A study was recently released that showed that exercise was beneficiall to development of the baby inside of the womb.
The researchers found:
Fetal HR was significantly lower in the exercise group during both breathing and non-breathing movement periods.
Fetal short-term and overall heart rate variability were higher in the exercise group during breathing movements.
Three independent measures of vagal control were higher in the exercise-exposed fetuses during breathing movements.
During periods of fetal non-breathing, there were no significant differences in measures of vagal control between groups. There were no group or breathing period differences in sympathetic heart rate control.
Of course physical activity that a pregnant woman does should be discussed with your doctor. And the type of activity that a woman should do is generally related to how active she was pre-pregnancy and her current health. Swimming and walking are generally two types of physical activity that are safe for pregnant women. Again, this should be discussed with a doctor and evaluated at a case by case basis.
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Source: The American Physiological Society
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