Long gone are the days when pregnancy was considered a “delicate condition” and women were “confined.” The truth is, our bodies were designed with this very unique purpose in mind, and with a few exceptions, life can go on normally during pregnancy. You can even keep up an exercise regime, as long as it is in moderation. Doing so will not only benefit you before and after birth, but can also prevent a larger baby which could prove difficult to birth or necessitate a Cesarean section.
A small study, conducted jointly between the University of Auckland and Northern Arizona University, evaluated the effect of moderate exercise on pregnancy women. Half of the 84 participants were tasked with using an exercise bike for 40 minutes, five times per week until through their eighth month of pregnancy.
Those who followed the exercise regime birthed babies who had very little variance in length but who weighed, on average, about 5 ounces less than their sedentary counterparts. These lower birth weights were all within the established norms for newborns.
The results suggest that exercise does not stunt growth, but can reduce the amount of fat a baby is born with, giving them a head start on combating obesity in the future. Research leader Dr. Paul Hofman, a researcher at the University of Auckland, said, “Given that large birth size is associated with increased risk of obesity, a modest reduction in birth weight may have long-term health benefits for offspring by lowering this risk later in life.”
This study helps to confirm that exercise in pregnancy is good for both mother and fetus, and “support[s] the recommendations of at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily and probably more,” Dr. Hofman said. The study is published in the recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
