Alternative Health Blog

Regular exercise can seem counter-intuitive for an expectant mother. But a new report confirms that water aerobics is a safe and effective form of working out for pregnant women.

While delivering a baby by water birth might be a bit much for some women, Brazilian researchers published a recent paper in the journal Reproductive Health showing that moderate, water-based aerobic exercise has no detrimental effect on fetuses.  The researchers compared the health and deliveries of two groups of 71 and their babies after delivery.

The study might be most useful to women who enjoyed group aerobics but get strongly voiced concerns from relatives (OK, some percentage of mothers-in-law) and even some doctors who are worried about any heightened form of exertion while the pregnant mother-to-be just wants to get some exercise—for physical health, yes, but also for energy level and mental wellness measures.

Weight gain and body composition were two measures in the Brazil study, along with the all-important pregnancy outcome. All of the women in study were sedentary, four to five months pregnant and categorized as low-risk pregnancies.

One group remained sedentary while the other group started regular group classes of water aerobics.  Classes were 50 minutes long three times each week. On average, the women logged about eight weeks of classes before stopping under doctor’s supervision. There is clearly an opportunity to include water aerobics as part of the second trimester, helping the mother to stay healthy (not in body weight/fat but overall strength and energy levels) without any compromise of the infant’s well-being.

In fact, the study showed no significant statistical difference between either group in terms of the baby’s gestational age at birth (no slowing of growth due to exercise), preterm birth rate or the infant’s weight at birth. A more subjective measure of baby vitality and alertness also showed no differences.

No about that maternity swim suit…

Bob Condor blogs for Alternative Health Journal every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.