Pregnancy exercise and your baby

Your baby is affected when you perform strenuous pregnancy exercises. If you get very hot your baby can also get over-heated and this may be dangerous. As you get breathless, your baby's heart rate also gets faster

In a healthy pregnancy your baby's heart rate will quickly return to normal when you rest. However, if there are problems with the pregnancy, it may take longer to get back to normal. Your baby's heart may beat slower than it should for a time.

Ask your midwife, family doctor or hospital specialist about safe pregnancy exercise if:

• You have high blood pressure
• You have any medical conditions such as diabetes, thyroid imbalance or heart disease
• You have had any vaginal bleeding during this pregnancy (or have had two or more miscarriages in the past)
• You have a low-lying placenta (seen on an ultrasound scan)
• Your baby is growing slowly (or previous babies have been slow growing during pregnancy)
• You are expecting more than one baby

Tell your carers what physical activity you are used to, and what level of pregnancy exercise you wish to do. Together you can assess the benefits and risks, and decide on a safe level of pregnancy exercise. Walking, stretching and gentle swimming are good exercise for almost all pregnant women.

Read more about pregnancy exercise: :

• New to exercise?
• More experienced?
• Unsafe exercise
• Pelvic floor exercises
• Talk about exercise in pregnancy in our Pregnancy discussion forum

Reviewed by babyworld midwife Hannah Hulme Hunter