One of the most beautiful experiences that a woman can have is that of being pregnant. But, first-time pregnancy brings with it lots of uncertainty and hesitancy. To ease this pressure I decided to let me write a blog where I can share my experience of pregnancy and how I overcame the uncertainties and other issues.
Ideally, a woman should enjoy her pregnancy. She should indulge herself and not be obsessed with the weighing scale. I agree on the fact that body undergoes several changes which create stress on a woman mentally and physically. There are also hormonal changes in the body.One of the major hormone called RELAXIN during this period makes the joint hypermobile, increase the ligament laxity which causes pain and inflammation.
How do we balance this situation with “recommendations for pregnancy?
Just two words – Prenatal Exercises
Yes, you heard it right!
A sensible workout plan and will power during pregnancy has been the key for me, being open to maintaining self-control and moderation with indulging truly made all the difference.
It is recommended that women who have normal healthy pregnancy should get 30minutes of exercise most days of the week.(minimum 5)
Let’s have a look how these exercises help during pregnancy:
- Reduces aches during pregnancy.
- Improves stamina gives you more energy to cope with growing demands of pregnancy.
- Improves posture and sleeping pattern
- More controlled weight gain
- Increases the chance of normal delivery
- Enhanced psychological well-being
- Increases circulation hence reduces swelling and edema.
- Reduces the risk of gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
Keep few tips in mind while exercising:
- Always warm up before exercising, and cool down afterwards
- Avoid any strenuous exercise in hot weather
- Drink plenty of water and other fluids
- If you go to exercise classes, make sure your teacher is properly qualified and knows that you’re pregnant as well as how many weeks pregnant you are
- You can also opt for swimming as it is a good cardio exercise and the water will support your increased weight. But it should be done under the supervision of the professional trainer.
If you’ve never worked out start super slow, listen to your body and go accordingly. There is no point in doing things in a hurry and injuring yourself. Also, there are certain situations in which you should terminate the exercise right there. Listed below are the situations in which you should stop exercising-
- Excessive shortness of breath
- Chest pain or palpitations
- Pre-syncope or dizziness
- Painful uterine contractions or preterm labour
- Leakage of amniotic fluid
- Vaginal bleeding
- Excessive fatigue
- Abdominal pain, particularly in back or pubic area
- Reduced fetal movement.
I hope this blog will compel you to increase your fitness level during pregnancy.I will be adding my workout routine in my next blog for you to use as a reference or adopt if you feel so inclined, so till then stay tuned and feel free to comment if you have any queries.