I'm just entering my sixth month of pregnancy and it seems like a good time to start talking about my experience as a pregnant woman more frequently on the blog. Today, we're going to discuss sport during pregnancy. A subject that still divides a lot unfortunately.
A small disclaimer won't hurt before you start. I'm not a health care professional. I base myself on my own personal experience and the many pieces of information I have been able to gather on the subject. In this article, I touch on a sensitive subject that is pregnancy. A stage in which not all women are equal. I am well aware that all cases are different and I encourage you to always consult your doctor before starting any sporting activity, especially if you are pregnant. What is good for me is not necessarily good for you, and vice versa.
My personal experience
I'll start by telling you a little bit about my personal experience. If you read me regularly, you already know that I'm a fairly sporty person, and my Wellness and Fitness section can confirm that. When I got pregnant, I had just re-entered the gym to get back into strength training a bit further. Congratulations on the timing, Charlotte.
During my first month of pregnancy, still unaware that I was pregnant, I continued my training without any problems as usual: workouts of about 1 hour in the gym, followed by small cardio sessions (bike or carpet run). At home, I completed with Pilates or cardio sessions in videos. Then, I had confirmed that I was expecting a happy event (because I still suspected a little bit, huh) and so I slowed down on the intense cardio and stopped all abdominal exercise. And then for the next two months, I was too sick to get out of bed, so you can imagine that the sport was completely shut out.
As soon as I started feeling better, I got back to moderate activity at home with special sports videos of pregnant women. I also continue to do light muscle strengthening or classical Pilates. So far, I feel good, I don't have these famous back pains or cramps in my legs that pregnant women often talk about. On the contrary, sport helps me to feel lighter after the sessions.
The only shadow on the board is the aches and pains: progesterone, a hormone which relaxes the muscles and allows the ligaments to soften to make room for the baby. It also leads to a significant muscle loss. Exercises that I used to do with my fingers in my nose now leave me with beautiful aches and pains the next day. But pregnant or not, when you're sporty, you get used to having stiff muscles after a session and you get used to them!
What activities should be stopped or slowed down?
Of course, contact sports such as boxing, wrestling, judo must be stopped cleanly because they can be dangerous for the baby if you get hit in the stomach. Sports in which the falls are frequent (skiing, horse riding...) are also to be put aside for the moment. And scuba diving is absolutely forbidden during the whole pregnancy, because of bad gas exchange between mother and fetus.
Exercises that target the abdominals should not be used during pregnancy. Your abdominals move sideways to leave room for your growing belly, and too much stress on them could hurt you.
The activities with a lot of support and jerks on the ground must generally be stopped: running, jumping rope. The big runners will certainly be able to continue a light training at the beginning, but the more their belly will round up, the more complicated the task will become especially taking into account the following point.
Cardiac activity should be seriously slowed down, as it is important to know that when you are out of breath, the baby also needs oxygen. Contrary to the reserves of fat or water, you do not have oxygen reserves that the baby could draw on in case of lack... You can therefore continue a cardio activity if you feel like it, provided you can maintain a conversation aloud during your workout, because it shows that you are only slightly out of breath.
What activities should be promoted?
The perfect activities for pregnant women are brisk walking (cardio activity with minimal shortness of breath) and swimming! Quite frankly, if you have a swimming pool or the sea at your disposal, don't hesitate to go swimming for a few fathoms because it will do you a lot of good for your back and your whole body at the same time. It muscles all the limbs in depth and gently, it relaxes and it is absolutely harmless for your joints since you float! I look forward to the warm temperatures arriving in Malta so I can go swimming. In a month, it should be good.
Personally, I also love doing Pilates exercises to build up my strength gently. If your condition allows you, you can continue with your regular exercise (I'm a big fan of Cassey Ho videos), but special classes designed for pregnant women are also available on the net or in clubs.
I also continue a light weight training with small weights of three kilos, especially for the arms. It's absolutely risk-free for the baby, and I think I'll be happy to have retained this training once I've got my own little three-kilogram dumbbell and a few, screaming and giggling, to wear all day long.
I also do small muscle strengthening exercises for thighs or buttocks. It's excellent for venous return and it has allowed me to contain a little bit of sciatica. I bought Lucile Woodward's book, In Fit During and After Pregnancy, in an e-book version. It cost me almost nothing and it's full of tricks and easy exercises!
If I can give you one piece of advice, it is to listen to you.I f an exercise hurts you, if you feel uncomfortable, don't force yourself. Your body knows how to tell you when you're going overboard, so listen to it.
Benefits of sport during pregnancy
The benefits of sport during pregnancy are well documented. When the mother's state of health allows it, regular physical activity is very beneficial to her and her baby. This allows the pregnant woman to limit the "bobos" of the pregnancy: backache, cramps, poor circulation, and of course superfluous kilos. Sport helps to maintain a healthy weight gain and limit the onset of gestational diabetes. A balanced diet is also essential for this, but it is another debate.
Sports during pregnancy can also be a moment of relaxation during which the mother-to-be can "commune" with this changing body and her baby. Sport is proven to be relaxing: it may be a good idea to practice a little during this stressful period. Especially if it can help to fight your insomnia of pregnancy by offering you a more restorative sleep.
Finally, sport also serves as a preparation for childbirth. I already know that I will not have an epidural during mine (maternity does not propose it) and it is therefore necessary that I physically prepare myself for the test that awaits me. I think that arriving at D-Day in good shape and with a little muscular base can't hurt... In my opinion, it's easier to manage hours of contractions when you've spent the previous months maintaining a healthy sporting activity, rather than when you've spent them slumped in your couch nibbling on cakes... No judgment for future mums rested. I am talking here about my personal opinion, everyone sees noon at their door. In any case, if your pregnancy goes smoothly and your doctor gives you the go-ahead, I can only encourage you to maintain physical activity, even if it is very light. Whether you've planned an epidural or not, things don't always work out the way you want them and I think it's better to be "too" prepared than not enough.