Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Anne,
    
    Why don't you give your doctor a call.  I believe that it depends
    on the individual, and the only safe person to ask is going to be
    your O.B.
    
    Good luck
    
    Kelly

    I took a Pre-Natal Aerobics class associated with Framingham
    Union Hospital.   The only things we were told to watch out for
    are:
    
    o	Jumping jacks; we were taught to do "half-jacks."  You don't
    really raise your arms and you don't really jump.  I actually forget
    how it's done, but I know it was a definite no-no.
    
    o	Raising your heartbeat to more than 140 beats per minute.
    
    o	Full sit-ups for any reason.  Even going from a laying down
    position to a sitting position should be done by rolling to your
    side and pushing up your body with your arms.
    
    o	Lower body should be elevated by leaning on your elbows to
    do leg-lifts.
    
    I don't know if these are really things to avoid.  The course was
    taught by a nurse and the exercises were approved by doctors at
    the hospital, however, so I give them some credibility.
    
    Diana

    The only thing that I was told to avoid was any exercising lying flat
    on your back after your 4th month. Something about the baby would press
    on some major vein (not much on anatomy can you tell). I did keep up my
    ab work by doing a modified curl. I had a set of safe exercises from
    1987(?) Shape magazine and my aerobics instructor loaned me her
    instructors manual which had a whole chapter on exercises for the 
    pregnant woman. Maybe you could find something similar in the library
    or from your instructor.
    
    Jan

    A friend, who is an accomplished athlete, played in a tennis tournament
    2 days before she delivered!  Another friend was in a boat race far
    into her pregnancy.
    
    Ask your doctor.
    
    Judi
    

    When I discovered I was pregnant I thought I'd have to cut out all
    sports altogether, but I had a word with my midwife who said that as
    long as you don't take up anything *NEW*, and you feel comfortable with
    what you already do then you should be fine.  She also said to listen
    in to your body, if at any time you feel stressed by what you're doing,
    tired, etc., then take it easier, maybe cut down on time spent
    exercising, and make sure you get the all-important rest and
    relaxation.
    
    This worked for me - I was an avid swimmer, but because I was getting
    tired due to a busy work schedule, I have stopped going swimming until
    I leave work and have that extra time on my hands, then I will go back
    swimming, but very gently.
    
    I realise this is different from aerobic exercise, so I can only add to
    *ASK* your doctor/midwife etc.  They'll know what is best for you, and
    if they know you are still exercising they can advise you against it if
    they feel that would be better for you and Baby.
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    Chris   :-)
    

    I found a very good note in the AEROBICS notes file, note 5.16 which
    gives guidelines for pregnant women.
    
    Anne

    Hi Anne,
    
       First of all, CONGRADULATIONS!!  I'm in my 8th month now and am
    still doing aerobics 4-5 times a week.  I do mostly low impact now
    cause my body has just naturally slowed down.  I still do some
    abdominal work, but just small crunches, no sit ups or leg lifts. 
    My Dr. told me with a few restrictions, that I could do just about what
    I had been doing all along.  My aerobics instructor, who has been a
    world or infomation and encouragement all through my pregnancy, told me
    to listen to my body and if I'm getting too tired or feel any
    discomfort, to stop.  I cont.. doing hi impact till about the fifth
    month but by the sixth I just couldn't keep that level of intensity any
    longer, so I adjusted but still cont.. to get a great workout.  Living
    here in Colorado, there are many great hiking trails close by and that
    has been a great addition to my work out.  I asked my Dr. about the 140
    heart rate and he said that number was geared more toward women who
    were just starting a workout program and as long as I don't go past my
    target heart rate I'd be ok.  I guess the best advise I can give you is
    to check with your DR. and read alot on your own.  I also must tell you
    that working out through my pregnancy, though it gets harder to
    motivate yourself is well worth the effort.  The time during the day
    that I feel the best both physically and mentally, is after my workout.
    It will also help your sleep better at night and is suppose help keep
    your digestive system functioning more normally.  I also figure, they
    don't call it labor for nothing, so the more in shape I stay, the
    more stamina I'll have, though I'm sure it still won't be very easy.  

