Pregnancy Exercise: Mothers Unkowingly Harm Baby’s During Pregnancy Workout
There are plenty of reasons to exercise during pregnancy and one of the main benefits we get from maternal exercise is that it is good for our babies.
Your pregnancy workout not only makes you feel good, but many of the benefits that your pregnant body experiences from your pregnancy fitness routine are passed onto your baby. For example, the endorphin rush that is stimulated by exercise is passed to your baby through the bloodstream so he can enjoy the fruits of your labour as much as you.
Your baby also benefits from frequent exposure to exercise stress as it puts her in training for the stress of labour and babies born to mothers who regularly exercise during pregnancy tend to be calmer babies, who self-comfort more and are happy natured.
So we know that following a structured pregnancy exercise routine is essential in developping a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
However, it has recently come to my attention that the majority of the pregnant women I speak to are drinking less than half the amount of water that they should be to carry their babies safely. Now a lot of you I’m sure will always make sure you have a bottle of water close to you when you are doing your pregnancy workout. But if you start your workout dehydrated, you’ll end it doubly dehydrated.
Dehydration during pregnancy has serious implications for the safety of your baby. Not only does it mean that your baby is also dehydrated but dehydration is an indicator of insufficient levels of amniotic fluid in the womb.
Amniotic fluid nourishes and protects your developing baby by cushioning yours abdomen, promoting muscular and skeletal development, and helps to protect your baby from heat loss.
A recent study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) found that pregnant women have a higher incidence of insufficient amniotic fluid levels (oligohydramnios) in the summer months. This is obviously exacerbated by exercising and it’s surprising how many pregnant women just don’t realise how much they should be drinking to keep both theirsleves and their babies safe.
Here’s a simple formula you can use throughout your pregnancy to make sure you are drinking enough to satisfy the needs of your pregnant body and your baby:
Body weight in pounds / 50 = Amount of Water (litres)
The figure you end up with is what you should be drinking every day. As you get heavier, the needs of your body will increase, (there will be more cells to hydrate – right?), so make sure you weigh yourself every Friday and work out your new daily water intake.
Don’t forget, if it’s a pregnancy workout day, or if it is particularly warm weather, then you need to increase that amount by an extra litre.
