Should you forget about sports if you are pregnant?

If you are a sportswoman and you get pregnant, the first thing you will think about is if you can really exercise or if you have to make a break in your sports life to wait for your baby . Perhaps you have noticed in social networks how pregnant women appear doing sports, even those sports that are considered harmful when pregnant, such as lifting weights.

When a woman is pregnant and does sports, it can raise a lot of criticism, especially from those people who do not understand much about this subject. Exercising while pregnant doesn’t have to be a bad thing, because it can even help prevent gestational diabetes or high blood sugar. But, exercise will always have to be moderate and above all, be followed by a health professional or a trainer specialized in pregnant women.

HOW MUCH EXERCISE IS TOO MUCH?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) offers some guidelines.  He recommends that pregnant women avoid contact sports and activities that pose a risk of falling or injuring the abdomen . But taking this into account, the exercise that a pregnant woman does will depend more on herself and on the guidelines given by the doctor taking into account her specific situation.

A woman who is pregnant can do most exercises earlier than before conceiving. Walking, walking, swimming, and dancing are safe options for pregnant women. But to avoid full exercises during pregnancy those women who have heart disease, lung disease, who have a weakened cervix, high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia), problems with the placenta, who bleed or those who are at risk of having a premature birth .

It does not matter if you are very fit or not, you will need the approval of your doctor before exercising during pregnancy.

EXERCISES THAT YOU SHOULD NOT DO WHILE PREGNANT

Although we have just said that exercise is not a bad thing for a pregnant woman, as long as the doctor is aware, there are some exercises that should be postponed until after delivery. Next we are going to talk about some of these exercises that are best avoided while pregnant:

-Diving: when you want to dive it means a dive that no pregnant mother should do. When divers rise to the surface, they go through a process called decompression to release accumulated gas in their bodies. Unborn babies are not equipped to handle decompression, and gas bubbles can be fatal to them.

-Contact sports: if you like to play soccer, basketball or another contact sport, you should leave it until after delivery. If you get hit in the stomach during play, you would be putting your baby’s health at risk. For this reason, these games are not appropriate for you during the gestation period.

-Skiing: ski slopes are not a safe place for a pregnant woman. You can fall during a ski race and also if you are at high altitude, it could deprive your baby of oxygen. If you can’t wait until next season to hit the snow, go, but no skis.

-Weightlifting: Weightlifting can be dangerous, but if it is moderate it is not too dangerous . You will not have to lift too much weight because this could cause less blood flow to the placenta and if you are at risk of falling or putting weight on your belly it could be fatal. Small weights nothing happens, but extreme weight lifting is best avoided until after delivery.

These are the 4 forbidden sports for pregnant women. But if you want to play sports and you are pregnant, remember that the first thing you should do is talk to your doctor.