) until I was 5 1/2 months pregnant. I stopped during the winter only because it is too cold for me!

The yoga I did during pregnancy was Gurmukh Kalsa's Prenatal Yoga. Anyone familiar with Ashtanga yoga and with Gurmukh's yoga knows that they are worlds apart!

Ashtanga is powerful, sweaty, and fierce. I felt for awhile in doing the prenatal yoga that I was doing "dumbed down" yoga. That is really not the case--it was just a different yoga for a different time in my life.

After a while I grew to love the prenatal yoga. I became grateful to have the opportunity to slow down, to not have to push myself, and to just connect with myself and my baby.

I took two modern dance classes toward the end of my pregnancy--one 3 days before I gave birth. It was a beginner level class and I would normally take an advanced level class. As it was, it took a lot of work for me to keep up and lug myself around with my big belly!

I had to modify a lot of things. I sat out for a few things that I could not modify--like cartwheels(I wanted to do them but figured it probably wasn't a good idea!) But it felt incredibly good to know that I could still do most movements.

Contraindications To Exercise During Pregnancy

Consult your health care provider if you have not been exercising on a regular basis before becoming pregnant. If you are carrying multiples, have a preexisting medical condition, or other complications of pregnancy consult your care provider first.

Stop exercising and contact your doctor or midwife if you experience

• vaginal bleeding

• difficulty breathing, especially when resting

• dizziness

• headache

• chest pain

• muscle weakness

• calf pain or swelling

• preterm labor (contractions)

• decreased fetal movement

• fluid leaking from your vagina (it could be amniotic fluid)

• fever or chills

• sharp abdominal pain that doesn't improve with a change in position

Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy

Clears your mind and emotions

The endorphin boost from exercise helps to keep you happy. Exercise during pregnancy is especially important if you have a history of depression or are experiencing pregnancy depression. It lifts your mood.

You gain less extraneous weight

In other words, weight that you don't need to gain for the baby.

Less chance of an overweight child

One study found that your baby will be less overweight as a child if you exercise moderately during pregnancy.

You start (or maintain) a positive habit that you will pass down to your baby--an active lifestyle

Explore these pages about prenatal exercise

Running During Pregnancy
Belly Dance During Pregnancy
Pregnancy Yoga
Precautions for Pregnancy Yoga
Great Pregnancy Yoga Poses

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