DR. DAWN HARPER

FITNESS DURING PREGANANCY

DR. DAWN HARPER | FITNESS DURING PREGNANCY

DR. DAWN HARPER | FITNESS DURING PREGNANCY 2/2

Q

I am 20 weeks into my first pregnancy and a keen horsewoman. I am hoping to continue riding for as long as it is comfortable, but my neighbour who is a nurse tell me that horse riding tightens your pelvic floor muscles and means it is more likely that you will have problems in labour. Is this true?

There is always controversy over riding in pregnancy but the main issue really is the potential danger of falling and damaging the baby. There is no evidence that horsewomen have more difficult labours. In fact recent

Make sure you are eating a well balanced diet but avoid peanuts, raw eggs, liver soft cheese or pate which can be harmful. Ideally cut out alcohol completely Start taking 4 mg of folic acid per day if you aren’t already doing so.

The images of pregnant celebrities has made many women feel they have to have ‘skinny’ pregancies and bounce back to pre-pregnancy weight within weeks. Don’t sucumb to these ‘ideals’ but instead enjoy the incredible experience of pregnancy by embracing fitness and nutrition as a way of giving your baby the best start in life.

FITNESS DURING PREGANANCY

research from Norway published earlier this year in the British Medical Journal suggests the opposite could be true! The study looked at over 300 women and divided them into two groups – one underwent a structured programme of pelvic floor exercises and the others continued as normal. The exercise group had significantly shorter labours.

While not everyone may be a horsewoman I do get many questions about fitness during pregnancy and what is safe. Preganancy is a huge time of change for any woman and you should concentrate on giving your unborn baby the best possible start in life. Fitness and nutrition as well as letting go of bad habits like smoking are all important.

When it comes to fitness keep excersising senisbly-now is not the time to take up a challenging new training programme! Regular exercise will be good for you and your growing baby. Pregnancy yoga classes, swimming and cycling are all great safe ways to stay fit. Never push yourself too hard and be sure to rest when you need to. D

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