Prenatal Myth: You Shouldn’t Exercise During Your Pregnancy

Perhaps The Worst Pregnancy Myth So Far?

There are so many myths about pregnancy, but this one is particularly insidious.

Why?

Because it is untrue and damaging.

Unless there’s a medical reason, a pregnant person should always be getting their fair share of daily exercise!

It’s actually really important.

And, this isn’t just my opinion.

Many health studies conducted in a medical setting prove this is, in fact, the case, and that the truth of the matter can even be quantified.

Exercise during pregnancy helps the mother, and helps the baby.

How much? Quite a bit, actually.

Benefits of Exercising During Pregnancy

In what ways does exercising during pregnancy supposedly help the mother and baby?

Postpartum recovery can be positively impacted by prenatal exercise, as can improved health and fitness, reduced risk of pregnancy complications, and even helping to strengthen the offspring throughout their lives.

Is that enough for you, skeptics?

How about more?

Exercising during pregnancy can also reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and excessive gestational weight gain.

And, stretching,  as in Hatha Yoga, hasn’t been well-studied at all.

Even so, well know the benefits of yoga, and many women can attest to the fact that stretching uniquely helps during pregnancy.

The Origins of The Myth Of Avoiding Exercise During Pregnancy

Modern science considers that past notions that all  pregnant women require “bed rest” so as not to upset the growing fetus is an unfounded concept.

No; I don’t mean bed-rest, sometimes. Really, it was bed rest all the time, for the most part.

Nowadays, doctors still prescribe bed rest to moms-to-be, but the difference is, it’s usually when warranted and there’s a clear medical reason why that should be so.

A healthy pregnant woman should actually find many benefits in exercising, as detailed above.

Even so, some doctors who are advanced in age, and were trained when the prevailing philosophy retained the idea that pregnant women were somehow weak, and that exercise was not quite so good, in general, might still think this way.

There is no merit to this myth, and by avoiding exercise, a pregnant person may end up avoiding helping themselves to have an easier pregnancy or a stronger baby.

How can that be a good outcome?

Don’t Buy The Hype About Avoiding Exercise During Pregnancy

Don’t buy into the hype and fear.

There’s really nothing wrong with exercise.

If you’re unsure, ask your birthing professional for some help in developing a fitness program.

Or, search online for prenatal exercises.

You can even take prenatal yoga classes, or learn from home.

The point is, don’t be afraid to exercise.

It’s actually good for you and the baby.

What Does The Research Say?

A 2019 meta-study of 49 past research studies found that prenatal exercise decreased the odds of requiring a C-section by 55%, and that there were no adverse risks to the mother or baby.

Meta-studies can be less-than-reliable, if the data-set was tweaking and “bad” data omitted in a biased manner, but clearly, this was an honest study, and the findings are consistent with the individual health studies that were analyzed.

Adesegun D , Cai C , Sivak A , Chari R , Davenport MH . Prenatal exercise and pre-gestational diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis . J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2019 ; 41 : 1134 – 43.e17 .

Still Hesitant About Prenatal Exercise? Ask Yourself Why.

If you still feel hesitant about prenatal exercise, try to examine your feelings and determine where the fear is coming from.

Perhaps it’s something you might want to spend some time journaling about.

You could also talk with a counselor or therapist or friend.

The “Five A’s” (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange) and motivational counseling tools can help, too.

Don’t let vague fears or nervousness based on something an elder told you a while ago hold you back from living your best life as a pregnant person.

Find out why you feel this way, and then consider working on understanding and overcoming your block, and getting to your exercises.

You only have nine months to do them, so the sooner you start, the better!