Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Fit Pregnancy: Exercising for Two ..........................................................
In This Chapter
Understanding why prenatal exercise is so good for you and your baby
Getting the blessing of your healthcare provider
Knowing how hard you can push yourself
Taking important safety precautions
Choosing the best activity for you
Finding the best types of exercise for pregnancy
A
generation ago, the last place you’d find a pregnant woman was a health
club or a running track. In those days, pregnancy was considered
almost an illness — a time to rest in bed, not strengthen your hamstrings.
Doctors were afraid that exercise would cause birth defects and increase the
rate of miscarriage, but they were just guessing. Now that scientists have
actually researched these issues, they know it’s perfectly safe for most expec-
tant moms to work out — as long as they exercise common sense and don’t
try to set a world record in the high hurdles.Not only is moderate exercise safe for the baby, it has also been shown to
have tremendous benefits for mom. Compared to unfit pregnant women,
regular exercisers tend to have fewer aches and pains, more self-esteem,
and more energy and stamina, especially in the third trimester.Regular exercisers also have more confidence — and perhaps strength —
during labor, and they seem to tolerate the pain better. One obstetrician we
interviewed says his inactive patients tend to come to the hospital petrified,
but his fit patients are fired up and ready for action. “For them, it’s like the
Super Bowl,” the doctor says. “They say, ‘Stand back, let me go. I’m going to
push this sucker out!’”Some research also suggests that fit women have shorter labors than unfit
women and that they have a lower rate of C-section. But exercise doesn’t
guarantee you a free ride in the delivery room. Even if you swim or walk until
the day you give birth, you still may have the labor from hell. Some women