Exercise for Pregnancy

HURRAY!! I got an A- for my Master degree's final project. YAY!!!!!!! I am officially done with my master and convocation will be on 26th July. Finally, the ordeal is over...

Anyway the theme of my final project was "Exercise for Pregnancy". I reviewed the literature of exercise guidelines available from various governing bodies in US, UK & Australia, conducted mini surveys with some local obstericians & gynaecologists, and interviews with some pregnant ladies to understand their attitude towards exercise during pregnancy. There have been lots of paradigm change within the medical world over past decades regarding exercise prescription for pregnant women. Let me share what I have found in my project, but for certain sensitivity issues, I shall keep the "attitude" of the local doctors portion of my project discrete here ^_^

I would actually prefer any mom-to-be (or dad-to-be) to read the whole guideline from American College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, so to fully understand the physiological changes happening during pregnancy, the benefits of exercise during pregnancy for mom & growing foetus and what can be done and what not. But if you find it contain too much jargons and alien language (aka medical terms), you may find the patient info (pdf) published by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaegologists concise and easy-to -read.

Anyway, below are important pointers below, for easy reference:

• It is safe to exercise if your pregnancy has NO complication (ie. pregnancy with no health issues such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, etc). Get clearance from your doctor.
  
• Most local women cut down exercise or even stop it all together, as they think that being active may harm their growing baby. It is actually a myth that all pregnant women need to cut down the frequency and intensity of exericse during pregnancy. The rule of thumb is, do not exceed the frequency & intensity of what you have been doing before pregnant. Pregnancy is really not the ideal time to take up new physical challenge. Thus forget about training for your 1st marathon if you had only been running regularly at 10km-distance. Exercise within your pre-pregnancy fitness level.
  
• Do not over-exert. Listen to your body, stop when you are tired.
  
• Avoid being over-heated, dehydrated, exercise in supine position (lying flat on the back) from 2nd trimester onwards, over-stretched (or ballistic/ jerky stretches), exercise at high altitude and sports that require sudden change in directions.
• Type of exercise: NO scuba diving, water skiing, martial arts, gymnastics, trampoline, etc.
  
• Eat well during pregnancy, do not exercise continuously for more than 45 min to prevent depleting blood sugar level to dangerous level.
  

As for the Pilates Lovers, good news is that Pilates is fantastic for pregnant woman. Because it is non-impact, and it stregthens all the important muscles (respiratory muscles, core muscles, pelvic floor muscles and so on) which will all come in handy during childbirth and when taking care of the newborn. However, it is very important for you to inform your instructor that you are pregnant, so that he/she can give you extra attention and modify the exercises for your safety.

Exercise is good for you and your baby, it improves your fitness level and uplifts your spirit. So stay active during pregnancy if there is no complication!