Exercises that Help You Deliver Easily and Get Your Body Back Fast

Learn which exercises will help you have an easier delivery and help you get your body back fast in this Howcast pregnancy video.

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Exercise and pregnancy. Exercise is very important during pregnancy. You want your body to be in really good shape for carrying your pregnancy and for giving birth. Some suggestions for exercising are to wear really supportive shoes, to do so three to four times per week and to run on a firm surface if running outside or indoors. Breathing is key in exercising. Do not hold your breath. While you are breathing, make sure that you are taking nice long slow deep breaths in order to give enough oxygen to your body and to your baby. If at any point while you are exercising you feel pain, stop. You should not be feeling pain while exercising and pregnant. It's really important to stay hydrated while exercising and pregnant. So be sure to drink a lot of water while exercising. You want to avoid vigorous exercise in the heat when you are pregnant. Some exercise that's really great for a pregnant body is prenatal yoga, swimming or walking. Check your local resources for community prenatal yoga classes. It can be a really great way to get to know your body and meet other women in your community. So when exercising during pregnancy, you should try to maintain a healthy balance exercise regime. So in this country a lot of times we think of going to the gym to exercise and lose weight. This is different. You are pregnant. You are growing a baby inside you. You are not getting fat. On average, women gain between twenty-five and thirty-five pounds during pregnancy. Exercise during pregnancy is to help you maintain a healthy body, so that you can have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy birth.

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  • Elizabeth Mangum-Sarach

    Elizabeth Mangum-Sarach is the Director of BirthFocus, LLC, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, a Birth Doula Trainer through Dona International, a Labor Support Doula. She has worked as a DONA certified labor support doula since 2004. Elizabeth is the former Director of Maternal Health and Parenting Services at Inwood House, a non-profit that offers services to pregnant and parenting teens, and is responsible for developing their doula and childbirth education programs.