Working Out While Pregnant?

Feel free to ALWAYS bug your midwife. They would be thrilled to answer your questions. That's the advantage of having a midwife- they will spend much more time with you.

Exercise is good. I know I sent you a message already but just know you are not hurting anything by exercising. Just don't do anything that causes YOU pain.

Sex is also very good for you for many reasons.
1. stress relief
2. good for you guys as a couple
3. as your pregnancy continues-- orgasms actually cause your uterus to contract slightly which helps to tone it for the big event!
4. Semen contains protaglandins as well as having antibiotic properties

So... unless you are being told to avoid exercise or sex due to threatening pre-term labor or another complication- the research shows that you should have fun!

C. Szczeblowski, AAHCC

It's completely safe to work out during pregnancy. Here are things to keep in mind:
1. avoid weight lifting. Ligaments are looser and you may injure yourself.
2. Avoid being anaerobic. Ie keep your exertion level low enough that you can easily maintain a conversation while you're doing whatever you do. Usually this corresponds to a heartrate of around 150 beats/min. or so.
3. After about 15 weeks you'll want to give up on the crunches.
4. Make sure you stretch slowly and do a good warm up and cool down.

Otherwise, go for it! I exercised 3-4 days/week on an elliptical or walked while preg with my son and I think it made recovery a LOT easier. I also did prenatal pilates until 37 weeks.

N.:

congratuations on the pregnancy....

light headedness is often from low blood sugar... make sure that you are eating nutritiously! snacks... fruits vegtables...

as to working out... continuing what you are already doing is fine/ concern is raised when someone starts something that the body is not accustomed to.

as to intercourse... again. you are fine. there is no concern here unless you have a history of miscarriages or delivering prematurely.. sometimes these activities are curbed in those instances.

good luck,

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

I worked out almost everyday during my first pregnancy for 30+ minutes between cardio and weight lifting. This time hasn't been as easy to do, since I have a 2 yr old and have been way more exhausted with this pregnancy. However, whenever I'm up to it I do it per my doctors instructions (and because it makes me feel MUCH better). The rules I've been told are just don't jog/run after 14 weeks and don't let your heartrate get above 140 bpm. After working out I was told to "over hydrate" which I find myself needing anyway. Working out is actually very good for getting yourself in shape for labor and delivery, plus it helps to keep your own energy up during pregnancy.

Congratulations!

Hey N.,

I'm a certified personal trainer so I will respond to the exercise portion of your question. I'm not a certified 'sexpert' so I won't go there...though I do believe it's fine to have sex while pregnant unless your midwife tells you otherwise!

Exercise is great during pregnancy and can help make your delivery and recovery easier as well. As one other woman mentioned, keep your heart rate at 140 beats per minute or below. The reason behind this is that if your heart is beating too fast, more blood will flow to the heart and lungs and less to the uterus. If you are really fit, you can possibly go above 140, but ONLY WITH YOUR DOCS APPROVAL!! Check with them first. After the first trimester to not perform exercises in the supine position(on your back) again the weight of the baby can restrict blood flow to the uterus or cause restricted blood flow to the mother causing dizziness, etc. It is fine to lift weights/resistance training, HOWEVER, you will want to decrease your weights. Your bones, joints and ligaments shift during pregnancy which may fool you into believing you can lift more than you really should which will result in injury. My advice would be to perfom strength training on machines versus free weights as it is safer during that time. You should be able to do about 20 reps before fatiguing. Make sure to stretch, but again, don't overdo it. You may find yourself more flexible during pregnancy due to the hormone relaxin, but again, if you push the limits you could hurt yourself. Other than that, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!

Below is a good program to follow:

Walking(30-45 minutes 3-5x/week)heart rate 140 or below
Strength train(2x/week.)best to perform a full body routine, starting with largest muscle groups. 20 reps per machine
Flexibility(3-5x/week...or following each exercise session)

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