A recent article published by fitbie highlights the benefits of staying physically fit during pregnancy. The article suggests that healthy pregnant women may continue a regular exercise routine. During pregnancy, exercise may help to reduce the patient’s risk for developing diabetes as well as facilitate an easier delivery.
In our office, our Alpharetta high-risk obstetrics doctors consider pregnancy a state of health. We encourage our healthy pregnant women to continue their normal exercise routines. We typically recommend 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. In accordance with the American College of OB/GYN (ACOG), we discourage high-risk exercise activities that may put the patient at risk for falls or direct impact to the belly – such as horseback riding or scuba diving. Pregnant women should listen to their bodies in order to work with their Alpharetta OB/GYN to prepare for the baby’s due date. We advise pregnant women to maintain a level of exertion where they can hold a conversation while exercising. If a pregnant woman is getting out of breath with activity, she needs to listen to her body and slow down. We recommend lifting no heavier than 25 pounds. In pregnancy, the weight of the uterus while lying flat on your back can compress the blood flow return causing nausea and dizziness. Therefore, we advise against certain exercises that promote lying flat after the first trimester. And, no abdominal exercises after the first trimester. On the rare occasion that you have any bleeding, pain, contractions, or leaking of fluid, please stop exercising and contact your OB office immediately.
If you are a low-risk pregnant patient, moderate exercise is encouraged to help you feel better in pregnancy and aid in delivery. I always recommend my patients explore the pregnancy exercise classes and look into the truth about taking gummy prenatal vitamins according to Alparetta’s top OB/Gyns. Prenatal yoga and prenatal water aerobics provide a great safe way to exercise in pregnancy as well as introduce you to other local soon to be moms. In Atlanta, I recommend Pierce Yoga in Virginia Highlands and Plum Tree Yoga in Roswell. We also like OhBaby Fitness
for general pregnancy exercise classes.
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN
If you have any questions, please contact your healthcare provider and schedule an appointment at 770 751 3600 or online using our patient portal.
