Labor and Birth Advantages
While we tend to want immediate gratification from everything we do, exercise in pregnancy doesn't always fall into this category. Sometimes it can be difficult to get up and exercise when the benefits aren't seen immediately. However, the exercises you do in pregnancy will certainly affect how you give birth when the time comes.
Having a well-toned and fit body for labor has its advantages. If you have been used to the physical rigors of exercise, you will tend to do better in labor. You will be more prepared for the physical demands placed on your body. The strength that you will need for pushing and the muscles that have been prepared, perhaps even specifically for the task of labor and birth, are more easily put into action.
Beyond the feelings of having more strength and stamina, there are some specific benefits to you for exercising in pregnancy. Studies have shown that women who exercise during pregnancy often have shorter labors. These women also tend to require cesarean surgery less often, as well as experiencing a decrease in the use of forceps and vacuum extractors. By decreasing the risks of surgery and instrumental deliveries, you will also speed your recovery period.
Fact
Some childbirth classes will offer a few exercises to incorporate into your exercise habits. These exercises are usually specially designed to prepare specific muscles in your body for labor and birth. An example might be teaching the class about squatting. It's a great exercise to strengthen your legs and “glutes” (buttocks), but is also the perfect position to actually give birth in as it opens the pelvic outlet by an additional 10 percent.
Postpartum Advantages
Possibly some of the most surprising benefits of exercise in pregnancy are the postpartum benefits. If you've spent time building strength and flexibility during pregnancy, you will tend to have an easier recovery period after the birth of your baby. Coupled with the fact that you will tend to have an easier birth with fewer cesareans and episiotomies, it makes sense.
Essential
You might be concerned with losing weight after the birth of your baby. Did you know that one of the best ways to lose weight after baby is to breastfeed your infant? The fat stores your body has accumulated during pregnancy are designed to be used for breastfeeding.
Not only is exercise beneficial in terms of your weight loss, but in your body tone and fitness levels in general. Returning to your pre-pregnancy body is a huge issue for women in the postpartum period. When you stay fit before birth, you have a huge leap ahead of the crowd toward getting your old body back. There also seems to be a protective benefit from postpartum depression when you have exercised during pregnancy.
