Childbirth is a natural process, despite all its complexity. If a woman is prepared for him, then this to a greater extent guarantees a favorable course of childbirth.
The benefits of gymnastic exercises during pregnancy
Physical activity is useful to everyone, including pregnant women. Daily performance of simple gymnastic exercises has a very beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, blood supply, reducing the risk of fetal hypoxia. Muscles become toned, and this helps to cope with the increasing load every month, when often a woman experiences a constant feeling of weakness and fatigue. Exercise during pregnancy is an opportunity to avoid gaining extra pounds, and also to prevent stretch marks and cellulite.
To prepare the breathing system for childbirth will help special exercises for pregnant women. 3 trimester for such classes is a particularly important period. Trained breathing contributes to less painful contractions and reduces the risk of fetal asphyxiation; the child will receive enough oxygen during labor.
Gymnastics also has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Exercise helps to relax and avoid nervousness, which is important during this period.
Gymnastics at home
Gymnastics must be practiced from the very beginning of pregnancy in order to maintain good health and shape throughout the antenatal period. But visits to gyms, fitness centers at this time should be avoided, doing best at home. Home gymnastics for pregnant women should last no more than 25 minutes. The most difficult thing here is regularity and constancy. Classes should be held daily, and not only when there is a desire and time. Therefore, you should make them in the daily routine and strictly observe it.
Self-selection of exercises can sometimes harm a future mother or baby. Therefore, it will be very good if the doctor who monitors the pregnancy helps with the choice of exercises. He will be able to take into account all the individual characteristics and needs of the body in each trimester.
Rules of caution and contraindications
During pregnancy, special care should be taken to various loads. Therefore, compliance with a number of rules when performing physical exercises will help to avoid trouble:
- Before starting classes, you need to consult your gynecologist and make sure that there are no contraindications. This is especially true for those future mothers who have severe toxicosis, abdominal pain, spotting, uterine muscle tone or there is a threat of termination of pregnancy.
- It is necessary to find out which exercises during pregnancy will be useful and which should not be performed.
- Do not neglect the warm-up, which will warm the muscles and improve blood circulation.
- The room before classes should be well ventilated, clothing free.
- You can’t get too carried away - the exercise time is limited to 15-25 minutes, depending on the trimester. Especially in the 1st trimester, light gymnastics for pregnant women is recommended, which takes no more than 10-15 minutes.
- Sharp movements - running, jumping, active games, training on simulators should be excluded.
- Monitor your heart rate. The pulse should not be higher than 150 beats.
- There is a set of gymnastic exercises for each gestation period.
Exercises for 1 trimester
Strengthening the abdominal muscles, preparing the heart for increasing loads - these are the main tasks that gymnastics for pregnant women helps to solve at the initial stage. The first trimester is the period when the body is most vulnerable, so the simplest exercises are recommended:
- Squats Standing on the floor, legs apart, socks slightly spread outward, with one hand you need to hold on to the back of the chair, and the other stretch to the side. Slowly lowering, without lifting the heel off the floor, spread the knees to the sides. It is important that the muscles on the inside of the thigh tighten. Do 8-10 squats.
- Performing slopes alternately in the right and left sides, hands can be held at the waist or bent at the elbows in front of you.
- Exercise that strengthens the muscles of the chest: standing straight, keep your hands at the level of the pile, joining hands. Inhale - tighten your hands, exhale - relax. Run 15 times.
- Get up straight, climb on toes, stay in that position and slowly lower. Repeat the exercise 10-15 times.
- Perform walking in place for 3-5 minutes.
- Performing waved hands in front of you, alternately with one and the other hand.
- Sitting on the floor, perform a circular turn of the head - in one direction and the other in turn.
It is important to be careful in the process of doing the exercises, you should listen to your body and not abuse the classes. Lesson time should not exceed 10 minutes.
Gymnastics for pregnant women. 2 trimester
Period 2 trimester is less dangerous, and the load is not so terrible. The goals pursued by pregnant gymnastics are also slightly different. The 2nd trimester requires improving the blood supply to the fetus, strengthening the muscles of the back, lower back and abdominal walls. The following exercises are recommended for this:
“The Scissors.” Standing on the floor, spread your arms to the sides and cross them in front of you. Perform such movements 10 times. This will help strengthen your chest muscles.
