EXERCISE HELPS PREGNANT WOMEN KEEP FIT

Lydia Bolo says the exercising she has done during her pregnancy has helped keep her in shape and helped with her breathing.

She said she didn't exercise when she was pregnant with her first three children. But with the twins she is expecting now, due Nov. 30, she has been walking 20 to 30 minutes most days and working out with light weights.

While she had to slow down last week when her doctor ordered bed rest, she said she's able to tell the difference because of the exercising she's done in this pregnancy."I've only gained about nine pounds," she said, noting she gained much more with her other pregnancies."I think it really helped control the water weight," she said.

Dr. Jonathan L. Thomas, an obstetrician/gynecologist in Cape Girardeau, said he encourages his pregnant patients to exercise. He said he has no scientific data, but he thinks women who exercise regularly have an easier time dealing with labor and get back on their feet more quickly after delivery."It may be related to the whole healthy lifestyle," Thomas said. "People who exercise tend to take better care of the other parts of their lives."If there are no additional risk factors, pregnant women can benefit from mild to moderate exercise, Thomas said. Those risk factors include pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, preterm rupture of membranes, preterm labor, incompetent cervix and second- and third-trimester bleeding.

Lisa Mirly, an obstetric nurse with a certification in prenatal and post natal fitness at Southeast Missouri Hospital, said exercising during pregnancy benefits both mother and child.

Exercise can strengthen the woman's uterus and increases oxygen in the blood, both of which benefit the child she is carrying, Mirly said.

Exercise helps the pregnant woman by increasing her endurance, strength and stamina, which will help her throughout the pregnancy, during labor and toward a speedier recovery after the baby is born, Mirly said. According to guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Thomas said, women who have been exercising on a regular basis before they got pregnant, can continue to exercise at the same level while they are pregnant.

For the woman who has never exercised regularly before but who has been inspired by pregnancy to take better care of herself, Thomas said, it is beneficial to begin a mild to moderate exercise program. But she should approach this as any exercise novice would, he said, advising starting and building endurance slowly."Those new to exercise are the most likely to suffer from overheating or injury because they haven't learned to listen to their bodies," Mirly said.

That's why she cautions pregnant women who are new to exercise to take it slowly.

Whether a novice or a regular at exercise, Thomas said walking and water aerobics are both good general activities for pregnant women because there's little risk of injury.

Mirly says the areas pregnant women can focus on strengthening that will help them during labor are the thighs, abdominals and upper body.

For the thighs, Mirly recommends lunges and squats; for abdominal muscles, resistance exercises that involve tightening, then relaxing the muscles; and for the upper body, curls with light weights and standing pushups.

Thomas said, pregnant women should stay away from activities like kick boxing that involve jolts and quick starts and stops.

They should also avoid lying on their backs after the first trimester because it causes the expanding uterus to press on the aorta, limiting blood flow to the lower extremities, Thomas said.

Thomas said women should listen to their bodies when they are pregnant. "They shouldn't exercise to exhaustion or risk injury," he said.

Pregnant women should not use exercise for weight loss, Thomas said. "They need to make sure they are eating adequately," he said.

They also need to increase their fluid intake to 10 to 12 glasses of water per day. "Dehydration can put you at risk for preterm labor," Thomas said. Mirly said some women are afraid to exercise when they are pregnant, fearing it might jeopardize their pregnancy."They don't understand they may be jeopardizing their pregnancy just lying around," she said.