just keep fit (Exercise When Pregnant in general)

Member Name: cloudbuster

Product:	Exercise When Pregnant in general
Date:	29/05/03 (227 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: increased heart and lung capacity, teaches good breathing techs, keeps mind active

Disadvantages: none

Exercise during pregnancy is a very individual thing. All I can tell you is my experience and say as some one who graduated i sport science if you have never done any exercise then just going for light walks around the block will be great combined with your pelvic floor exercise- all midwives will explain this one, it involves clenching the bum cheeks and pulling your internal muscles upwards. Imagine trying to stand in a correct posture. Basically only do what your body can cope with everyone should know their bodies limitations.

As for myself. Well I was fit to start with I would not have got through a sports degree without being so. My husband and I also own a stable yard and have 60 acres of land to manage. As he has a day job then even though I was pregnant and I mean even the day before I gave birth it was up to me to drive the land rover over the fields, poo pick the fields, weed spray and make sure the horses (15) had water in the fields. I also had to muck out and do the muck heap. For me it felt natural I knew my bodies limits and when lifting the water containers or hay bales just made sure I bent correctly and lifted slowly and carefully. However for my midwife well I'm suprised she never gave birth for me!! In the end she gave up telling and trusted that I would do nothing too stupid.

In the end keeping fit like that was the best thing I did even the midwives agreed. I was 2 weeks late so had to scrap the home birth so went in to hospital. I walked myself down to the labour ward at 6cm dilated and continued to walk through all my contractions until 9 cm gone when I listened to my body and husband and climbed on to the bed and gave birht kneeling up right after a 5 1/2 hour labour.

I used no pain relief at all not even gas and air and this was even though Callum was born the wrong way round - his head was down but his spine was against mine which meant that my back spasmed.

For me I believe that keeping fit and lis
tening to my body when leading up to the birth and then power of positive thought and mental relaxation techniques helped me to have the calming birthing experience that I wanted. Even though not at home.

So what can I tell people. Just listen to your body and do not push yourself beyound what you know you can realistically do.

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