- Sit down, bend your knees and tightly connect the feet, then slowly spread the knees to the sides, without tearing the feet apart. Repeat 3-4 times.
- The rotation of the body in a standing position - first one way, then the other.
- Sitting on the floor, make turns first with your head in both directions, then with your body, keeping your arms bent in front of you.
During this period, not only light gymnastics is suitable. Exercises for pregnant women can be supplemented with yoga, fitness, swimming pool.
A set of exercises for 3 trimesters
The last months of pregnancy are the most difficult period. Frequent back pain, heaviness in the legs and swelling, problems with the stool - all this will help gymnastics for pregnant women to cope. 3rd trimester - this is the time for calmer exercises that are aimed directly at preparing for childbirth. The goal of the classes at this stage is to improve venous blood flow, joint mobility, increase pelvic floor elasticity and stimulate the intestines. Recommended Exercises:
- Lying on your back, alternately pull your legs to your stomach, bending them at the knees. Repeat 6-7 times.
- Kneeling, sit on your heels and lift up. At the time of the squat, bend your back, getting up - bend back.
- Sit on the floor, pull your bent legs toward you, then, palms gently pressing on your knees, spread them apart, trying to touch the floor with them.
- Get on all fours, slowly bend and bend your back, repeat 5 times.
Do not perform exercises that are too complex and active, because overstrain can lead to an abortion. As soon as you feel tired, classes should be discontinued. In order to make labor activity easier, there were no complications during childbirth, and the postpartum period was painless, exercises should be performed daily for 25-30 minutes. Necessarily in the regime of the day should be gymnastics for pregnant women. 3rd trimester is the most important in preparing for childbirth.
3 trimester ball exercises (fitball)
Exercises with the ball are quite simple, but very useful, because they help reduce high blood pressure, normalize blood circulation, and relieve fatigue. This is mostly relaxing exercises for pregnant women. On the ball you can sit, lie down, leaning on it with your chest, and sway slightly.
In the sitting position, putting the ball in front of you, you can squeeze and unclench it with your hands. This exercise helps to train the pectoral muscles. To strengthen the muscles of the back, it is necessary, sitting on the ball, to rotate the body alternately in one and the other sides.
Respiratory gymnastics according to the Litvinova method
Proper breathing is of no small importance for a future mother. With it, you can normalize the work of all organs and systems of the body.
The complex of special exercises developed by Svetlana Litvinova has a relaxing and calming effect, helps to distract from stress and reduce anxiety. Learn breathing and help prepare for childbirth will help breathing exercises for pregnant women. Litvinova included in her complex a selection of simple and familiar exercises for everyone that take only 10 minutes a day to complete:
- Breast breathing. Starting position - stand upright, hands on hips. Inhale slowly, filling the chest with oxygen. Do not use the diaphragm.
- Diaphragmatic breathing. Holding one hand on the stomach and the other on the chest, take a breath, lowering the diaphragm and slightly protruding the stomach outward. Then - exhale for 4-5 seconds. Such breathing improves blood circulation to the fetus.
- Doggy breathing. To complete the exercise, you will have to portray a dog - standing on all fours and sticking out your tongue, you need to breathe through your mouth often, often, like dogs do when it's hot. In this case, the lungs are very quickly filled with oxygen, and the child receives enough air.
Pregnancy Exercise
There are a number of exercises that should be avoided during pregnancy. These are all exercises for stretching the abdominal muscles, twisting, bridge, twine, as well as gymnastic exercises, when you have to lift your legs (“bicycle”, “birch”, etc.).
Sports during pregnancy
During pregnancy, safe sports are recommended. But there are very few of them:
- Fitness. Repetition to the music of simple movements improves the work of the heart muscle, blood circulation, saturates the body with oxygen. Such gymnastics for pregnant women is quite easy to perform. 3rd trimester is a special period, so you should not get involved in fitness during this period.
- Swimming. This is perhaps the most beneficial sport during pregnancy, recommended at any time. You can swim alone and in a group, but in the later stages it is better if a trainer is present nearby. In water, you can perform various gymnastic exercises. Just important not to overdo it - the time spent in the pool should be no more than 20 minutes.