Swimming Whilst Pregnant – Benefits and Precautions

If you are pregnant and carrying the extra weight around, you might not feel like working out at all; the last thing on your mind is getting sweaty and even more exhausted. However, exercise is recommended for a healthy pregnancy and easier birth (unless otherwise advised by your doctor). Swimming is an excellent middle-ground because it allows you to work out without putting any pressure on your (probably swollen and painful) joints. In addition, swimming will allow you to float weightlessly and feel much lighter and more limber, which is welcomed during pregnancy. Swimming is the perfect activity for women that are expecting since it offers the benefits of exercise as well as relief from several common pregnancy-related issues. Here is what you can expect. 

The Benefits of Swimming While Pregnant

Most doctors and experts recommend about 30 minutes of daily prenatal exercise, and swimming is a great way to hit that goal. Some of the major benefits of swimming during pregnancy include: 

• Swimmingrelieves ankle and foot swelling. 

Swollenjoints are the biggest pain of most pregnant women and one of thenot-so-sweet sides of pregnancy. Submersing yourself in watercompletely will boost your circulation, keeping blood from pooling inthe lower limbs, preventing swollen joints. 

• Swimmingcan reduce morning sickness. 

Basedon research. the majority of women that partook in swimming duringpregnancy claim that cool water provides relief from nausea andvomiting.

• Swimmingwill help keep you cool. 

Duringpregnancy, sweat glands are on overdrive, which causes thoseuncomfortable hot flashes that are pretty annoying and hard to dealwith. However, this problem can be solved by a dip in a cool pool,especially when the temperatures peak outside.

• Swimmingeases sciatic pain.

Whenyou are swimming, your baby is floating right along with you, whichmeans it is not pressing down on your sciatic nerve. This is going torelieve that annoying, dull sciatic pain. 

• Swimmingwill make labor and delivery easier. 

A regular workout in the form of swimming is going to help you retain your existing muscle tone and increase your endurance. And when it comes to pushing the baby out during delivery, you will be thankful for both of these.  

Swimming While Pregnant – Precautions

Considering the fact that you are pregnant, you should be extra-careful doing anything, and swimming is no exception. Here are some things you should pay attention to when it comes to swimming while pregnant.

• Donot dive into the pool. 

Whileentering the pool, make sure to step or slide in. The impact ofdiving into the water is not worth the potential risk that comes withit; staying safe is your primary goal. 

• Checkthe water. 

Beforeeven thinking about entering a body of water, make sure to researchit thoroughly in order to prevent water-borne illnesses. The safestbet is avoiding smaller bodies of water and sticking with workouts inwell-chlorinated pools.

• Beextra careful. 

Havinga heavy pregnancy belly might throw off your center of gravity, whichmight affect your movements and balance. Make sure to be extracautious when walking on slippery surfaces to avoid injuries.

• Makesure to stay hydrated. 

Eventhough it does not feel like it, you still do sweat when you areswimming. This is why it is essential to stay hydrated; make sure toplace a water bottle on the edge of the pool to sip throughout theswim session.

Kamil Market Development Expert at Swimmo

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