Sports during pregnancy: benefit or harm

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Pregnancy entails not only the joy of expectation, but also many concerns about the health of the expectant mother and her baby. Most likely, you are used to hearing that during this period it is worth limiting yourself in physical activity. It's time to get rid of this outdated stereotype.

Modern medicine is sure: nothing harms a woman so much, especially during the period of bearing a child, as a constant stay in one static position (sitting or lying). If your pregnancy is proceeding normally, then a sports lifestyle will help you solve many important problems.

The benefits of sports during pregnancy

Healthy child

Moderate but regular exercise improves blood circulation by providing you and your baby with the nutrients and oxygen they need. Thanks to this, the fetus develops normally and the risk of intrauterine disorders is reduced.

Disease prevention

During pregnancy, physiological changes occur in a woman's body, which increase the load on all systems and organs. This can lead to the appearance of diseases, the development of pathologies and complications, even if previously you were not bothered by health problems. Exercising will teach you to understand your body and help you take proper stress during pregnancy.

Relief of childbirth

Do not forget that you have muscles that only experience a lot of tension during labor. Exercise will help prepare, develop, and empower them. As practice shows, sports mothers give birth easier and faster. A trained heart and lungs, strong pelvic floor and abdominal muscles, movable hip joints and elastic adductors help a woman and a child at a crucial moment. Also, an active lifestyle contributes to the accumulation of the hormone endorphin in the body, which subsequently acts as a kind of pain reliever.

Lack of toxicosis

Many expectant mothers have noticed that regular exercise helps them get rid of the unpleasant companion of pregnancy - toxicosis.

Beautiful figure

Exercise will allow you to keep your body fit during pregnancy and avoid gaining extra pounds, the appearance of which can lead to serious complications (gestosis, preeclampsia, high blood pressure). And the speed of recovery after childbirth depends on how you spent nine months waiting for the baby: lying on the couch or in active movement.

About the dangers of sports during pregnancy

Now you know how important it is to lead an active lifestyle during pregnancy. But do not go to the other extreme: excessive physical activity without restrictions can backfire. Strenuous and high-intensity training leads to a deterioration in the blood supply to the fetus (hypoxia), which can lead to delayed development, miscarriage and premature birth.

The negative effect of increased temperature

Overheating in the first trimester leads to neural tube defects or miscarriage. Later, for the expectant mother, this is dangerous due to dehydration. Therefore, do not exercise in a stuffy or too humid room, do not dress too warmly and drink water constantly.

Cardiopalmus

Watch your heart rate, which should not exceed 140 beats per minute, and do not hold your breath.

Risk of hypoxia

Exercises that are performed while lying on your back should be excluded from training, especially after the fourth month of pregnancy. This position can restrict blood flow to the baby.

Danger of earning dislocation or sprain

During pregnancy, the body increases the production of the hormone relaxin, which softens all the ligaments and allows them to stretch elastically. To avoid damaging them, limit or eliminate heavy lifting, and do stretching exercises with extreme caution.

What workouts are better for choosing

Swimming, yoga, pilates and fitball exercises are the safest and most rewarding physical activities in any trimester of pregnancy. It is worth paying attention to the special gymnastics for expectant mothers, which is suitable for practicing at home.

Occasional but grueling exercise is a serious stress on the body. Exercise regularly but in moderation.

Forget about intense training and traumatic sports! Exercises accompanied by body shaking, vibration, lifting too heavy weights, the risk of falling and receiving blows are contraindicated for expectant mothers. Banned for you: skiing and speed skating, weightlifting, high-impact aerobics, cycling, intense strength training, any kind of martial arts, and the like.

Remember, your physician will determine whether you can be physically active and how it is during pregnancy.

Possible indications for limiting physical activity during pregnancy: abnormalities in the structure of the uterus, uterine fibroids, hormonal disorders, aggravated obstetric and gynecological history, and others.

If the doctor still forbade you to go in for sports - do not be discouraged! Replace your workouts with regular walks in the fresh air. This will keep the body active at a sufficient level.

Remember that the job of sport is to bring you both physical and mental pleasure. You should maintain a sense of comfort, sound sleep and a positive mood. Then you and your baby will enjoy a happy nine months that will fly by like an instant!