Exercise During a High Risk Pregnancy

I remember seeing actress Jane Seymour on television just about six weeks after she'd given birth to twin boys. She looked incredible. This was even more incredible when you considered that she had spent much of the late stages of her pregnancy on bed rest. At the time, it was rumored that she'd had a tummy tuck, but she insisted that her quick bounce back was due to isometric exercises.

Birgitta Gallo knows that Seymour's version of the story is the correct one because she designed Seymour's exercise program early in the pregnancy, then modified it when Seymour was placed on bed rest. Gallo, author of Expecting Fitness: How to Modify and Enjoy Your Exercise Program Throughout Your Pregnancy (Renaissance Books, 2000), says being high risk doesn't automatically exclude anyone from exercising. The goal, she notes, is twofold: healthy babies born as late in term as possible and a better recovery time for Mom.

Dr. Ron Jaekle, chief of maternal-fetal medicine at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, La., says there are very few situations where a woman shouldn't get at least some exercise. "We encourage all pregnant women to exercise because there is so much evidence that it improves pregnancy outcomes," he says. "This applies to high-risk pregnancies as well. The single most important group that should be exercising during pregnancy is diabetics. This has become an epidemic and exercise can help regulate glucose levels. Exercise also helps enhance immunity and can help control weight gain. Intriguingly, there's even evidence that exercise may help lower blood pressure."

In general, women who shouldn't be encouraged to exercise are those with preterm labor, whose babies aren't growing well or who have preeclampsia. Also, no one should exercise without first getting their doctor's approval.

Even a woman on bed rest can exercise. In her book, The Pregnancy Bed Rest Book: A Survival Guide for Expectant Mothers and Their Families (Berkley Publishing Group, 2001), Amy Tracy suggests that women ask their doctors to recommend a physical therapist to help them design an exercise program.

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