Answer: If not restricted by your doctor, exercising up until delivery is one of the BEST things you can do for yourself and your baby.
“Can I exercise right to the end?” is one of the most common questions we get from newly expectant moms in our Oh Baby! Fitness pregnancy exercise classes. We’ve all heard about women who have taken off from work early and use the last few weeks of pregnancy to “rest up” for delivery.
However, the biggest benefits of exercising during pregnancy only occur if women exercise as late in pregnancy as possible.
Studies have shown that women who exercise up until their delivery date are:
– Less likely to have premature labor
– Less likely to have babies with low birth weight
– Less likely to have a c-section
– Less likely to request/use pain management during labor
– More likely to have shorter, quicker labors
– More likely to gain less weight during pregnancy
As always, we recommend women talk to their doctors and listen to their bodies. Know that adjusting the intensity or length of the workout (i.e. taking a yoga or water aerobics class rather than a cardio class or having a shorter workout) is much more helpful than stopping exercise when the fatigue and discomfort of the third trimester hits.
Did you exercise right up until you delivered your baby? What exercises were most helpful and felt the best in the last few weeks of pregnancy?
I lost all my baby weight a week after delivery. And the actual bleeding stopped within three or four days. I had very little tearing. The remaining ‘baby bump’ went down quickly. I’m regaining my abdominal strength quickly as well.