If you were born in the 1950s, 1960s or 1970s, your mother probably did not exercise during her pregnancy. Doctors, according to an article on Childbirth.org, feared that exercise could damage the fetus, and recommended bed rest for even their most athletic patients. Times changed when Dr. James Clapp and physical therapist Elizabeth Noble performed and published research that validated the benefits of prenatal exercise. While most women can safely exercise throughout pregnancy, certain situations warrant modification.
Identification
High-risk pregnancies and multiple births are two reasons to choose a modified prenatal exercise program. Prenatal fitness specialist Birgitta Lauren, who authored "Expecting Fitness," explains high-risk pregnancies in an article on the Current TV website. These include women who are extremely overweight and inactive, women who develop gestational diabetes, women with chronic hypertension or thyroid disorders and women over age 35. Doctors advise bed rest for women who have had three or more miscarriages, women with a weak or incompetent cervix and or women carrying twins.
Prevention/Solution
If you have any risk factors, consult your physician or midwife before starting an exercise program. She may approve exercises such as walking, swimming, prenatal pool exercise or light strength training with resistance bands. Even if your doctor prescribes bed rest, Elizabeth Noble, in her book "Having Twins and More," warns that bones lose calcium when they no longer bear weight. She suggests strategies such as resistance band exercises and taking the longest route to the bathroom. If don't have a resistance band, soup cans serve as light resistance tools. Improve leg circulation by performing ankle circles. Kegel exercises, which strengthen your pelvic floor, are an essential exercise for any pregnancy, and as a side benefit, they tone your deeper core muscles. Sit in an upright position and contract your pubic-area muscles as if you are trying to stop the flow during urination. Hold the contraction for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat 10 times.
Potential
Pregnancy provides an opportunity for exercise creativity. If you are confined to bed rest, attach a resistance band to your bedpost. Sit facing the band to perform one-arm rowing exercises, and sit with the band behind you to perform one-arm chest presses. Your opposite leg serves as a resistance tool for side-lying leg exercises. Lie in bed on your side. Bend your top knee, placing your foot on the side of your lower bottom leg. Press down the top leg as you lift your bottom leg. Perform eight repetitions, and then change sides.
Examples
Women not confined to bed rest can exercise with a stability ball, resistance bands and a workout partner. Each partner sits on a stability ball with a band wrapped around her upper back and tucked under her arms. Face each other and hold one end of your partner's band with each hand. Begin with your arms extended. On cue, partners simultaneously straighten their legs, squeeze their shoulder blades together and bend their elbows to perform a rowing movement. Straighten your arms and return to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions. This rowing exercise works the upper back muscles, which are important for moms-to-be, since much of motherhood keeps the spine in a forward-flexed position. Abdominal exercises are often a concern during pregnancy, since lying supine becomes difficult as pregnancy progresses. The cat exercise is a suitable alternative. Kneel on all fours. Inhale, expanding your belly. Exhale, draw your belly in, tilt your pelvis and round your back. Inhale and return to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.
Warning
While there are many types of prenatal yoga classes on the fitness market, make sure that the instructor is truly qualified in prenatal fitness. A hormone called relaxin prepares the joints of your pelvis for delivery, but it also has a systemic effect, potentially making all of the joints of your body hyper-flexible and unstable. While stretching may feel good, yoga contortion exercises such as the full lotus may challenge the integrity of your joints.
