Exercise During Pregnancy

Although woman may not feel like running a marathon, most of them benefit greatly from exercising throughout their pregnancies. However, during that time, pregnant woman should discuss exercise plans with her doctor or other health care provider early on and make a few adjustment normal exercise routine. The level of exercise recommended will depend, in part, on woman's level of prepregnancy fitness. However, many people wonder if there are more benefits or side effects of exercising during pregnancy.

What are the benefits of exercising during pregnancy?

Off course, exercise is a big plus for both you and your baby. This is especially if complications do on limit your ability to exercise throughout your pregnancy. Moreover, exercise during pregnancy can help you to feel better. At a time when you wonder if this strange body can possibly be yours, exercise can increase your sense of control. Exercise could also boost your energy level. Not only does it make you feel better by releasing endorphins that are naturally occurring chemicals in your brain, but appropriate exercise can also relieve backaches and improve your posture by strengthening and toning muscles in your back, butt, and thighs. It could reduce constipation by accelerating movement in your intestine, prevent wear and tear on your joints, which become loosened during pregnancy due to normal hormonal changes by activating the lubricating synovial fluid in your joints. Exercise could also help you sleep better by relieving the stress and anxiety that might make you restless at night. You will probably look better because exercise increases the blood flow to your skin, giving you a healthy glow.

Prepare you and your body for birth

Each pregnant woman should know that strong muscles and a fit heart can greatly ease labor and delivery. Gaining control over your breathing can help you manage pain and in the event of a lengthy labor, increased endurance can be a real help.

More about exercise during pregnancy

The benefits of regular exercise for nonpregnant women are generally acknowledged, but still an exercise regimen has become an integral part of daily life for many women. However, theoretic concerns arise regarding the effects of exercise on pregnant women. Objective data on the impact of exercise on the mother, the fetus and the course of pregnancy are limited. It results of the few studies in humans are often equivocal or contradictory. Although various exercise guidelines are available, they are usually conservative and are frequently based on controversial opinions so consequently, the pregnant woman and her physician may be uncertain about the safety of exercise during pregnancy.

Physiologic changes of pregnancy

There are some important physiological changes of pregnancy you should know.

Musculoskeletal changes

This is one of the most obvious changes in pregnancy, as alteration of the woman's body. Mechanical changes related to the weight of growing breasts, uterus and fetus. It could also increase lumbar lordosis, resulting in a shift in the woman's center of gravity. This may cause problems with balance. In addition, weight-bearing exercise becomes a greater concern when vertical impact forces are further increased during pregnancy. These vertical impact forces should be taken usually twice an individual's body weight, are further increased during pregnancy. Sudden movements may exacerbate these mechanical difficulties and increase the potential for injury for pregnant woman. Most women report greater discomfort with exercise in the later stages of their pregnancies. Abdominal and pelvic discomfort from weight-bearing exercise is most likely secondary to tension on the round ligaments, increased uterine mobility or even pelvic instability. Increases in joint laxity may lead to a higher risk of strains or sprains, because during pregnancy, hormonal changes are thought to induce a greater laxity in joints. This is assisting in the softening of the pubic symphysis to accommodate delivery. One study has demonstrated increased mobility of the metacarpophalangeal joints but an increased injury rate in pregnant patients has not been documented.

Maternal and fetal temperature

The metabolic rate increases during both exercise and pregnancy. This is resulting in greater heat production. Fetoplacental metabolism generates additional heat, which maintains fetal temperature at 0.5 goes to 1.0°C  or 0.9 to 1.8°F above maternal levels. Theoretically, when exercise and pregnancy are combined, a rise in maternal core temperature could decrease fetal heat dissipation to the mother and some data suggest a teratogenic potential when maternal temperatures rise above 39.2°C or 102.6°F. This is especially case in the first trimester.

Hemodynamic

Exercise acts in concert with pregnancy to increase heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output, but during exercise, blood is diverted from abdominal viscera, including the uterus, to supply exercising muscle. The decrease in splanchnic blood flow can reach 50 percent and raises concerns about fetal hypoxemia. Studies of flow velocity profiles in the fetal aorta and umbilical circulation have yielded contradictory and inconclusive results still. Several factors may mitigate exercise-induced decreases in splanchnic blood flow, and these factors are increases in maternal plasma volume and heart rate, as well as decreased systemic vascular resistance. The resultant changes maximize cardiac output and optimize blood flow to the placenta and the developing fetus where these alterations in cardiovascular response to exercise may take as long as seven months to return to antepartum levels. Maternal body position also affects cardiac output during pregnancy because after the first trimester, the supine position is associated with a 9 percent decrease in cardiac output.

Oxygen demands

It is important to understand that adaptive changes occur in the pulmonary system during pregnancy and exercise. During rest, pregnant and nonpregnant women have an equivalent respiratory frequency but mild increases in tidal volume and oxygen consumption are noted in pregnant women. This is presumably as an adaptive response to the increased oxygen requirement of the fetus. With mild exercise, pregnant women have a greater increase in respiratory frequency and oxygen consumption to meet their greater oxygen demand she has as pregnant. As exercise increases to moderate and maximal levels, however, pregnant women demonstrate decreased respiratory frequency. She will also demonstrate lower tidal volume and maximal oxygen consumption. The oxygen demand at high levels of activity appears to overwhelm the adaptive changes that occur at rest and this may be partially due to the obstructive effect of an enlarged uterus on diaphragmatic movement.

Energy demands

Both exercise and pregnancy are associated with a high demand for energy woman needs. In the first two trimesters, an increased intake of 150 calories per day is recommended. An increase of 300 calories per day is required in the third trimester indeed. Caloric demands with exercise are even higher, although no studies have focused on exact requirements, so competing energy demands of the exercising mother and the growing fetus raise the theoretic concern that excessive exercise might adversely affect fetal development.