| ches about exercise and pregnancy struggle with the | | | | regular basis, were 81% less likely to develop |
| pros and cons of exercise during pregnancy. For many | | | | gestational diabetes compared with women reporting |
| years, physicians suggested moderate activity levels | | | | negligible or minimal exertion. Women reporting |
| for pregnant women, and then made a drastic flip, | | | | moderate usual exertion had a 59% risk reduction |
| stating that pregnant women should continue with their | | | | compared with women reporting negligible or weak |
| activities, or give up sedentary lifestyles in favor of | | | | exertion. Researches about exercise during pregnancy |
| regular physical exercise, stating that it would facilitate | | | | conducted by Dr. Richard Feely, M.D. support the |
| an easy labor and delivery. It seems, according to | | | | positive benefits of exercise during pregnancy, noting |
| current researches about exercise during pregnancy, in | | | | that it may lower the risk of high blood pressure or |
| some ways, both were right. The National Institute of | | | | preeclampsia during pregnancy. Two hundred and one |
| Child Health and Human Development provided | | | | women with preeclampsia during pregnancy, and three |
| $150,000 in grant money to fund a research project | | | | hundred and eighty-three women who didnt have high |
| designed to determine the accuracy of existing | | | | blood pressure during pregnancy, took part in the |
| methods of measuring energy expenditure in pregnant | | | | study. The women reported their level of recreational |
| women. According to exercise physiologist, James | | | | activity, walking, and stair climbing for the periods prior |
| Pivarnik, though there have been improvements in | | | | to conception and for the first twenty weeks of |
| ability to measure, or estimate, energy expenditure in | | | | pregnancy. The risk of high blood pressure during |
| field settings, most of the research has been done on | | | | pregnancy was reduced by about 33% in women |
| people who were not pregnant, so there is still much to | | | | who engaged in recreational and physical activities |
| be learned in researches about exercise during | | | | during the year before pregnancy and during early |
| pregnancy. Dr. Pivarnik postulates that this research will | | | | pregnancy. Those women who did not regularly |
| go a long way in determining the role of physical | | | | exercise, but climbed stairs every day, also had a |
| activity and energy expenditures effects on | | | | lower risk but to a lesser extent. A recent study at |
| pregnancy. According to Dr. Carole B. Rudra from the | | | | Case Western Reserve University found a direct |
| University of Washington, who spearheaded recent | | | | correlation in maternal health and exercise during |
| researches about exercise during pregnancy, provided | | | | pregnancy, but also noted a definitive correlation in the |
| more evidence that engaging in regular physical activity | | | | health of the babies of mothers who did or did not |
| both before and during pregnancy, reduces the risk for | | | | exercise as well. In summary, researches about |
| gestational diabetes, which threatens the health of both | | | | exercise and pregnancy support the belief that |
| mother and baby, and directly correlates to the risk of | | | | expectant mothers should continue suitable forms of |
| the mother developing diabetes later in life. Women in | | | | exercise throughout pregnancy, provided there are no |
| the study, who reported very strenuous exertion on a | | | | prohibitive medical conditions to prevent it. |