Active pregnancy good for the mind
Exercise can help expectant moms in mind as well as body says a new study which suggests that women who stay active and are more positive about their changing shapes might protect themselves from depression both during and after pregnancy.
“Our study supports the psychological benefits of exercise to improve body image and lessen depressive symptoms,” says lead author Danielle Symons Downs, PhD, associate professor of kinesiology and obstetrics and gynecology at Penn State University.
Downs and her team surveyed 230 Pennsylvania women throughout their pregnancies and during the postpartum period about their symptoms of depression, exercise habits and feelings about their weight, appearance and other aspects of their body image.
Those moms who women who had felt depressed during pregnancy were more likely to report depression in later pregnancy and after they had their babies. Those same women tended to also report that they felt less satisfaction with their appearance throughout pregnancy. “If someone is depressed and not very happy with how their body looks, especially with regard to the physical changes that occur during pregnancy, it can influence depression later on,” Downs says.
Women who reported more depressive symptoms during the first trimester (weeks 0-12) tended to get less exercise. But women who exercised more prior to their pregnancy had greater body satisfaction during the second (weeks 13-28) and third (weeks 29-40) trimesters and less depressive symptoms in the second trimester. It all seems to point to exercise and good levels of fitness pre-pregnancy having a protective effect when it comes to depressive symptoms and body dissatisfaction during mid-to-late pregnancy, Downs says.
Take it slow and easy
All the evidence points to the fact that anxiety and stress in pregnancy is bad for both mom-to-be and baby, and moderate exercise could be a way to help you avoid it. However, you need to be careful. Some types of exercise have been linked with an increased risk of miscarriage so it’s very important that you talk to your OB/GYN before starting or even continuing an exercise program during pregnancy.
There are several relative and absolute contraindications related to pregnancy exercise, and for safety’s sake you must make sure that none of these apply to you. Once you get the go-ahead there are also some clear guidelines
/Advice/-/Pregnancy-and-birth/-/Pregnancy/Safe-exercising-in-pregnancy to follow. As a rule, take it slow and easy – keep up with what you were doing before you became pregnant but don’t go crazy if you didn’t previously get much exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that healthy pregnant women without obstetric complications engage in 30 minutes of moderate exercise most, if not all, days of the week.
The study is published in the August issue of
Annals of Behavioral Medicine.