Vital Steps Wellness Program:
Pregnancy
Pelvic floor exercises are a key exercise for all women.
Exercising these muscles during pregnancy and afterwards, will help tone them up as well
as make you more aware of them so you can relax them during the birth. Exercising the
pelvic floor after the birth may also help ease perineal pain.
It has been found that a strong pelvic muscle is helpful
during childbirth, the baby needs to engage and then complete a 90-degree turn prior to
entering the world. A loose or slack pelvic muscle gives the baby less to take hold of
when performing this movement and can cause complications in delivery.
How Does It Affect Me?
Pregnancy changes your body in many ways. The changes can
affect the way you exercise. Hormonal changes occur throughout pregnancy and hormones
causes many of the ligaments and joints to soften and loosen in preparation for labour.
Joint injuries and ligament damage may therefore result from exercise that involves
jerking actions and sudden movement, for example tennis, jogging, and squash. The risk of
back injuries associated with weight training or rowing is also increased.
Balance is a major concern primarily because of the
growth of your stomach. Falls also become more likely when you do any exercise that
requires balance.
The following activities should be avoided during
pregnancy because of the risk of falls or direct damage to you or the baby:
- High diving, scuba diving
- Downhill skiing, water skiing, water slides
- Step classes gymnastics (avoid high impact exercises)
- Sprinting, contact sports, competitive team sports
- Mountaineering, rock climbing
The use of saunas, steam baths and hot tubs may also
cause over-heating. There is some evidence hat over-heating during pregnancy may cause
damage to the baby's developing nervous system.
What Effect Will Exercise Have On It?
Your baby is affected when you exercise at high
intensities during pregnancy. If you get very hot the baby can also get over-heated and
this may be dangerous. As you get breathless, the baby's heart rate also gets faster.
In a healthy pregnancy the baby's heart rate will quickly
return to normal when you rest. However, if there are problems with the pregnancy, it may
take longer to get back to normal.
Consult with your family doctor about safe exercises if
you:
- Have high blood pressure
- Have any medical conditions such as diabetes, thyroid
imbalance or heart disease
- Have had any vaginal bleeding during pregnancy (or have
had 2 or more miscarriages in the past)
- Have a low-lying placenta
- Baby is growing slowly (or previous births have been slow
growing during pregnancy
- Are expecting more than one baby
- Walking, stretching and gentle swimming are good exercises
for almost all pregnant women.
|
