No one can deny the benefits of exercise during pregnancy. It strengthens muscles, increases stamina and improves posture, which, in turn, can reduce back pain.
Women in good condition before delivery also have a better shot at a smooth recovery.
But when your feet hurt and your back aches, most forms of exercise sound about as appealing as strapping a 10-pound bowling ball to your belly for a 10-kilometer run. And certain activities, such as sit-ups, can pose a risk to the fetus or put unnecessary stress and strain on the woman’s body.
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One way to reduce the negative effects of exercise during pregnancy is to move your workout from land to water.
The water will cushion and support the body, reducing the chance of injury. It also will provide a natural cooling effect to prevent overheating. Best of all, women weary of lugging around 10 to 20 extra pounds can finally enjoy a sense of weightlessness. Only 10 percent of their body weight is noticeable in the water.
Buoyancy alone is reason to cheer, but there are other advantages to aquatic exercise, says Lisa Miller, a registered nurse and fitness instructor.
She organized a perinatal aquatic exercise class at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., after suffering complications during the birth of her son. She was unable to participate in floor exercises following his birth and needed a way to get back in shape.
“I wanted my body back,” she says. “The other thing was I needed socialization. I was home 24 hours a day with a baby, and I wanted some adult contact. But I wanted it with women who were in the same situation I was.”
If she had been able to participate in a class during her pregnancy, she believes she might have had less trouble with gestational diabetes and fewer complications during delivery.
The aquatics class she teaches includes a brief warmup and light stretching exercises to loosen muscles. This is followed by a period of water walking, which can be performed in deep water while wearing a flotation belt or in shallow water.
The exercise can be accompanied by a breast stroke, straight arm swings or forward punches. Hands are cupped to increase resistance.
Walking is alternated with light jogging and a cross-country skiing motion.
Hydrofits, or water weights, are sometimes slipped over the arms for a series of activities designed to work the arms, chest and abdomen. The weights act as flotation devices and are slowly lowered in and out of the water.
The class is based on guidelines established by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for perinatal exercise; these limit periods of aerobic activity to 15 minutes. Participants are asked to check their heart rate periodically to ensure that it does not exceed 123 beats per minute.
“You want to increase the heart rate so it’s beneficial to the mother, but you want to be careful not to lessen blood flow to the fetus,” Miller says.
The goals:
– Improve posture, thereby lessening back pain.
– Tone abdominals to make breathing easier.
– Strengthen leg muscles, making it easier to support the increased weight and to assist with labor.
– Strengthen pelvic floor muscles to assist in bladder control and delivery.
– Stimulate blood circulation in the pelvic area to promote faster healing.
– Enhance a woman’s ability to relax muscles during childbirth.
– Improve upper body strength, preparing a woman for the task of carrying a 6- to 9-pound infant.
Many women who have special needs and high-risk pregnancies still may be eligible to participate in water exercises, Miller says, because many of the dangers associated with other aerobic activities are eliminated.
Water activity is less likely to hamper circulation because there’s no pressure on vital arteries as there is when a pregnant woman lies on her back.
Women who don’t have a class available can try water walking on their own or regular swimming. But keep in mind that there will be an extra drag on your body because of the increased weight, Miller says.
Swimming should not be a problem as long as the woman remembers to maintain slow steady breathing, she says. Don’t hold your breath, and avoid strokes that seem to cause abdominal pulling, she adds.
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Avoid swimming alone since pregnancy makes a woman more susceptible to leg and abdominal cramps. Watch for signs of exercise intolerance, such as vaginal bleeding, dizziness, pain of any kind and leaking of amniotic fluid.
A woman in the last weeks of pregnancy may need to discontinue water activities if there is a chance her water could break, she says, adding that it is a good idea to speak with a doctor.