Walking helps you stay fit without over-exerting yourself.

Exercise

Keeping physically active while you are pregnant will help you cope better with the changes going on in your body. You will have more energy and feel better. It will also help you during labour and after the baby is born.

Your activities should be fun, and not too strenuous. It is a good idea to check with your doctor or midwife about your exercise program. If you were involved in vigorous physical activity before getting pregnant, you may be unsure what is safe now. Exercises like walking and swimming are generally safe. This is not a good time to start an exercise program that involves twisting or jarring movements, or a high risk of falling. When you exercise, listen to your body. Do only what feels comfortable and if anything hurts, stop. Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise. Make sure you exercise in a well-ventilated area and wear loose-fitting, breathable clothing.

The Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine (CASM) has developed guidelines for exercise during pregnancy. These guidelines suggest that women who were physically active before pregnancy and have a low-risk pregnancy can continue their exercise program, but women who were inactive before pregnancy should wait for the second trimester before beginning new activities. To assess what physical activity is appropriate, the CASM recommends the use of a questionnaire called ParMed-X for Pregnancy. This is a tool developed by the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists and funded by Health Canada. It can be downloaded from the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists’ website.

If you have questions about what kind of exercise you can do while you are pregnant, the Sport CARE Clinic at Women’s College Hospital provides a free Exercise and Pregnancy Helpline. The helpline is serviced by physicians, physiotherapists and athletic therapists who can help athletes, active women and women who would like to begin an exercise routine when they’re pregnant. Call the helpline from anywhere in North America at 1-866-937-7678.

Check out our interview with Dr. Julia Alleyne, Medical Director of Women's College Hospital Sport CARE Clinic, about prenatal and postnatal exercise.

Prenatal Exercise Programs

Many prenatal exercise programs include exercises that help strengthen the muscles you rely on during pregnancy and birth. These classes usually include (but are not limited to) stretching, kegel exercises and abdominal exercises.

Stretches
Exercise programs begin with stretches to help your muscles warm up. Stretches can also help your muscles relax and relieve the aches and pains of pregnancy.

Kegel exercises
Kegel exercises strengthen the muscles around the vagina and in the pelvis. These muscles, called the pelvic floor muscles or pubococcygeal muscles, support the uterus during pregnancy. Strengthening these muscles helps make pushing during labour easier, prevents urinary incontinence, reduces your chance of “tearing” when you give birth, reduces your chance of developing hemmorhoids, and helps with postnatal healing. Kegel exercises can also increase your sexual pleasure and make your orgasms more intense. For more about the benefits of Kegel exercises and how to do them, click here.

Abdominal exercises
Maintaining strong abdominal muscles will help guard against the backaches that many women experience when they are pregnant, and will reduce pressure on the pelvic floor, which helps prevent stress incontinence. Abdominal exercises will help you regain your pre-pregnancy shape and strength after your baby is born. Talk to your care provider or the instructor of your prenatal classes about the exercises that are right for you.

Pelvic tilts are a good exercise for the abdomen as well as the lower back. They can be done on your hands and knees, with your hands below your shoulders and your knees below your hips. Your arms should be extended and straight so that the floor, your legs, your back, and your arms form the four sides of a square. To start, keep your back straight (not arched up or down), with your stomach pulled up. Next, slowly relax your lower back and allow your pelvis to tilt forward comfortably. Hold this position for a couple of seconds and then pull your back and pelvis into the straight (less relaxed) position. This cycle should be repeated slowly in a regular motion. This exercise should only use the muscles in the lower part of your body. Pelvic tilts can also be done on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.

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