Pregnancy is a unique stage in a woman's life, where happiness and concern for the health of baby and mother-to-be are intertwined.

This article examines current advice and debunks preconceived ideas on the subject, offering a practical guide for expectant mothers wishing to maintain their fitness and well-being throughout this important period.

Pregnancy and exercise: advice, stereotypes and precautions to take

Pregnancy is a time of great change, and the question of physical activity often raises questions. 

Once discouraged, it is now recognized for its many benefits, but remains closely supervised. 

In this article, we take a look at the advice and preconceived ideas surrounding exercise during pregnancy, offering clear guidelines for expectant mothers anxious to maintain their physical fitness while preserving their health and that of their baby.

1. Sport and pregnancy: the right balance for physical activity.

The sports-minded woman is impatiently awaiting the arrival of a happy event. Pregnancy is likely to change her habits somewhat.

While physical activity has many recognized benefits for pregnant women, it's important to prioritize certain sports and know how to dose your efforts (CF article: Sports harmful to the perineum: understanding the risks and preventing the problems). 

Even if you're a sportswoman, there are a number of simple rules you should follow to protect your health and that of your baby.

First and foremost, she must consult her doctor, gynaecologist or midwife who is monitoring the pregnancy to check that her usual activity is not contraindicated.

There are cases where physical activity is not recommended:

☒ Cardiovascular diseases
☒ Hypertension
☒ Anemia
☒ Previous episodes of birth below normal weight
☒ Rupture of the water sac before term
☒ Persistent blood loss during 2nd and 3rd trimester
☒ Cervical changes
☒ Delayed intrauterine growth
☒ History of miscarriage

2. Physical activity: sports that pregnant women can take part in.

Without any pathological problems, it's possible to continue playing a wide range of sports, at the rate of 3 half-hour sessions a week.

Mothers-to-be who enjoy movement and want to keep active can do so, provided they take it easy. The prominence of her belly will surely encourage her to stop on her own.

Here are a few sports that won't damage the health of either mum-to-be or her baby:

SWIMMING
☑︎ Ideal sport during pregnancy
☑︎ Preserves and relaxes joints
☑︎ Relaxing
☑︎ Excellent for blood circulation and the heart
☑︎ Can be practised right up to childbirth
➜ Beware of arching

GYMNASTICS

☑︎ Can be combined with childbirth preparation
☑︎ Allows you to exercise your pelvis and strengthen your abdominal muscles (transversus abdominis and obliques)

WALKING
☑︎ Excellent for the body and good for the heart
☑︎ Can be practised right up to the end of pregnancy
☑︎ Good way to exercise without too much effort
☑︎ Gets you moving, oxygenates your body and helps you breathe
☑︎ Eases digestion and circulation, and strengthens the abdominal muscles

BIKING
☑︎ Cycling should be done on gentle terrain and at moderate speed
☑︎ Tones the heart
➜ Up to max. 5 months (risks of imbalance and falls)

YOGA
☑︎ Sport of choice during pregnancy
☑︎ Increases flexibility
☑︎ Reduces tension
☑︎ Helps to control breathing and concentration, useful during labor
☑︎ Excellent preparation for childbirth
☑︎ Starts towards the end of the 1st trimester

3. Physical activity: sports not recommended during pregnancy.

Right from the start of pregnancy, even if you've been doing them for a long time, you should ban all sports with a high risk of injury for 9 months: 

►Collective ball sports (basketball, volleyball) and combat sports such as fencing, judo, karate and boxing, because of the shocks to the abdomen.

►Aerobics, tennis and jogging because they require far too much energy to be mobilized in a short space of time. Mountaineering at altitudes of over 2,000 meters and scuba diving.

►Mountain biking, horseback riding or rollerblading, where the risk of jolts and falls is too great.

As far as posture is concerned, it's important to avoid lying on the back from the fifth month onwards (lower cardiac output), and prefer standing, sitting or lying on one's side.

