Your first trimester brings a myriad of changes to your body as you begin to foster the growth and development of your baby. The influx of female hormones that occurs when you first become pregnant often leads to morning sickness, a nauseous sensation that can actually last all day. While it's important to stay fit and continue exercising when pregnant, excessive exercise often exacerbates morning sickness symptoms. Choosing the right type of exercise helps to keep you on track without upsetting your stomach.
Nausea and Pregnancy
When you become pregnant your body is flooded with the hormone progesterone. Progesterone is known to cause nausea and other side effects, such as fatigue and food aversions. Various remedies help to settle your stomach, such as ensuring that you always have a snack with you, drinking ginger ale or peppermint tea and knowing what foods and smells trigger your nausea. The American Pregnancy Association also points out that exercise is often helpful.
Pregnancy and Exercise
While the true link between first trimester nausea and exercise isn't clear, light exercise in cool, fresh air might help restore a sense of balance when you're feeling sick. The trick is in finding a type of exercise that you're able to continue and that doesn't exacerbate your symptoms. Typically, low-impact and low-contact exercise is best, since it keeps both you and baby safe as you continue to stay fit and keeps nausea at bay.
Exercise to Try
Some types of exercise are far superior to others during the first trimester of your pregnancy. Walking, water aerobics and dance are all low-impact, yet still allow you to move your body to stay fit. Prenatal yoga is especially appropriate for nausea. In fact, the book "Yoga for Pregnancy: What Every Mom-to-Be Needs to Know" recommends that pregnant women use the Reclining Heroine pose to help relieve morning sickness. Reclining Heroine is completely by piling up enough pillows and blankets to allow your head to remain higher than your chest. You then kneel with your back to pillows and slowly recline backward until your back rests on the pillows and hold until your nausea subsides. Taking a prenatal yoga class alerts you to other poses and meditation techniques to help deal with nausea.
Warning Signs
While morning sickness and nausea are a common part of your first trimester, in some cases they could signal a problem. If you're exercising and you feel suddenly nauseous, your body temperature suddenly increases, you feel cramping or contractions or you begin to bleed vaginally, stop exercise and contact your doctor immediately, as they could be signs of early pregnancy issues.
References
- American Pregnancy Association: Morning Sickness
- What to Expect: Working Out During Pregnancy - A Queasy Question
- FamilyDoctor.org; Exercise During Pregnancy: What You Can Do for a Healthy Pregnancy; August 2000
- "Yoga for Pregnancy: What Every Mom-to-Be Needs to Know"; Judith Lasater, Suzanne Arms; 2003
- Babycenter: Ten Signs of Danger During Pregnancy Exercise
