THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY

 

Oh my! I could remember vividly when I was pregnant for my first baby, I was always throwing up, dizzy, tired and sleepy, I couldn’t do a thing, all I knew was to sleep, exercise was far from my dictionary.

Hubby will go to work and I will sleep till hunger will fire me very well and wake me up , I will quickly brush, eat and then go back to bed again, that pregnancy I will never forget and God blessed me with me a very beautiful baby girl (Michelle).

Then I couldn’t exercise, I had swollen foot and I was so huge, my nose was very big too , but for my second and third babies, I was super active and I worked and exercised till the day of  their delivery(Collins and Divine).

When I was pregnant with my second baby, I was more active and ready to do anything, I got a lot of strange advice from people during my pregnancies, but no subject inspired more commentary than my exercise routine “Don’t lift things above your head, or you’ll wrap the cord around the baby’s neck!” Or, my personal favorite, “If you keep doing squats, you’re going to pop that baby out of you without even knowing it!”, “Don’t do this don’t do that, for the most part, I politely thanked everyone for their concern and then continued practicing my little exercise I could do.

The benefits of exercising during pregnancy extend far beyond the actual birth. “Exercise during pregnancy is important for many reasons,” says Anate Aelion Brauer, M.D., ob-gyn, assistant professor at NYU School of Medicine.

“Regular exercise helps reduce stress and increase energy, helps ensure you gain the right amount of weight in pregnancy, improves common discomforts in pregnancy such as constipation and insomnia, as well as helps prevent pregnancy-related diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes,” she says. “Research even shows that labor itself is easier and shorter in women who engaged in regular exercise throughout their pregnancy.”

So how much exercise should you (and baby) get? Just because your Instagram and Facebook timeline is full of pregnant oyinbo women running marathons doesn’t mean that’s a good idea for you. The key is to maintain your current level of activity, not to increase it if your body cant handle it.

Its recommend that all women who have no complications with their pregnancies get at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise a day on more, if not all, days of the week, like walking or jogging etc adding that the exercise can be anything you enjoy that doesn’t risk abdominal trauma. And be sure to tell your doctors what you’re doing and check in if you feel any pain, discomfort, or have any worries.

Above all don’t forget to always pray, drink a lot of water, eat good food, fruits, and vegetable because they are all good for you and your baby.
Wishing my pregnant readers a successful delivery and please don’t forget to share the good news  with us.