Does Exercising When Pregnant Hurt The Baby?

 The answer to the question of "Does Exercises When Pregnant Hurt the Baby?" is an emphatic NO.

Hi, friend.  My. name is Dr. Kelly Sadauckas. I am a Double Board Certified Doctor of Physical Therapy, Pelvic Floor Expert, and I am here today to go over the current science and evidence behind exercise and the safety of mother and baby during pregnancy. Are you ready? 

The huge majority of excellent quality research available to us shows that Nnt only does exercise not hurt the growing baby, exercise actually improves blood flow to the placenta and is makes it safer for mother and child when a mother does exercise, versus when mother does not exercise. I'll give summaries of a few personal fav studies in both layman's text, and also include the reference, for Geek's like me, in sections below.  Let's get to it!

Exercise Doesn't Harm the Baby

First of all, let's start with the studies that show that exercise during pregnancy does not harm the baby:

1. This cool Danish study found no negative effects on baby in mother's who exercised regularly during pregnancy.  WOOT!  
2. Another neat study found no negative effects on baby in mom's who exercised, even if the caloric intake wasn't as high as was ideal. That doesn't mean that there wouldn't be negative effects for mama in that case, so let's be sure to get enough fuel in your tank, people.  

But here's the thing...these studies are from 2006 and 2010---does your OB-Gyn know about these studies?  They honestly might not, so it might be up to YOU  to educate yourself, and your medical team, about the benefits of exercise.  

How can you do this?  Here's a few ideas:

- You can print up the summary page from these studies.
- You could e-mail them a link to this blog post
- You could copy this url to your socials, or "tag me" in your socials
- Find a post or a story I did that you enjoyed, hit the airplane icon, and "share to your stories", that will share it to your audience :)

Benefits for the Baby

Numerous studies have shown that not only is exercise not harmful to the baby, but that it is actually helps the baby be healthier!!!

1. The LeMoyne Study was a randomized controlled trial that showed that babies whose mother's exercised prenatally had increased brain activity from days 8-12 when compared to babies whose mothers did not exercise while pregnant!  This means that if you exercise when pregnant, your baby's brain will be more active after birth, than a baby of someone who didn't exercise.  
2. The Dominiques Study showed improved IQ scores at ages 1, 2 and 4 in babies whose mothers exercised while pregnant!  So if you exercise when you are pregnant, your kid will be smarter than if you didn't exercise!!

Benefits for the Person Growing the Baby

Again, not only is exercise not harmful to the mother, it makes the pregnancy SAFER for the mother!! WOOT!!

1. The same Danish Study that showed no negative effects for baby also showed reduced birth length in people who exercised while pregnant!
2. The Hinman Study was a Review that showed MANY benefits, including reduced risk of Cesarean delivery, and shortened second stage of labor (the part when the baby is coming down and you push it out).  So exercise in pregnancy MIGHT help you with an easier delivery!!  (and perineal massage, and learning to relax your pelvic floor WILL  help you with an easier delivery--check out Push Prep for more juicy deets). 

We will have to talk another time about what exercises are appropriate, though. And how something like, say, running, at a certain point in pregnancy won't hurt baby....but might be a big load on mama's feet and spine and pelvic floor...but that's for another time.

I hope this helped you understand some of the basic benefits of exercising in pregnancy, as well as "myth-busted" some common misconceptions.   If you learned something, please do share this with your social networks or families, and I do truly appreciate you being here. Please consider following me on Instagram or signing up for my mailing list for more tips on exercising in pregnancy (and beyond!).  

XOXO

Dr. Kelly 

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Geek Squad: Study Links

The Danish Study: Juhl M, Olsen J, Andersen PK, Nohr EA, Andersen AM. Physical exercise during pregnancy and fetal growth measures: a study within the Danish National Birth Cohort. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010;202(1):e61–e68.

The Study that showed no deficits in birth weight in mothers who exercised, even if their caloric intake was lower than ideal. Giroux I, Inglis SD, Lander S, Gerrie S, Mottola MF. Dietary intake, weight gain, and birth outcomes of physically active pregnant women: a pilot study. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2006;31(5):483–489.

The LeMoyne Study: LeMoyne EL, Curnier D, St-Jacques S, Ellemberg D. The effects of exercise during pregnancy on the newborn’s brain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2012;13:68.