4. The benefits and risks of sport during pregnancy.

BENEFITS:
✔︎ Improves venous return
✔︎ Physical and mental well-being
✔︎ Strengthens abdominal muscles
✔︎ Maintains chest muscles
✔︎ Softens joints
✔︎ Increases respiratory performance
✔︎ Helps control breathing
✔︎ Increases flexibility
✔︎ Helps combat back pain

RISKS :
✘ Traumatic risk: premature delivery
✘ Risk of oxygen deficiency
✘ Contractions
✘ Increases risk of miscarriage, prematurity and growth retardation (violent sports practiced intensively)
✘ Back pain

There are premonitory signs to interrupt physical activity:

➙ Abdominal trauma (injury or damage caused to the abdomen region: stomach, liver, intestines, spleen...)
➙ Sudden pain in the abdomen or thorax (sensation of pain that suddenly appears in the stomach or chest region)
➙ Blood loss
➙ Dizziness
➙ Difficult breathing
➙ Palpitations (abnormal and often unpleasant sensation of irregular, strong or rapid heartbeats)
➙ Fainting
➙ Elevated heart pulses that don't subside with rest
➙ Violent pain in the back or pubic area
➙ Difficulty walking
➙ If you feel your child moving less during and after physical activity...

If pregnancy is progressing normally, the following rythm should be adapted:

            > Varied exercises lasting around 40 minutes

            > One to three times a week

            > Max. heart rate 140 bpm

5. Misconceptions and corrections

Physical activity during pregnancy still gives rise to many questions and untruths:

Sport during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, prematurity and growth retardation : FALSE

While uterine activity is certainly accelerated during exercise, particularly as childbirth approaches, these risks have never been clearly demonstrated. On the contrary, for a pregnancy without any particular problems, physical activity practised within reason is beneficial.

In particular, it helps prepare the mother for the physical ordeal of childbirth, by stimulating her cardiac activity and respiratory control, and reducing the pain of contractions.

Sport also improves blood circulation and transit, reducing the risk of venous complications. Thanks to regular exercise, mothers-to-be can improve their posture by keeping their muscles toned and avoiding cramps and lower-back pain. 

Another positive aspect is that physical activity prevents excessive weight gain, making it easier to shed unwanted pounds more quickly, especially for nursing mothers. Finally, during exercise, the brain releases chemicals that have a positive effect on morale and self-confidence, considerably reducing the risk of post-natal depression.

Pregnancy increases physical capacity during exercise : TRUE

Although pregnancy is a natural phenomenon, there are physiological effects similar to those caused by doping. The heart increases in volume, the quantity of haemoglobin (which transports oxygen) is increased, and ventilation is multiplied. The body's maximum oxygen consumption can be increased by 10 to 30%.

In top-level sports, some athletes from Eastern Europe have taken advantage of these physiological effects to improve their performance.

A sportswoman who has become a mother will perform less well after giving birth : TRUE/FALSE

When a sportswoman resumes exercise around eight weeks after giving birth, she will inevitably perform less well, due to a certain hormonal impregnation still present from the pregnancy.

However, from a strictly physiological point of view, an athlete should regain all her previous capacities after around six months (thanks to a gradual return to training). 

Thereafter, the psychological dimension and lifestyle choices may come into play. The decline in performance will be due more to the fact that she will no longer have the same level of motivation, and will no longer retain all her energy for sport.

An athletic woman who stops sport during pregnancy will gain less weight : FALSE

A pregnant woman normally gains between 9 and 12 kilos during her pregnancy. Weight gain is very low during the first trimester, but rises to around 1.5kg from the 4th month onwards.

Sport certainly limits weight gain, but does not totally abolish it. For a sportswoman who stops sport altogether during her pregnancy, the dietary balance is more delicate, and she runs the risk of putting on more weight than a mother-to-be who has never practised sport. So it's worth stressing the importance of good habits.

You mustn't reduce your diet in the hope of keeping your original weight, as this could lead to fetal growth retardation caused by hypoglycemia. As well as drinking plenty of water before, during and after exercise, mums-to-be should plan to take a snack break (banana, cereal bar, dried fruit) to avoid feeling drained.

Finally, you must never go beyond your limits: as soon as you feel any shortness of breath, you must know how to slow down. 

To verify this, the pregnant woman must be able to talk throughout the exercise and be able to recover in less than 15 minutes.

In conclusion, physical activity during pregnancy can be beneficial for both mother and baby, provided it is practised in a reasoned manner and respects medical recommendations.

By overcoming preconceived ideas and following the right advice, pregnant women can enjoy the benefits of exercise while preserving their own health and that of their child, thus contributing to a fulfilling pregnancy and a stress-free birth.

NB: DO NOT START ANY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING YOUR DOCTOR.