Regular activity during pregnancy is encouraged.
Regular low impact exercises may help with your ability to cope with
the pain of labor.
Avoid brisk exercise in hot, humid weather or when you
have a fever.
Wear comfortable loose fitting clothing that will help
you remain cool.
Avoid activities that require jumping, jarring motions,
or rapid changes of direction. These
activities may cause injury due to joint instability in pregnancy.
Vigorous exercise should be preceded by a five-minute
period of muscle warm-up. Slow
walking or stationary cycling with low resistance can accomplish this.
Vigorous exercise should be followed by a period of
gradually declining activity that includes gentle stretching.
Stretches should not be taken to maximum resistance due to the
increase risk of joint injury.
Exercise increases the flow of oxygen and blood to the
muscles being worked, and away from other parts of your body.
So, it’s important not to overdo it.
Heart rate should be measured at times of peak activity.
Usually if you are able to talk normally while exercising, your heart
rate is at an acceptable level.
Liquids should be taken liberally before and after
exercise to prevent dehydration. If
necessary, exercise should be interrupted to replenish fluids.
Women that are not used to regular exercise should
start out slowly with any exercise program and increase activity levels very
gradually.
Activities with the potential for harm should be
avoided. These include, but are
not limited to, contact sports, horseback riding, skiing, water skiing,
scuba diving, and gymnastics. During
pregnancy, a women’s center of gravity may change, causing balance
problems.
No exercises should be performed while lying on your
back after the fourth month of pregnancy.
Calorie intake should be adequate to meet the needs of
pregnancy in addition to the increase in exercise.
Activity should be stopped and the physician contacted
if any unusual symptoms appear. These
include vaginal bleeding, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, calf
pain or swelling, uterine contractions, or decreased fetal movement.
