Prenatal care is very essential for the pregnant woman and for the baby. With the help of proper care during pregnancy you can be sure that your baby is healthy. Regular physical activity can provide health benefits for the pregnant woman.
You can exercise during your pregnancy by simply going for a walk, swimming or going for a supervised yoga class. Many doctors suggest the pelvic floor exercises before, during and after pregnancy. These simple movements can be done by any pregnant woman, unless she has complications.
Exercising is suggested for most women during pregnancy, though under some situations the same exercises could be dangerous for the bearing mother as well as the fetus. There are many benefits of exercising during pregnancy. It can also manage the symptoms of pregnancy and make you feel good.
Here are few benefits of pregnancy exercise:
• It helps the body in resisting the fatigue that occurs for most pregnant woman.
• It helps strengthen the back muscles which in turn manage the back pain and helps keep the strain off as your belly grows.
• It improves your posture which invariably tends to slump as your back has a lot of strain on it because of the growing belly.
• It controls the excess weight.
• It helps in controlling stress.
• It improves sleep and manages restlessness
• It prepares the pregnant woman for the physical demands of labor
• It helps women to return to the pre-pregnancy fitness and maintain a healthy weight.
• It also increases her ability to cope with the physical demands of motherhood.
Due to the pregnancy, body goes through many anatomical as well as physical changes. When you exercise, the following changes might be experienced due to pregnancy:
• Hormones such as relaxing, loosen the ligaments, this could increase the chance of joint injuries.
• With the later stages of pregnancy, your weight will increase, combined with the weight distribution and your body shape. This results in the center of gravity moving forward which could alter your balance and coordination.
• Due to pregnancy heart rate increases, so it is advised not to use heart as a target for work out and limit the intensity of your exercise.
• Your blood pressure drops in the second trimester, this is why it is important to avoid the rapid movements or else you would experience dizziness.
The suggested exercises for care during pregnancy are:
• Walking
• Swimming
• Cycling
• Exercise in water
• Limited yoga
• Stretching
• Dancing
It is best to do the above exercises moderately. It is very important to discuss your work out plan with your doctor as each pregnancy is different and you might have to avoid certain physical exercises. Generally, healthy woman who do not have complications in their pregnancy continue with their previous work out regime after consultation with their doctors. However, it is safer to plan a pregnancy exercise program in consultation with a doctor.
Christina Ray is expert in writing pregnancy related articles.She is currently working on pregnancy issues department in famous hospital. Also see her articles about sign for pregnancy and stages of pregnancy here.