While you cannot plan your entire life, you can plan for yourself a relatively
easy journey of pregnancy. One important trick in this endeavor is to exercise.
It’s often wrongfully assumed that women who are pregnant should not move. Any form of exercise can be dangerous for them.
However, this is a completely wrong assumption; being active during pregnancy is important, unless of course, your best gynecologist in Karachi has told you otherwise.
Ideally, you should start to exercise before you get pregnant, so that you can easily continue with the regimen during pregnancy as well. But if you were not active before getting pregnant, you can confer with your doctor about how much activity to partake in during pregnancy to ensure health.
Benefits Of Exercise During Pregnancy
Better Labor
Certain exercises like yoga and pelvic floor exercise can help you during labor. They won’t necessarily lower the pain, but at least improve your body’s response and recovery.
Better Stress Management
Pregnancy can pose a lot of stresses. The worry about how you will manage with the baby, stress about labor, getting the finances sorted, ensuring that your health is up to the mark can pose a lot of mental turmoil. The lack of rest and sleep that are hallmarks of pregnancy certainly don’t help.
Exercise can help with decreasing stress levels in the body. It also improves mood as well.
Curbs The Risk Of Gestational Diabetes
Gestation diabetes can lead to many complications, including increased size of the baby, reliance on C-section, preterm labor, hypertension, stillbirth etc. Exercise helps in reducing the risk of gestational diabetes.
Decreases Complications Related To Pregnancy
Being active during pregnancy can also reduce the risk of preeclampsia, premature birth, and other pregnancy-related complications.
Focus on Breathing
When you exercise, you get in the habit of breathing better, yes, breathing is also an art, especially when pregnant.
As the weight of the baby grows, breathing can become challenging for women. Having an effective respiratory rate is important for the body to function properly. Mother’s breathing is also vital for the health of the developing baby.
Moreover, breathing also plays a vital role during labor and delivery as well. It helps in improving the woman’s endurance, and a lot of it is required during labor.
Reduced Risk of C-section
Women who are physically active have a lesser risk of undergoing C-section. Unlike natural birth, C-section carries greater risks. Its recovery is also longer and more painful.
Stronger Musculoskeletal System
Exercise helps in building stronger muscles and bones, which is crucial during pregnancy. Backache is a common complaint in women, as naturally, carry the weight of the baby is not an easy task. Having a stronger core can help with this.
Exercises That Are Good For Pregnant Women
Strength Training
For to build muscle mass, strength training is an excellent form of exercise. However, you should talk to your doctor about the weight that is safe for you. It is also possible for you to do body weight training, whilst of course, being safe.
Stationary Bike
Stationary bike focuses on the glutes and core, and takes the pressure away from the knees, so is good for women who have knee problems getting in the way of exercise.
Swimming
Good for the joints and heart, swimming is a great form of low-impact exercise.
Yoga
Certain yoga poses are good for pregnant women. It not only helps in making your muscles stronger, but yoga stretches can also help with the pain. Since a major component of yoga is breathing, hence, it is especially good for pregnant women.
Walk
Safe to do and a no-brainer, 30 minutes of moderate walk is great for your health.
Being Careful
Before taking up exercise during pregnancy, it is always best that you confer with your gynecologist at South City Hospital, especially if you were not exercising before.