Exercising using water workouts during pregnancy has many benefits for moms-to-be. Regular exercise for 30 minutes or more most days can decrease the risk of gestational diabetes, promote healthy weight gain and strengthen your blood and heart vessels. It can also help you lose the baby weight more quickly after delivery, as well as help ease constipation and reduce back pain.

More Perks From Water Workouts During Pregnancy

Aquatic exercise has even more perks than regular exercise, such as the following:

• Doing gentle water walking or pool aerobics help support the belly and relieves pressure from the spine and pelvis while swimming.
• Water workouts also use many of your body’s muscles and contribute to fewer exercise-related injuries and muscle strains than other, dry-land aerobic activities.
• Pools are a cool place to exercise, especially during the summer months.

Beware of Water Hazards

Despite the many benefits of water workouts during pregnancy, there are precautions you should take when working out in water.

Even though you might not feel like you are sweating while exercising in the pool, you are. So, be sure to hydrate by drinking plenty of water during your workout and throughout the day. If you feel clamminess, dizziness or other signs of overheating, you should stop exercising.

Also, keep in mind that not all water exercises are safe for you or your baby.

During pregnancy, avoid water skiing, scuba diving, and other activities that involve uncontrolled, rapid swinging and bouncing. You should also avoid high water temperatures in spas and pools. Anything that raises your core body temperatures above 102 degrees Fahrenheit is potentially hazardous to your baby.

How to Get Started

Healthy women with normal pregnancies are generally safe to continue or start most types of exercise, including water workouts during pregnancy.

If you were very active before pregnancy, you can often keep doing the same workouts with few modifications. And, if you’re new to exercise, you can start a routine and gradually increase your activity until you can comfortably workout for 30 minutes.

During one of your early prenatal visits, talk with your obstetrician about exercise – either in the water or out. If he or she gives the OK, then you can formulate a plan together that best fits your needs and is safe during pregnancy.

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