In previous years, there was a wide-held belief that expectant mothers should not exercise while pregnant because the strenuous activity could harm the baby.
However, in recent times, women have been encouraged to as stay active during pregnancy as they would have done previously.
The popularity of prenatal exercise classes like pregnancy pilates and aqua aerobics have risen considerably lately, with bloggers and celebrities a like lauding the benefits of both activities.
And now, a new study has revealed that exercising while pregnant can also reduce the chances of needing a Caesarean section.
The research, published in the British Medical Journal, shows that women who exercise and continue to eat healthily during their pregnancy reduce the need for a C-section by 10 percent.
Experts studied the habits of pregnant women in 36 separate studies across 16 countries and found that careful diet and exercise enabled more women to have natural births.
In Ireland, the rate of women having Caesarean sections has risen considerably over recent years.
Since 1992, two Irish maternity hospitals have seen a 154 percent increase in expectant mothers having the procedure. Approximately half of these had been previously planned.
Of the studies included in the research, 23 included women of any weight, seven included women who were obese, and six included women who were overweight or obese.
Data from over 12,000 women was included in the study.
Study author Professor Shakila Thangaratinam said that the research was important because many people still think that exercising can harm an unborn baby.
“We show that the babies are not affected by physical activity or dieting, and that there are additional benefits including a reduction in maternal weight gain, diabetes in pregnancy, and the risk of requiring a Caesarean section.
This should be part of routine advice in pregnancy, given by practitioners as well as midwives.”
The exercises that the pregnant women were advised to engage in included aerobics classes, some weight-based training, and cycling in the gym.
Professor Thangaratinam went on to say that:
“Often with interventions like these, certain groups benefit more than others, but we’ve shown that diet and physical activity has a beneficial effect across all groups, irrespective of your body mass index.”
