AH women today will benefit from being generally fit; that is, from having stamina, strength and flexibility. However, pregnant women need to be encouraged to become specifically fit for pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood. Obviously, the type of exercise program they participate in will vary according to their health, lifestyle and previous exercise experience. Nevertheless, whatever the previous experience or level of fitness, there are essential exercises that should be added to every pregnant woman's program. A well-balanced exercise program for pregnancy should include:
- a warm-up to prepare your body for activity
- aerobic-fitness activities, such as walking or swimming, at levels that are appropriate for your developing baby
- strengthening exercises that target the muscle groups most stressed by pregnancy
- body awareness exercises to help you manage your changing posture
- flexibility exercises for your lower back, pelvis and hips
- squatting and pelvic rocking in preparation for childbirth
- a cool-down to prevent injury.
Some women will embrace their change of shape as an expression of full womanhood. Other women, however, will find the inevitable changes in body shape associated with becoming a mother difficult to reconcile with their body image of themselves. Many women are used to being valued for their appearance. Fashion dictates the norm, and today that norm is decidedly slim. The pregnant shape may be natural but only a small percentage of women in our community are pregnant at any one time, so on many occasions pregnant women may feel the 'odd one out'.
Unfortunately, the pregnant shape is often confused with fatness and in our present society not many women aspire to look fat! Yet physiologically it is important that you, as well as your developing baby, gain weight in pregnancy. It is normal for this weight to accumulate around the hips, thighs, bottom and breasts. It is also normal for some to remain when you are breastfeeding.
The patterns of weight gain vary from woman to woman and from pregnancy to pregnancy. Some women gain less weight than recommended, have large babies and successfully breastfeed. Others gain more than recommended, gain it early, and yet still return to their normal weight after the birth. You need to discuss any concerns about weight gain throughout your pregnancy with your medical consultant or a dietician.
Your shape will be ever changing in pregnancy. It is to a large extent independent of your actions, although how you manage your energy input (food) and energy output (activity level) can alter the extent of the change, and hence your reaction to it. However, pregnancy is not the time to use exercise as a means of reducing your essential weight gain, but rather as a time for you to use exercise, in association with healthy eating, to limit unnecessary weight gain.
