Many of us are aware fitness is a good idea while we’re pregnant. Most of us internalize this as a reminder to watch our weight as we grow another human inside of us. Staying moderately active also helps nurture a prayer that we’ll be able to more easily return to our pre-pregnant body after we deliver.
What most women don’t realize are the benefits our physical activity provides to babies in utero. Mothers who safely continue exercise during pregnancy can positively influence their child’s health and intelligence, just like maintaining a nutritious diet can.
So Why Do Some Pregnant Moms Hesitate to Exercise?
Many women feel confused and hesitant about exercising during pregnancy. Is it safe? What are the restrictions? Should I stop as I get closer to delivery? This anxiety is worsened by outdated guidance that pregnant mothers should not exceed a heart rate above 140 beats per minute. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) removed this guidance in 1994, but many providers still issue this warning to pregnant mothers.
Today, ACOG advises women with healthy, normal pregnancies to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week, though it’s important to discuss exercise with your doctor, especially if your pregnancy is high-risk.
Exercise Is Not Only Good for You. It’s Good for Baby, Too
Pregnant mothers are encouraged to exercise for the cardiovascular, lymphatic, metabolic and hormonal benefits exercise provides the body -- and baby! -- on top of the joint and muscular strengthening it delivers. Research has shown that mothers who exercise regularly during early to mid-pregnancy grow placentas a third more quickly than mothers who did not exercise, and these placentas function better with 15% more blood vessels and surface area! Increased blood flow means increased nutrient delivery to the fetus and improved toxin removal.
Dr. James F. Clapp III, an international leader on this subject, studied the impact of exercise on pregnant mothers and their babies starting in the 1980s, finding that babies whose mothers exercised regularly exhibited physical and mental gains at one year of life and in toddlerhood. These children performed better on physical and general intelligence assessments and demonstrated stronger oral language skills than children of mothers who did not exercise regularly. Recent research also has shown these cognitive-enhancing effects continue to manifest in adulthood, too.
The physicality of exercise also prepares babies for the stresses of labor, resulting in fewer obstetrical complications, such as increased blood volume, more oxygen present, less likelihood of cord entanglement, normal heart rate reactions and less meconium at birth. Such benefits also add up to one critical advantage: a decreased risk of cesarean delivery.
As concerns and discomforts arise in pregnancy, physical activity is usually the first thing women abandon, but ironically, exercise may be one of the most effective ways to address these concerns -- not just for a mother’s benefit but also for her child’s. Talk to your doctor about fitness during pregnancy, and consider working with a trainer who specializes in prenatal exercise to guide and reassure you. For more information on how physical activity benefits pregnant mothers, check out this article.
References
Clapp JF 3rd. The course of labor after endurance exercise during pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1990;163:1799-805.
Clapp JF 3rd. Exercising Through Your Pregnancy. Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics Publishers Inc; 1998, pp. 145-51.
Varney H, Varney’s Midwifery Sixth Edition, 2019
Clapp JF 3rd, Simonian S, Lopez B, Appleby-Wineberg S, Harcar-Sevcik R. The one-year morphometric and neurodevelopmental outcome of the offspring of women who continued to exercise regularly throughout pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1998 Mar; 178(3):594-9.
Clapp JF 3rd. J Pediatr. 1996 Dec; 129(6):856-63.
Andrea M. Robinson AM, Bucci DJ. Maternal Exercise and Cognitive Functions of the Offspring. Cogn Sci (Hauppauge). 2012; 7(2): 187–205.
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