Exercising

While Pregnant

When I was in High School, in a modern dance class, my teacher was very pregnant. This teacher would show us dance moves and even do gymnastics. Of course, all of the girls asked a number of questions, and voiced their concerns. Her reply was, that as long as you are used to the activity, it's okay to do while you're pregnant. She was fine and so was the baby!

 

Through all of my pregnancies I never did gymnastics and never ran marathons, but I did stay active. I tried to walk a lot. With my second child I pushed the stroller, pushing my 1 - 1/2 year old, around the golf course while my husband played 18 holes of golf. I have walked places instead of driving such as to go to a friends house around the block, to the park, to take kids to school and sometimes even to the doctor for a check-up (if it wasn't too far). Walking is one of those exercises that everyone do and it's easy. If it's a nice day it can really lift your spirits too! However, when you're pregnant and walking, the closer to 9 months that you get, it becomes more of a waddle.

 

Aerobics is another exercise program that I incorporated into my exercise routine, while being pregnant (and afterwards too). Of course in the later months of pregnancy you need to alter movements to accommodate the growing tummy. Aerobics helps keep your muscles toned and stretched, as well as all the other things that it does for you while you're not pregnant. It helps in other ways too. One of the biggest positives about aerobics, and exercising in general while pregnant, is the boost to your moral. In pregnancy, it's very easy to feel fat, frumpy and ugly (even though most people say a pregnant woman is very beautiful, and she is). When I was pregnant, I didn't always feel so lovely. When I did aerobics I felt like I was doing something good for me and the baby.

 

Swimming is great too. When it gets hot, and you feel even hotter because of the pregnancy, cool off in the pool. It's very energizing.  Even though I have tried to exercise regularly whenever I was pregnant, it was harder to move around in the last couple of months of the pregnancy and I always felt kind of like a "blimp". When I got into the pool I would suddenly feel weightless, in fact I wouldn't even feel pregnant any longer. It felt nice to move unencumbered. While in the pool, you can exercise and flow smoothly, lifting your legs and bending. You can do water aerobics with an instructor or just do them on your own. Move around in the pool or do laps, it still feels great and does a lot of good for you and the baby. Floating or swimming on your back is a very strange feeling, but fun (it just looks funny with an "island" sticking up out of the water). Swimming is one of those things that you can continue almost until delivery. There have been a few times that we had been members of a health club and I had access to a pool year round. I was doing laps until the night before I delivered one of our babies. Just make sure that your doctor is aware of what you are doing and get his OK, mine have felt that it was fine. The hot tub was definitely out until after the baby was here though.

 

One of the biggest advantages to exercising while pregnant is that it really does help your body take on the challenge of delivery. Deliveries do seem easier when an exercise routine has been used during the pregnancy. It also makes recovery much easier and faster. I have been a person who really didn't like hospitals but I wanted the security of being in the hospital in case of any problems or unforeseen complications, which is a risk. I chose to have short stays in the hospital, some as few as two hours but generally 6 - 8 hours after the birth. I feel that the active lifestyle aided in my recovery and made this possible without any further problems.

 

Of course whatever exercise plan you follow, check with your doctor first to get his okay. I've found that most doctors are very glad to see you exercise, unless there are specific reasons that might limit your doing so.

 

Now get up and get going while you're growing!
Your baby will enjoy the dance!

 

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