Exercise in Pregnancy
If you are wondering whether you should exercise while you are pregnant, the answer is an unequivocal `yes’. If you are fit, you are far more likely to get through the tiring last weeks of pregnancy and cope more easily with the hard work of labor than if you are not. If you are used to regular exercise, keep it up as long as you feel able.
You will probably be advised at antenatal classes to avoid sports that carry a risk of falling or rough contact with other players, such as martial arts, squash, skiing or riding. If you are not used to exercise, pregnancy can be a good rinse to start, as long as you do it gradually.
Whatever you do, be responsive to your own body and do not push yourself too far. Total, physical exhaustion is not a good idea. Stop and rest more than you would normally. Also, avoid taking on anything strenuous when it is hot – you are more likely to faint or become dizzy – and be sure to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. If you attend exercise classes of any sort, tell your instructor that you are pregnant: she may suggest that you miss some exercises out, or do them in a different way.
High- impact aerobics involving heavy bouncing are best avoided, since all your muscles and ligaments are softer in pregnancy (so that they stretch to enable you to give birth). This means that they are more easily damaged than at other times. Your extra weight could also mean that you put undue strain on your back.
Swimming and walking are great exercise and suitable right to the end of your pregnancy. In some areas aquanatal classes – which combine swimming with body toning and stretching to focus on the muscles used in pregnancy and childbirth – may be available. Some antenatal classes include toning and stretching exercises. If you do not usually exercise, try to choose antenatal classes that include a simple fitness programme.
Making a Birth Plan?
Wherever you choose to have your baby (including at home), it is a good idea to talk through your options for care and any
treatment, preferably with. at least one of the midwives who is likely to be with you during labor. This discussion can then be formalized into a birth plan, which is written down and held with your notes.
Some hospital maternity departments have their own forms for birth plans but you do not have to stick to theirs if you don’t want to. In any case your midwife is likely to point out that it is best to be flexible: your birth plan does not commit you to anything and circumstances and preferences can change even at the last minute.
The birth plan is really an aid to communication between you and your carers and it is better to compile it with a midwife than to present her with one that you have already drawn up. She may well think of issues you have missed, and will know what facilities are available in your area (not all hospitals have water pools, for example).
Who do you want with you?
You will probably want to have your partner with you, but you may also want more than one person, such as a friend or relative, or no one. If you do not want anyone you know, but do want some extra support, ask for someone to be with you: a midwife or student midwife will be happy to be there for you, while her colleague delivers the baby.
What sort of position might you find comfortable?
Ideally you should give birth in a room that offers a range of options: cushions, chair, bed, a covered area on the floor, so that you can move between them as and when you feel like it.
Can you opt for an epidural at any point? This may become particularly important if you need a caesarean. A general anesthetic takes effect more quickly, but not all ‘emergency’ caesareans need to be done immediately.
Do you want an electronic fetal monitor all or only some of the time?
Do you wish to avoid an episiotomy? Or induction? Other intervention? Do you want your waters broken or would you prefer them to go naturally?
Do you want your birth companion with you at all times, including when you are being examined?
How long might you have to stay in hospital?
What to eat during Pregnancy
Good-quality food, low in sugar and high in carbohydrate from a variety of sources should be the basis of a healthy diet at all times, not only when you are pregnant. Opinions differ as to how many extra calories you actually need when you are pregnant (certainly you should not be ‘eating for two’), but the metabolism does change at this time – both to cope with the extra demands on your heart and lungs, and later while you are breastfeeding – so it is likely you will feel hungrier than usual once any morning sickness has passed.
Follow your appetite, without heading for instant junk’ foods. Snack on fresh and dried fruits if you are hungry between meals, and drink plenty of water. As a general guide, most women gain 10-12.5 kg (22-28 lb) during pregnancy and, although it is difficult to get rid of excess weight after the birth, it is usually more of a worry to your GP and midwife if you put on too little rather than too much weight while you are pregnant.
Make sure you have plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates such as bread, cereals, pasta and rice, plus proteins such as eggs, pulses, meat and fish. A high-fiber diet, with plenty of fluid, may help combat constipation, which is common in pregnancy. Milk is a convenient source of many nutrients, including calcium and protein but if you do not like it, it is not essential. Everything found in milk can be obtained from either food too.
There have been few studies into the effects of alcohol on fetuses after the first 13 weeks, when all the major organs have been formed. As a result, there is no recommended ‘safe’ limit on the amount you can drink without harming your baby. For this reason, many doctors advise you not to drink alcohol at all while you are pregnant. Equally, there is no real evidence that the odd glass of wine or beer does any harm. But binge drinking and heavy habitual drinking do harm babies.
