The key to exercising during pregnancy is modifying your workout routine
whenever anything doesn’t feel quite right. In addition to the general signs
of overtraining just listed, also look for the following warning signs. If you
experience any of these, call your healthcare provider immediately.Contractions:Contractions are a positive sign only if you’re within a
week or two of your due date. Otherwise, contractions may indicate
premature labor.
Dizziness:This could be a sign of anemia(low red-blood-cell count that
results in weakness and fatigue) or other conditions.Dyspnea:If you’re experiencing dyspnea,you may have shortness of
breath or rapid and shallow breathing.
Headache:Although many pregnant women report an increase in
headaches during their pregnancies (often brought on by fatigue and
stress), if you experience a severe headache or a less severe one that
doesn’t seem to go away, contact your healthcare provider. Headaches
can be an early sign of preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced high blood
pressure).Increased swelling in your legs:This could be a sign of preeclampsia,
which is characterized by high blood pressure and fluid retention and
can be quite serious. It could also indicate deep-vein thrombosis,a blood
clot that develops in a vein.Chapter 21: Fit Pregnancy: Exercising for Two 337
Don’t lie on your back after the first trimester
Starting around the fourth month, you may feel
dizzy when you lie on your back. This means
that your little one is pressing on your inferior
vena cava,a major vein that carries blood to
your heart. You can modify exercises in a
number of ways to avoid this dizziness. For
example, if you want to do abdominal exercises
on your back, place a folded towel or small
blanket underneath one hip. This shifts your
body slightly, rolling the baby off the vein. Also,
you can do several pregnancy exercises with
your back against the wall or while standing or
sitting in a chair. In addition, you can do gentle
exercises with a physioball— a large, inflated
ball that looks like a sturdy beach ball.
One friend of ours took a physioball with her into
the delivery room. When she went into back
labor (when the baby presses heavily against
your spine, creating agonizing back pain), she
placed the ball against the wall and pressed her
back against it. By rolling the ball around on the
wall and allowing it to massage her back, she
was able to work through most of the pain. She
did get some funny looks from the nurses, but
when they saw it was working, they thought it
was a great idea.