Happy mother…….. Smarter baby – why you should train during pregnancy
One of the longest standing myths and topics of conjecture with regards to women’s health and fitness surrounds training during pregnancy, and the oft repeated belief that women should stop exercising during pregnancy.
It has only been quite recently that doctors have made a shift in their thinking on this topic, and therefore the general population can take a little while to catch up. In 2002, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists began advising at least 30mins per day of moderate intensity aerobic exercise for pregnant and post- partum mothers. This recommendation needs to be relayed to all expecting mothers, as it has been shown that 23% of previously active women stopped exercise when they became pregnant.
Equally and potentially more important than the recommendation for active women to keep exercising during pregnancy, is that for the first time the ACOG recommended that sedentary women begin exercising when they become pregnant.
Historically sentences like this were common even amongst highly educated doctors and exercise physiologists/trainers, “if you were training before pregnancy then you can continue to train, however if you weren’t training beforehand then you shouldn’t begin a new training program”. I must note that this was the knowledge held by myself following the completion of my university studies, and I was excited to hear the latest developments that are supported by clinical research.
The recommendations for sedentary women to begin training are largely to counter the risks such as diabetes, high BP, and preeclampsia that can develop during gestation. Preeclampsia is the most common serious medical complication of pregnancy, affecting between five and 10 per cent of all pregnancies in Australia. Pre-eclampsia accounts for one in five inductions and one in six Caesarean sections. 1-2% of cases can threaten the life of mother and unborn child.
I would not recommend that a previously sedentary woman start participating in heavy resistance training or crossfit style training after the finding they are pregnant, as these would cause too much disturbance to homeostasis and place the body under high amounts of undue stress. Beginning these types of training for previously sedentary humans in general places large amounts of stress on the system, let alone trying to commence it during such a disruptive time for the body, as is pregnancy. It is however, undeniably positive for these women to begin with light resistance training, working primarily the postural muscles around the shoulder blades and upper back, and also strengthening the glutes and core muscles. Pregnancy pilates classes would be a great place to start for anyone who has not previously exercised to gain some core strength, coupling this with swimming or brisk walking for your aerobic benefits.
Sources of negativity??
There are still so many misconceptions surrounding training during pregnancy, and often I have found that these come from the parents or parent in-laws of the pregnant women, as they are repeating the advice given to them during their pregnancies. I have had clients told by obviously caring but nonetheless over-protective family members, that they shouldn’t lift more than 2kg. I wonder how these women did their groceries? 1 bag at a time from the car would be a tedious assignment. Or heaven forbid you have another child who may be 18months-2yrs old and they need to be held because they are unwell. 2kg just doesn’t cut it. While quite clearly these people only have your best interests at heart when making suggestions, they are simply unaware of how exercise not only doesn’t harm the baby, but can also improve the baby’s brain function into early childhood!
Additionally, clients of mine have revealed that they feel the most negativity towards maternal exercise from other women who may have chosen to not exercise during pregnancy and found it difficult to regain their pre baby bodies, and therefore attempted to dissuade them from exercising by using the “risks of harming the baby” as the basis of their advice. It may be to make themselves feel better, who knows? But it needs to change so that everyone is promoting the benefits of exercise through pregnancy, and encouraging each other to stay as active as possible right up until the point that it literally becomes too uncomfortable to move. Certainly there are individual circumstances that require rest, so it is important to speak with your obstetrician before beginning an exercise regimen.
Benefits of exercising through pregnancy
Pregnancy can be a difficult time for a woman. The scales will edge inevitably higher each week, and your self-image can take a hit.
Physical activity lowers stress and anxiety, and improves mood and overall psychological health during pregnancy. Woman who exercise throughout their pregnancy have higher self-image than those who are inactive for the 9months. An expectant mother’s state of mind may alter her baby’s development. Stress, anxiety and depression can have an alarming effect on a pregnancy, and in the extreme can result in miscarriage, low birth weight, birth defects, or death of the baby. Research has shown that babies born to unhappy mothers are fussier, less responsive, more difficult to soothe, and have unpredictable sleep patterns. And in follow up tests, these babies are more likely to be hyperactive and suffer cognitive impairments.
Generally, studies report that exercise reduces nausea, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, and fat accumulation. Exercise halves the risk of developing abnormal glucose levels, which can lead to gestational diabetes – a condition that results in overweight babies and prolonged labour. High glucose is also a risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes in both the mother and the baby and these physical conditions are bad for the brain. Fortunately, exercise helps regardless of how active a woman was before pregnancy. One study showed that briskly walking 5 hours per week reduces the risk of gestational diabetes by 75%.
Exercise is more than not harmful!!
Not only does exercise reduce the chance for negative effects, it also has a positive influence on the unborn baby. A particular study compared children of exercisers with non-exercising mothers and while it is difficult to perform too many tests on newborns, the babies from the exercise group “performed” better on tests of responsiveness to stimuli and also proved better able to quiet themselves following disturbances of sound or light. The researcher found these to be significant because it suggests that infants of exercising mothers are more neurologically developed than their counterparts from inactive mothers. More powerful though is the finding that at a follow up when the children were 5, the researcher also found statistically significant differences in IQ and oral language skills with the children of exercisers performing better. The opportunity to impact the future of your baby’s brain should be enough to get all mothers who are physically able, up and in to a regular training regime during their pregnancy. This could be the greatest gift you ever give your child, a head start for their brain!
Some other notable benefits for mothers who exercise are:
- Better posture
- Less back pain
- More energy
- Better sleep
- You’re more likely to avoid a forceps delivery, C-section or other intervention – Regular exercisers are 75 percent less likely to need a forceps delivery, 55 percent less likely to have an episiotomy and up to four times less likely to have a Cesarean section.
- Help to regain your body quickly after birth – this is a huge reason to partake in exercise throughout your pregnancy. If you can maintain strength and muscle tone up until close to labour, your body will have a much easier time in rebounding following the birth.
Quickly to finish off I will make some recommendations on the types of training best suited to pregnant women. The majority of the benefits listed above were derived from studies using aerobic exercise as their modality. Generally it was walking at a brisk pace, with heart rate between 50-70% of max heart rate (220-age), so it shows that no one is limited unless you live in the arctic. Swimming is also a highly recommended exercise mode for pregnant women, the weightlessness in the water can provide some relief for the joints of the lower body that are working overtime, and also ease back pain.I personally am a firm believer in always doing some form of resistance training and it can safely be performed even deep in to the 3rd trimester. You should seek the advice of an exercise physiologist or a Personal Trainer who has additional qualifications in pre natal exercise in order to develop a suitable program for each trimester. Predominantly, I have my clients focus on glute strength, as well as the postural muscles of the upper body. TRX and suspension training set ups are always a great option for pregnant women as exercises are easily adjusted in difficulty and there is a nice indirect core training aspect of many exercises on these devices.
As I stated previously, always seek clearance from your obstetrician before commencing any exercise program, in case you are one of the few who has underlying issues preventing it. Mostly they won’t be able to help you with what type of training to do, but they can definitely advise you whether it is safe for you personally.
You are now equipped with the knowledge and evidence to rebut with significant force, the next time someone attempts to “help” you by suggesting that you stop exercising because you are pregnant.
Thanks for reading,
Drew
