13 Rules for Safe Pregnancy Exercise.  

     Exercise has great benefits, but during pregnancy you need to be extra cautious. Whether you're a regular exerciser looking to continue your exercise routine during pregnancy, or a former couch potato looking to get moving, follow these 13 rules to keep yourself and your baby healthy and safe. 

1. Always check with your healthcare provider first !
If you exercised regularly before getting pregnant and your pregnancy is problem-free, you can most likely continue working out as before — with modifications as noted below. There are exceptions to this general rule, so talk to your doctor or midwife about your fitness routine to make sure your activities don't put you or your baby at risk.

If you're starting from scratch as a non-exerciser, see our exercise guide for beginners, and talk to your healthcare provider.

2. Take in extra calories
Get the 300 to 500 additional calories a day you need during pregnancy, especially if you're exercising. Make sure to eat wellto help nourish and strengthen your body. 

3. Steer clear of dangerous sports
Avoid contact sports, as well as activities that might throw you off-balance, such as horseback riding or biking. Even if you're normally graceful, keep in mind that the increased levels of the hormone relaxin during pregnancy, which relax pelvic joints in preparation for childbirth, loosen all ligaments and joints, making you more susceptible to sprains and injury from falls. See our list of safe sports and those to avoid. 

4. Wear the right clothes
Wear loose-fitting, breathable clothing. Dress in layers so it's easy to peel off a layer or two after you've warmed up (or if you simply feel too hot). Make sure your maternity bra offers enough support, and choose athletic shoes that fit your feet properly and offer good support. If your shoe size has changed because of mild swelling, stash away your pre-pregnancy sneakers and buy a new pair. 

5. Warm up
Warm-ups prepare your muscles and joints for exercise and build your heart rate up slowly. If you skip the warm-up and jump into strenuous activity before your body is ready, you could strain your muscles and ligaments and experience increased post-workout aches and pains. 

6. Drink plenty of water
Drink water before, during, and after exercising. Otherwise, you can become dehydrated, which can cause contractions and raise your body temperature, sometimes to levels that are dangerous for you and your baby. James M. Pivarnik, Ph.D., of Michigan State University, says that while there's no official recommendation for how much water pregnant women should drink while exercising, a good guideline is to drink one cup (8 ounces) before you exercise, one cup for every 20 minutes of exercise, and one cup after you finish your workout. In hot and/or humid weather, you'll need more.

7. Don't lie flat on your back
Avoid lying flat on your back after the first trimester. This position puts pressure on a major vein called the vena cava, which will diminish blood flow to your brain and uterus, and can make you dizzy, short of breath, or nauseated. Some women are comfortable in this position well into their pregnancies, but this isn't necessarily a good gauge of whether blood flow to the uterus is affected. Placing a pillow under your right hip or buttock will allow you to be almost supine without compressing the vena cava.

8. Keep moving
Standing motionless for prolonged periods — as when you're lifting weights or doing yoga poses — can decrease blood flow to the uterus and cause blood to pool in your legs, making you dizzy. Keep moving by switching positions or walking in place.

9. Don't overdo it
Don't exercise to exhaustion. A good rule of thumb: Slow down if you can't comfortably carry on a conversation. In general, the best guideline is to listen to your body. When something hurts, that means something's wrong, so stop. You should feel like you're working your body, not punishing it. For more signs of danger

1. Nausea
Feeling sick after a workout means you may have built up too much lactic acid, a byproduct of muscle metabolism, in your stomach.

Call your healthcare provider: if the nausea persists after you've cooled down.

2. Dizziness
Persistent dizziness or dizziness accompanied by blurred vision and headaches or heart palpitations can be a symptom of severe anemia or other serious illness that could affect your pregnancy.

Call your healthcare provider: if your dizziness continues after you've cooled down.

3. Sudden change in body temperature
If your hands turn clammy or you get hot or cold flashes, your body's telling you that it's having a hard time regulating its internal temperature, which can be harmful to your baby. The baby can get overheated just as you do.

