Can pregnant women continue to exercise? What are the limits of respect? What benefits to expect?
Can you continue to exercise when you are pregnant?
A woman can absolutely do sports during pregnancy, even if, a priori, certain factors do not affect the records: change of silhouette, fatigue, nausea, drowsiness, etc.
Pregnancy modifies a woman’s body in a way that is useful for physical activity: increase in respiratory capacity and minute volume, drop in blood pressure, better blood circulation in the organs. These signs are similar to those obtained through regular physical training.
During pregnancy, physical activity helps fight weight gain, insomnia, constipation, leakage of urine and back pain.
How often should you play sports during pregnancy?
A woman who exercises regularly can continue to follow her usual program, even participating in competitions, a few weeks after conception. But she must, however, avoid traumatic exercises or strength exercises and, of course, sit-ups.
Similarly, contact sports or team sports, which can be a source of less brutal contact, should be avoided. The most recommended activities during pregnancy are walking, exercise bike, swimming, gentle gymnastics, stretching and water aerobics.
The program that can be followed by a pregnant woman who is used to playing sports is:
first two months: almost normal training; third month (when hormonal changes are accompanied by an increased risk of miscarriage): very gentle maintenance gymnastics; from the fourth to the eighth month: light sports activity; ninth month: rest.
These terms are given for information only. A pregnant woman should regularly assess her sports activity based on how her pregnancy is progressing.
Sport is contraindicated in pregnant women
Certain diseases formally contraindicate sports activity during pregnancy:
heart disease, poorly controlled high blood pressure, lung disease, any other problem that tires the body.
In addition, the history of abortion, multiple pregnancies or cervical opening is also contraindicated.
Certain alarm signals should lead the pregnant woman to stop sports activities immediately: vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, urinary incontinence or pelvic pain. Then he must consult a doctor as soon as possible. If placental abruption or ectopic pregnancy is suspected, all physical activity is prohibited until a definitive diagnosis is made.
What impact does sport have on childbirth?
Many ideas about the harmful effects of sports on childbirth are false. Sport does not give birth to premature or small babies (except in the case of intense daily activity) and childbirth does not make it difficult to practice reasonable sports activity during pregnancy. In fact, athletic mothers would give birth more easily: their muscles would facilitate childbirth and speed up recovery after childbirth.