    One of the interesting things that I found in the later months
    of pregnancy while exercising was that my center of gravity was
    changing on almost a daily basis as the baby was growing and
    therefore I had to be extra careful about dance steps and routine
    that once seemed so effortless! I also modified sit ups to just 
    lifting the shoulders off the ground.
    
    I am an avid believer that exercising until the day I delivered
    (a few hours before actually) helped me tremendously in having
    the energy and stamina that I needed.  It also helped after the baby
    was born.  With my doctor's permission I returned to my class after
    two weeks and felt great.
    
    As other notes have said, however, the most important thing is to
    consult with your doctor and listen to your body.
    
    Congratulations!
    
    

	Thought I'd add my experiences here, to give encouragement
	to people who want to keep exercising during pregnancy.

	I am in my 28th week of pregnancy, and have been exercising throughout.

	I teach Step aerobics and body sculpting, and workout with either
	a treadmill or stair-stepper to give me a four-day /week workout
	schedule.
	
	My doctor's advice all along has been:

	o heartrate not to exceed 140 beats per minute.
	o minimal high impact 
	o if it hurts, don't do it
	o if you can't do it, don't do it :-)

	I monitor my heartrate mostly by perceived exertion (I don't take
	my pulse continually, but I know what 140 feels like, and do check
	at times to be sure.)

	I may occaisionally go beyone 140, but not as a rule.

	I did jog once or twice early in my pregnancy, but have found walking
	more comfortable.

	I have more energy than I expected to have during my pregnancy.  I
	took two weeks off during Christmas, and was never more tired.  I
	attribute my energy level to the exercise.
	
	I have gained 10 pounds to date.  I lost some weight in early
	pregnancy, partly from food aversion, partly from exercise.  Since,
	then, I have gained slowly and steadily.  I doubt I would have 
	controlled my weight as well without exercise, as I tend to gain
	easily.

	I also am still doing abdominal crunches.  I may cut these out
	soon, mostly because the baby has now expanded up towards my
	ribcage, and it just isn't that easy anymore.  The guideline of
	the 4th month mentioned earlier is good, but I would still say
	ask your doctor.  I did, and he said, "Do them until you can't
	do them anymore."

	If you have been exercising before you pregnancy and want to continue,
	you should be able to, unless you have restrictions from your doctor.

	Karen

I'd like to echo the advice in .19.  The midwife told me to make sure I was
getting enough oxygen and the baby would too.  Also, do anything you feel
comfortable doing and stop doing anything uncomfortable.

I was still climbing mountains in my 7th month, altho I couldn't carry a pack
anymore (I couldn't balance the weight well enough) and I went quite a bit
slower than I did non-pregnant.

    
    Has anybody been "told off" for taking exercise and what it does to
    your tummy muscles. It seems you cannot win either way!!
    
    I am 35 weeks now and I am still doing aerobics once or twice a week. I
    don't jump about (I step while the class jump) and only do the warm-up
    and the first two "real" work bits. Once my pulse gets to 120/130 I stop
    and move into the gym for some biking/leg presses/weights/arm pulls
    etc. All light work with small weights just to keep my muscles in tone.
    I then cool down by having a long slow swim including "biking" under
    water which feels great. 
    
    I am not doing any sit-up type exercise (or any floor work at all),
    just taking care of my legs, arms, and general body shape!! I have only
    put on 18 lbs and the medics are happy about both my condition and that
    of the baby (who also loves to do aerobics - mainly at 4am!!).
    
    Both my hospital doctor and my midwife have mentioned how tight my
    abdominal muscles are and how most women have more flab around their
    bump. They say "well it'll help you get back into shape afterwards, but
    may not help on the day". When I questioned this, they said "it may be
    harder to push, but we cannot be sure".
    
    Are there any other noters who like me got fit before getting pregnant,
    felt that going on with the exercise was a great way to keep the energy
    levels up (with their doctor's approval), only to be told your tum is too
    tight!!? 
    
