Exercise and pregnancy — Activity can help you be better prepared for labor and delivery

If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, getting physical activity can help you feel better, look better, and be better prepared for labor and delivery.

The Centers for Disease Control and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise a day for everyone on most if not all days of the week. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology supports this recommendation for pregnant women if there aren’t any obstetric or medical complications.

Regular exercise and physical activity can benefit a pregnant woman’s health by helping to:

• Reduce backaches, constipation, bloating, and swelling
  
• Increase energy levels
  
• Improve mood
  
• Improve posture
  
• Promote muscle tone, strength, and endurance
  
• Improve sleep
  

In addition, regular exercise may help prevent or treat gestational diabetes. Keeping active during pregnancy helps you stay in shape, which can help with labor and delivery. Another benefit is that if you’re in shape going into your pregnancy, it will be easier to get back into shape after the baby is born.

If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, make sure you check with your doctor before you begin any exercise routine. Your doctor will want to make sure it is safe for you to exercise. There are a number of instances in which a pregnant woman should NOT exercise, including if she has vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, a low-lying placenta, or an abnormal or irregular heart beat.

If you have talked to your doctor and determined it is safe to exercise, keep the following in mind:

• Exercise helps to maintain good health.
  
• Exercising during pregnancy is a great thing that you can do for yourself and your baby. Physically fit women have a shorter labor and an increased likelihood of a vaginal delivery. Weight loss is easier after delivery if you have been active and exercising during pregnancy.
  

Choose safe exercises during pregnancy
Many activities are safe in pregnancy, even for beginners. Walking, swimming, stationary cycling, and low-impact aerobics are good activities for the vast majority of pregnant women. These activities are low stress, low impact, and good for you. Sports with a risk of abdominal trauma should be avoided, including skiing, hockey, soccer, basketball, and football. Make sure you ask your doctor about the exercise you choose.

Know how hard to exercise
Your heart rate goal during pregnancy should be about 60% – 90% of your maximum target heart rate. There are many easy-to-use online calculators that can help you determine this. If you are unsure, talk to your doctor. You can also use the “talk technique.” If you can talk or sing without losing your breath, you are exercising safely. If you can’t talk or are fighting to get words out or complete a sentence, you are exercising too hard.

Know when to stop
Complications of exercise during pregnancy are uncommon but they can occur. If you develop or have any of the following problems while you are exercising, immediately discontinue and call your doctor: vaginal bleeding, shortness of breath prior to exertion, dizziness, headache, chest pain, muscle weakness, calf pain or swelling (this could be a blood clot), preterm labor or contractions, decreased fetal movement, amniotic fluid leakage, or persistent nausea and vomiting.