Everyone is used to overprotecting pregnant women and encouraging them to refrain from activities and rest as much as possible. But for nearly 30 years, the scientific literature has said just the opposite. Staying active during pregnancy is just as important as eating healthy and going to regular check-ups, explains gynecologist Carmen Gutierrez.
Despite expert advice, less than 20% of women worldwide meet the WHO recommendation of 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Clinical practice guide to physical activity during pregnancy This book, published by the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), explains the benefits of staying active during these nine months and how to do it safely for both mother and baby.
Throughout 2023, UPM researchers published several studies showing that playing sports has benefits for pregnant women. Some of the insights from these articles are that when mothers-to-be do some physical activity, their risk of gaining excessive weight and suffering from diabetes during pregnancy is reduced by 32% to 38%, respectively. She is also 13% less likely to have to resort to a caesarean section and 16% less likely to have to resort to instrumental delivery. Prenatal dilation may even be reduced by about an hour.
Controlling maternal weight gain during pregnancy is one of the most important factors. Cristina Silva, a physical activity and sports science physician and one of the paper's authors, says this aspect is associated with obesity and macrosomia (when the baby weighs more than 4 kilograms or 8 pounds, 13 ounces). It is explained that it prevents. The number of her ICU admissions for newborns has increased. When it comes to mental health, it reduces anxiety, stress, and prenatal and postnatal depression. “Women who are physically active during pregnancy are better able to cope with the muscular, respiratory, and mechanical challenges posed by each stage of childbirth,” said physical education and sports education teacher and author of the UPM study. Ruben Barakat, one of them, explains. .
It is also important to train your pelvic floor muscles. Although scientific evidence on this is still lacking, Gutierrez says exercising three to four days a week has been shown to reduce postpartum urinary incontinence. She and Francisca Molina, vice president of the Spanish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (SEGO), agree that women who are active during pregnancy recover faster after giving birth than those who lead a sedentary lifestyle.
If you divide the recommended 150 minutes a week into six days, you'll get 25 minutes of exercise per day, Silva points out. “The key is to establish a habit from the beginning and do it regularly,” she stressed, adding that individualization is essential to achieve that. If you like the activity you're practicing, it's easier to stay motivated.
adapted activities
The recommendations are not very specific. During these nine months, almost any activity can be carried out, as long as it is adapted to each person's individual situation. For example, a woman who rides a bicycle should switch to a stationary bike for that period of time to avoid the risk of falling. Cristina Díaz del Campo, member of the Spanish Association of Physiotherapists for Women's Health and Pelvic Health (AEF-SAMU), says that the wisest and safest thing for pregnant women to do is to do walking, Pilates or It states that it is a yoga practice (under the supervision of a physical therapist). ) and swimming. However, swimming underwater and strenuous sports such as soccer, basketball, boxing, and skiing are not recommended due to changes in atmospheric pressure.
Women who train in the gym should adjust their exercise positions, but only if they have experience and know how to successfully perform all the necessary techniques, warns Silva. She should avoid prone positions and limit the time she spends on her back to 2-3 minutes per activity. In the latter case, by adjusting your posture and using a gymnastics ball, you can practice more safely without having to lie down completely.
In addition to adaptation, it is important that physical activity performed by pregnant women is guided. All experts agree that it is best to hire a professional (personal trainer or pelvic floor physical therapist). However, individual attention tends to be expensive, so that option is not available to everyone. Group classes, on the other hand, are more affordable.
According to Silva, to work with pregnant women, exercise sessions should include several elements: low-intensity aerobic exercise, muscle strengthening (especially in the upper part for the care that the baby needs). and lumbar region), balance and adjustment should be avoided. It decreases as your body changes, your pelvic floor muscles work (this is essential), and finally you relax and return to peace.
Pelvic floor and hip flexibility
Diaz del Campo explains that the three key points of perinatal physical therapy are preparing the pelvic floor, physical exercise, and providing strategies for pregnant women and their companions to prepare for birth. In addition to exercises to tone and shape the body of the mother-to-be, she also works on aspects such as hip and pelvic flexibility. These are individual, supervised exercises that perform medial and lateral rotational movements of the hip joints to help your baby fit better into the birth canal.
Díaz del Campo warns that before starting pelvic floor muscle training, a woman's condition should be pre-evaluated by a physical therapist specializing in women's health. Perinatal physical therapy also recommends and teaches perineal massage techniques that women can perform at home. It is recommended to be performed after 32 weeks of pregnancy as it can prevent tearing of the perineal tissue.
“Healthcare providers are a great platform to raise awareness among women about the importance of exercise during pregnancy,” says Silva. But “their message may be limited by the lack of public programming,” Barakat laments. This situation often leaves women lacking resources, experts add, calling for more investment in the sector. “Agencies need to use existing scientific evidence to design ambitious and broad-based physical activity programs for pregnant women.”
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