Exercise While Pregnant Research Paper

Even though staying active and healthy can make for a happy and healthy pregnancy, doctors say exercising while pregnant is vital to both the mother-to-be as well as her unborn child. Working out having been proven to decrease pain while in labor through breathing techniques that they have learned through exercising and will help to keep a toned body. Being fit may help get rid of neurological problems such as stress and depression on top of common medical conditions which can be nausea and body aches. Staying active and healthy might reduce your chances of receiving gestational diabetes, high blood pressure even lower the risk for preterm labor.

“Maybe you are just keen to put your feet up while you still can. Forget everything you have

heard about working out during pregnancy, says physiotherapist Michelle Gray, director of Preggi Bellies, which runs exercise programs for pregnant women in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.” (McNulty 2011) Having a baby is the most wonderful feeling in the world, being able to bring a human being into this world is such a great gift that not a lot of people can do. There have been times where couples have fertility issues and even go through surrogate mothers. Some women are not able to conceive or bare a child simply because their body is not at a healthy stage and will fight back and have the unfortunate loss of a child, in other words a miscarriage. There are a number of reasons why this may happen, but being unhealthy and physically fit can at times be part of the reason according to doctors. For those women who are without complications through validating health measures, an OB/Gyn will inform their patients to continue with their exercise programs and keeping close contact with them for any chances. There are many other reasons for staying active before conception and even while pregnant.
Exercising while pregnant is beneficial for the mother-to-be alongside her unborn child because it has been proven to ease the pain while in labor from the breathing techniques you do while working out. By simply doing the basic exercises such as walking on a treadmill, biking on a bicycle, or gliding on an elliptical it can help reduce join pain and help to tone your body muscles. Using free weights or machine weights are useful to help with day-to-day pain pregnancy can bring along with keeping your body balanced. Keeping you toned, and in shape is a great way to build muscle to help when you are in labor. If the mother-to-be was one who did weight lifting and wall squats it can help when her hands are on the bed or behind her knee to push the little bundle of joy to the light of day or night, whichever time he or she will be born.
Being active has been carefully noted to help lessen depression and stress between the pregnant mom as well as the people around her.

Moving around keeps you from feeling lethargic because too much sleep or resting can make you even more drained and weak. Some researchers have said that sleeping too much is the leading cause of depression in some pregnant women today. Furthermore with all this moving around, it at times provides comfort to a nauseated stomach. Even though there is no way to prevent sickness completely and might not work for everyone, keeping a healthy and active lifestyle will lower the chances of a pregnant woman’s morning sickness by keeping the blood moving and flowing throughout the

body.
In some cases there are complications that may occur while pregnant, such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia are just a few of the many.

Some women who did not have diabetes before conceiving can still be a carrier for gestational diabetes during pregnancy due to high blood glucose (sugar) levels (hyperglycemia). If your blood is above a certain level, you might have ketones, and if that is the case, your obstetrician provider will refrain you from further exertion. Doctors still do not know why this happens, but if there is too much glucose in the mother-to-be, it then passes through the placenta in turn giving baby high glucose levels. This then passes through to the fetus giving him or her too much insulin to get rid of the glucose, then it will stayed stored as fat on the baby and out will come a chubby newborn. Seems cute, but it is unhealthy for the baby and for his or her future which more than likely will lead to diabetes as an adult, then will genetically be passed on. Which brings me to eating healthy even before conceiving should be a top priority for your body for the future. Now in the case of preeclampsia also known as toxemia, it is the leading cause of death in some and in others morbidity. “Studies show stretch exercises are worth a try to minimize these risks. This cardiovascular disease has been an issue with pregnancies and even up till today they are still very worrisome. Women who engage in stretch exercises from the moment they find

out they are pregnant till the day they give birth may reduce the chances of mortality. The effects of preeclampsia typically occur during the mothers second trimester through sometime in your third trimester.” (Yeo 2010) Signs of this disease are: dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, rapid weight gain, nausea, vomiting, change of vision, and reduced urination. Again, maintaining a healthy diet and workout plan proves to improve a healthy growth for both mom and fetus through all 10 months safely and for their future.
Indeed, while staying active and healthy can make for a happy and healthy pregnancy, this can only work if you take notice what your doctor and obstetrician are trying to tell you, the patient, that exercising while pregnant is not only a good idea, but also a great idea. As Linda May, Erin M. Smith and Ehssan Zare-Maivan from “To Exercise or not to Exercise” states, "The most common reason given for women choosing not to exercise during pregnancy was lack of time, dislike of exercise, unsure why, and not knowing what to do." (May 2014) but if your obstetrician allows for you to keep an active lifestyle, it would be wise to understand that the doctor is simply trying to help better your body for the upcoming 10 months till “labor day.” Either way it will work out to work out by keeping a good physical shape, eat healthy to feel nourished and enjoy your healthy pregnancy. Because you have to remember, not a lot of people can do what you can do.