Running During Pregnancy: Is It Safe?

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Pregnant ladies shouldn’t exercise because it could affect the baby’s health. Is that a fallacy or just a cultural belief? So should pregnant women just rest or lay down all day?! There’s been no evidence to say that women should stay still while carrying a child. Scientific progress has allowed us to better understand the human anatomy and in fact, there’s more evidence to show that remaining active is good for your health and your baby’s health as well. Whether you are an athlete or not, it is fine to partake in sport while pregnant as long as you take some precautions. Your running distance will depend on your sports background.

First on the precautions list – before starting or keeping on exercising, it is highly recommended to check with your doctor before you proceed with any activities.

 

I’M PREGNANT…

A typical pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. So a common practise is to divide it into three trimesters:

During the first trimester

your body doesn’t considerably change.
The weight you gain isn’t too high so you won’t experience backaches… yet. However, you may experience other symptoms that are part and parcel of the usual “pregnancy pack” such as extreme fatigue, nausea and vomiting, food cravings or aversions, mood swings, constipation, frequent urination, and other unpleasant side effects. These may affect your daily schedule.

When pregnant, your body may also suffer from a lack of vital nutrients. That is why many advocate additional prenatal vitamins to supplement your body’s needs.

What kind of vitamins?

FOLIC ACID, also known as folate, is a B-type vitamin that helps from preventing neural tube defects. Neural tube defects are birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord. They happen in the first month of pregnancy, often before a woman even knows that she is pregnant. That is why if you intend to be pregnant or if you are, make sure you have the daily right amount of acid folic. You need at least 400mcg/day before conceiving and 600mcg/day during pregnancy according to USA standards.

IRON is important because it is a necessary component for the production of haemoglobin, which enables the transportation of oxygen in your body. But beyond this primary function, it is essential throughout the 9 months. For you: During pregnancy, your body works more intensely and many organs (uterus and kidneys in particular) are working at full capacity. This increased activity requires more blood volume. For your baby: Iron is essential not only to ensure proper development of the baby, but also for pregnancy-related organs such as the placenta or the umbilical cord. If iron stores are missing, you run the risk of giving birth to a premature or a low weight baby.