    I don't think telling me to stop now will help - two years of hard work
    on this body is not going to turn to flab in 5 (or less) weeks :-)
    
                 thanks
    
                       Celia
                                                                  
    Are tight abdominals likely to slow down labour   

    Celia:
    
    I too, had very tight muscles during my pregnancy.  I was working out
    until 7 months when I had some problems and couldnt continue.  I got
    the same warning.
    
    I had tremendous labor, and when I tightened up, I DID pull the baby
    back up in, so you may want to consider that if this happens before the
    transition stage of labor, getting the appropriate meds to help you to
    not tighten.
    
    My case was also made more difficult by the fact that my baby's head
    was at least one inch to big for me to give birth, and I had to have a
    C-section, so I am sure it was not all muscles.
    
    I personally would continue doing what you are doing.  It seems hard to
    believe that just having tight muscles will make that much difference. 
    And, it is TRUE that everyone's experience is different.
    
    Good luck!  Be glad that you are so in shape, because the breathing and
    other parts of being in shape give you a tremendous advantage over
    others who do not do aerobics, etc.
    
    

                       <<< Note 171.12 by GLDOA::LAETZ >>>
                             -< I wouldn't worry! >-

    Celia:
    
Good news and Bad news....

Your uterus and cervix are muscles and if you abs are in good shape as well
as your hips and legs - your cervix is probably pretty tight too.  This *CAN*
cause dialation to take longer - after all there is more muscle tissue - but
you'll be in great shape to push and you'll recover quickly.
    

I've heard that avid horseback riders are the ones who suffer the most from
this????

Good luck - we'll be rooting for you!

Rochelle

    Hi,
    
    I, too, have really tight stomach muscles after years of aerobics and
    running.  I have absolutely no flab around my bump (I'm 34 weeks) and
    it's hard as a rock.
    
    When I went for my first prenatal visit I asked the doctor about
    exercising and he said he wanted me to stop running but that aerobics
    was fine as long as I didn't exceed a heart rate of 126 and no jumping.
    I specifically asked about stomach exercises and he said to continue
    until I couldn't do them comfortably anymore.
    
    I've switched from regular aerobics to prenatal aerobics and we do do
    some stomach exercises but they are very careful to make sure that
    nothing is strained. Plus we are supposed to cross our arms across our
    stomachs to keep our muscles from straining too much.
    
    My doctor hasn't mentioned any problems about tight stomach muscles and
    he's aware that I still exercise 3 times a week.  I'll have to check
    with him my next visit (Thurs) and see what he says.
    
    Good luck,
    Susan

    
    Thanks for the information, advice and support!!
    
    I just hope that my internal muscles are in as good shape as the more
    visible ones :-) 
    
    Not sure if I'll want something to make my cervix dilate quicker if it 
    is a bit too tight. I guess I'll just see how painful it gets and how 
    the baby copes with labour as well. The Radcliffe in Oxford prefer
    women to take their time as long as both Mum and the baby are in a
    healthy state - let nature get on with the job!! As this is considered
    to be the best maternity hospital in Britain, I tend to believe them.
    
    Now to turn the question around - how quickly have other noters gone
    back to regular exercise after birth? I know it all depends on how the
    delivery goes, how you feel, what the doctor says etc, but some
    feedback would be useful.
    
                     thanks again
    
                            Celia
    
    
    

    Waiting over 27 hours for your vcervix to dilate is not fun :-(. I do
    exercise (run mostly) but am not in athletic shape. But my abdominal
    muscles are very firm. My OB could never poke my tummy to figure out
    what position the baby was in. Even for my current (2nd) pregnancy the
    OB has a hard time trying to figure out the position of the baby by
    poking my tummy. Not sure why, but it took me over 18 hours to dilate 2
    cms. I was incuded with pitocin levels above normal. The pain and
    frequency of contractions (in addition to back labor) were quite bad. I
    did a lot of walking and used the jacuzzi 3 times to help dilate. But
    then again that's me.
    
    I started walking 3 weeks after my daughter was born and started
    running at about 4-5 weeks. I started slow - as much as my body would
    let me and increased after my 6 week postpartum checkup.
    
    Shaila

    
    My OB's instructions for vigorous exercize  - six weeks or when
    the bleeding stops (this was more like 8.5 weeks).  
    
    Rochelle