​Swimming in pregnancy

Swimming in pregnancy

July 23, 2019 @ 2.03 PM

Healthcaretoday, swimming, pregnant, pregnancy, exercise during pregnancy, water therapy

Swimming helps ease back aches and muscle cramps in expectant mothers.

Swimming and doing other exercises is a good way to stay active during pregnancy.

"Swimming in particular gives a full body workout and is low impact," said Dr Premitha Damodaran (pix), Obstetrician & Gynaecologist consultant, Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

“It builds strength and endurance and improves muscle tone, all gearing up in a positive direction for labour. It also improves the heart, breathing and oxygen utilisation.

There is no gravity whilst in water and this wonderful feeling makes a pregnant lady move much better in water. This enables her to exercise more muscles and more parts of her body which she is unable to whilst not in water as she has numerous aches and pains.

“As water is also very relaxing, the weightlessness that comes in with zero gravity allows a pregnant woman to feel light and free and this ensures relaxation of body and mind," added Premitha.

Pregnancy causes changes in the shoulders and spine due to the expanding uterus and forward shifting of the lower back. Swimming helps ease this strain by the weightlessness of water easing back aches and muscle cramps.

In addition to this, it helps maintain the weight of the pregnant mother as it is a good form of exercise, gives better sleep and helps with nausea one may experience with pregnancy.

However, Premitha emphasised that mothers need to exercise precaution that they do not dive although any form of strokes is fine. In addition to this, she reminds them not to swim in overheated water and to hydrate after a swim in warm water.