Pregnancy tip, exercise till late stages to reduce caesarean complications

Pregnant mothers, take note. A new study suggests that high physical activity - around 35 minutes of daily exercise - till late pregnancy reduces the risk of acute caesarean complications.

fitness Updated: May 11, 2018 16:52 IST

Here’s a pregnancy tip: Regular physical activity till late stages help a lot in minimising caesarean complications. (Shutterstock)

A recent study examined the positive effects of regular physical activity during pregnancy.

A combined lifestyle intervention, including dietary counselling and twice-weekly exercise classes during pregnancy, resulted in a slightly longer first stage of labour, without any other effects during labour or delivery, report researchers.

Women reporting to have high physical activity level ( Around 35 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity/day) in late pregnancy had a reduced risk of having an acute caesarean section compared with those with the lowest physical activity level.

Another study which also spoke about the benefits of exercising when pregnant had said that a combination of dieting and exercise reduced the mother’s weight gain during pregnancy by an average of 0.7 kg. This lifestyle change also lowered the chances of the mother going through a caesarean section by around 10%, revealed the research. This is a good sign, because caesarean section have the risk of infections for the mother and there are also chances of the baby having breathing difficulties.

The Norwegian Fit for Delivery study included 303 pregnant women who participated in dietary counselling and twice-weekly exercise classes.

“The association between physical activity level and mode of delivery might help motivate more women to engage in regular physical activity before and during pregnancy, which in turn will give additional health benefits for the women and their babies,” said lead author Birgitte Sanda, of the University of Agder, in Norway.

The study appears in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.

Other studies have also shown that stress during pregnancy can be bad for the baby. If the mother remains stress free during this period, it helps in the development of the baby.Stress during this time alters neural connectivity in the brain of the unborn child. The study had been presented at a meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

With inputs from ANI

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