Doctors agree it's a good thing to exercise during pregnancy. But a new study shows that too much of a good thing can lead to problems for both mother and
baby.
17 weeks pregnant with her third baby, Nana Sato knows the worries of gaining too much weight.
She says, "my first pregnancy I was exercising pretty much every day."
But this time around, she's put the breaks on too much cardio workout time. She says chasing her two kids is her exercise.
A new study says she is on the right track. Researchers found that excessive
exercise could put mom and baby at serious risk.
More than an hour a day, increased the chance of developing life threatening
pre-eclampsia, a condition which dangerously raises mom's blood pressure and
then decreases the blood supply to the baby.
Dr. Jacques Moritz the director of Gynecology at St. Lukes Roosevelt says pre-eclampsia is the major problem in obstetrics.
He adds that It's very dangerous and people can die from pre-eclampsia.
The Scandinavian study found that women who exercised more than seven hours a
week were 78 percent more likely to get pre-eclampsia.
On average, about 1/2 hour a day of moderate exercise is recommended for
pregnant women and doctors say if you can't carry on a conversation while
exercising, you are overdoing it.
They recommend less strenuous activities like walking and swimming.
Dr. Moritz says one of the best exercises in pregnancy is swimming
because there's no pressure on your joints. He says it's enough exercise and
usually you don't get short of breath.
Pre-eclampsia effects one in every 14 pregnancies.
Doctors say good prenatal care, which regularly monitors the mother's blood
pressure and the baby's heartbeat is critical.
Nana believes when it comes to a healthy pregnancy everything, including exercise, in moderation.
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