When your body overheats, blood flowing to the uterus is diverted to the skin to help the body cool itself off, putting the baby in jeopardy.

Call your healthcare provider: if your body temperature continues to fluctuate.

4. Heart palpitations
If you can't keep up your side of a conversation or you sweat buckets while you exercise, you're probably working too hard.

Call your healthcare provider: if your heart continues to race after you've cooled down.

5. Swelling in your calf
Your feet and hands may puff up a little after exercise, but if you notice calf pain or swelling, it could indicate thrombophlebitis, a type of vein inflammation related to a blood clot, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Call your healthcare provider: if the swelling doesn't diminish within an hour after cooling down.

6. Vaginal bleeding
While some women experience light spotting throughout their pregnancy, bleeding is cause for concern. Early in your pregnancy, it could signal a miscarriage. In the second and third trimesters, bleeding is associated with premature labor and complications with the placenta, such as placenta previa or placenta abruption. All require immediate medical attention.

Call your healthcare provider: immediately. If you can't reach anyone, go to the emergency room.

7. Blurred vision
If your eyesight gets hazy in the middle of exercising, you may be dehydrated, which sends your blood pressure plummeting and your heart into overdrive. As a result, not enough blood may be getting to your developing baby's vital organs. It may also be a sign of preeclampsia. Since preeclampsia can severely restrict the flow of blood to the placenta, it can be dangerous for your baby.

Call your healthcare provider: immediately. If you can't reach anyone, go to the emergency room.

8. Fainting
Fainting during pregnancy shouldn't be taken lightly. It could mean something as simple as dehydration or as serious as major circulatory problems. You may not be getting enough oxygen to your brain, which means your baby may not be getting enough, either.

Call your healthcare provider: immediately. If you can't reach anyone, go to the emergency room.

9. Sharp, recurring pain in abdomen and chest
It may just be your ligaments stretching, but you could also be having contractions, especially if the pains recur at somewhat regular intervals. You'll need to be hooked up to a fetal monitor so your healthcare provider can find out whether you're in labor.

Call your healthcare provider: immediately. If you can't reach anyone, go to the emergency room.

10. Fluid leaking from your vagina
If your underpants feel constantly wet or you feel leaking or even a gush of watery fluid from your vagina, it could be premature rupture of the membranes and a signal that your body's about to go into labor.

10. Don't get overheated
Avoid letting yourself get too hot, especially during the first trimester when your baby's major organs are developing. Although there's no proof of a danger to humans, some animal studies suggest that overheating can cause birth defects.

Increased blood flow and a higher metabolic rate mean you'll feel warmer than usual when you're pregnant, and doubly so when you exercise. And since feeling warm is common in pregnancy, you may get overheated much faster than you normally would, even before your belly is big.

Signs of being overheated are largely individual, but pay attention if you're sweating a lot, feel uncomfortably warm, or feel dizzy or short of breath. On hot and/or humid days, skip your workout or exercise indoors in a well-ventilated, air-conditioned room. Wear loose, non-binding clothing and drink plenty of water.

To cool off quickly, stop exercising, take off layers, and change your environment: seek out air conditioning or step into a cool shower. Hydrating is key, too, so drink lots of water. 

11. Get up from the floor slowly
As your belly grows, your center of gravity shifts. That's why it's important to take great care when you change positions. Getting up too quickly can make you dizzy, and may cause you to lose your footing and fall. 

12. Cool down
At the end of your workout, take a few minutes to walk in place and then stretch. Heart rate increases during pregnancy and it may take as long as 15 minutes for your heart to return to its resting rate following a workout.

13. Make it a habit
Make a commitment to work regular exercise into your schedule. Keeping up a routine is easier on your body than periods of inertia interrupted by spurts of activity. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, you can safely engage in 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week as long as you have your healthcare provider's go-ahead.