Pregnancy is not the confinement that the relics of the Victorian era will have women believe. It is a cause for celebration, not hibernation!

It has been accepted for some time that the general health of a mother during pregnancy is of profound importance to the development of her baby. Unless problems restrict activity, it is advised to maintain your pre-pregnancy exercise levels. There have been no studies in humans that have shown problems in developing embryos caused by moderate exercise.

Advertisement

Exercise is not only tolerated, it can prevent potentially serious complications, such as high blood pressure that can lead to pre-eclampsia. Exercise during pregnancy may also prevent some of the aches and pains associated with carrying extra weight and the changes in gait.

Women who exercise throughout their pregnancy are afforded the following benefits:

• Increase their energy levels
• Maintain a healthier, more positive outlook while lowering anxiety levels
• Have an improved attitude and are better able to cope with the emotional mood swings caused by the increase in hormonal activity
• Have an easier and less complicated labour
• Have a quicker recovery time after giving birth
• Helping mom-to-be maintain a steady and reasonable weight gain
• Reducing pregnancy-associated discomforts
• Lowering a woman's chance of having a caesarean
• Accelerating postpartum weight loss
• Improving sleep quality
• Studies also show that women who exercise before and during pregnancy have half the risk of delivering prematurely

In addition to this, research has shown that babies born to moms who exercise during pregnancy may benefit by having higher stress tolerance levels and advanced neurobehavioural maturity. These children also tend to be leaner at five years of age and have better early neurodevelopment.

Rate this article Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent

JOBS

Senior Secretary Gauteng - North/Sandton Infrastructure Resource Gauteng - Johannesburg Management Accountant R450,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Manager R350,000-400,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial and Project Accountant R300,000-360,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Accountant R380,000-420,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg SSIS Business Intelligence Specialists (SSIS; SSAS) R350,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - North/Sandton Financial Accountant R350,000-450,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - South Find more jobs Register your CV Post a job