Is Exercise During Pregnancy Okay?
Hi there! I’m 15 weeks (about to be 16 weeks) pregnant with twins. Morning sickness is finally starting to even out and not be quite so bad (a tad bit of nausea, but I can handle keeping more down) so I’m feeling more like I can handle exercising, but I’m totally lost. My first pregnancy, I was a student and was going across campus multiple times a day. I’m up and walking about 6 hours a day while at work, but I’m wondering about anything else I could be/should be doing. Any programs you would suggest that I can do from home?
Exercise With Twins
Double blessings to you! Mid-pregnancy is when nausea usually reaches its low point (so you’re almost there). Generally, if there is such a thing, mid-pregnancy is the most comfortable stage of pregnancy. Since I have been through some of these feelings with my own seven pregnancies, my first impression is that you need to rest your body more than in a singleton pregnancy because the two little bodies inside are out of necessity diverting a lot of your energy.
Pregnancy Friendly Exercises
It seems like your main concern is how much exercise and what exercises are best during pregnancy. In general, the exercise that’s right for you is the one that you will consistently do, but not overdo. Swimming tops the list of the most pregnancy-friendly exercises, both mentally and physically. That doubly fluid-filled belly will be a natural floatation device for you, making swimming, especially the breaststroke, easy and pleasurable. Be sure to listen to your body’s signals that say “enough, rest, cool it…” You will find two of our books very helpful when it comes to the most healthful and safe exercises during pregnancy: The Healthy Pregnancy Book and, our newest, coauthored with our daughter, Hayden, The Healthy Pregnancy Journal.
Omega-3s
Finally, in answering all my questions for Mondays with Martha I try to add something new that most parents haven’t heard of or thought of. As you will read in both above references, taking adequate doses of omega-3s during pregnancy is doubly important for you. Ideally, it would be healthy for you to eat twelve ounces of wild Alaskan salmon a week and take 1,000 milligrams of an omega-3 DHA/EPA supplement each day. Yes, there is some DHA in most prenatal supplements, but not enough.
The newest and smartest way to tell if you’re getting enough omega-3s is a fingerstick blood test called VitalOmegaTest. We talk about this in our books and on our website, AskDrSears.com. As you’ll see, omega-3 DHA is the top nutrient your babies need for brain growth. And, you need to take enough for all three of you. An omega-3 deficiency is one of the most overlooked causes of both extreme fatigue during pregnancy and postpartum blues after pregnancy.
I wish you a double congratulations!
Written By: Martha Sears, R.N.
Martha is the mother of Dr. Bill’s eight children, a registered nurse, a former childbirth educator, a La Leche League leader, and a lactation consultant. Martha is the co-author of 25 parenting books and is a popular lecturer and media guest drawing on her 18 years of breastfeeding experience with her eight children (including Stephen with Down Syndrome and Lauren, her adopted daughter). Martha speaks frequently at national parenting conferences and is noted for her advice on how to handle the most common problems facing today’s mothers with their changing lifestyles. Martha is able to connect with both full-time, stay-at-home mothers and working mothers because she herself has experienced both styles of parenting. Martha takes great pride in referring to herself as a “professional mother” and one of her favorite quips when someone voices their concern about her having eight children in an already populated world is: “The world needs my children.”