Comments on: On pregnancy and exercise

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:44:00 +0000

Ummm, I was told that I should exercise when I was pregnant because… you know… exercise is good for you. Of course you can go overboard, but I did yoga everyday and 2 weeks before I gave birth I hiked 3 miles up a mountain. Literally. So I don’t know what these supposed “doctors” are talking about when they tell people not to exercise. Besides that, everyone know that exercise makes vaginal birth easier. I think that this just proves the existing mindset in the western medical field that pregnancy and birth are maladies rather than something natural.

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:55:41 +0000

While I agree that OB care – and society in general – can be fetus-centric to an extreme degree, I’d rather take a non-pharmacological approach to anxiety and depression in pregnancy. Or for that matter, anxiety and depression in general. I prescribe the meds and I’ve taken them myself and they are incredibly valuable, but they are overutilized in ways that serve the purposes of the insurance industry and the drug companies rather than patients. I’d rather be able to offer my patients a variety of different approaches, not just meds or no meds.

But having said that, I agree that mood issues during pregnancy and post-partum are under-recognized and undertreated. “It’s just your hormones, dear!” is not an answer. Parenting a newborn can be an incredibly isolating experience, and when you add to that the ways in which women feel pressured to be perfect mothers without any training and often without any support, it’s a recipe for depression.

By: Elaine Vigneault

Elaine Vigneault — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:10:46 +0000

I haven’t been pregnant but I remember an aerobics instructor who was and she had a miscarriage. Lots of people blamed her for it and said it was because she exercised too much, which wasn’t the reason and even if it was, does she need that? Who thinks it’s OK to tell a woman who just lost her fetus that it was her fault she miscarried? WTF?

By: brandann

brandann — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:54:53 +0000

the key word to any of this is “low risk”. seriously…although, i think all pregnancy comes w/ a level of risk…but if you didn’t know that going in, then you are doing something wrong…but we should be aware of our bodies…if you can’t walk, you obviously shouldn’t exercise…too many people suffer like akeeyu here…
doctors forget who the patient is, IMHO, said fetus isn’t a patient until they are shot out the shoot…let’s take care of patients, shall we?

By: akeeyu

akeeyu — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:33:45 +0000

Slightly off topic, but related to the ‘fetus-centric’ discussion.

I’m pregnant and having a miserable high risk gestation. Fuck exercise, I can barely WALK, but that’s neither here nor there.

I do feel that it’s worth mentioning that when trying to get treatment for a rapid heart rate, severe anemia, etc, etc, I was repeatedly handpatted and told “Don’t worry about a thing, sweetie, the babies are FINE.” Finally, my husband basically yelled “Yes, we’re thrilled that the fetuses are fine, but what about MY WIFE? She is barely functional. She is your patient. Please help MY WIFE.”

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:21:36 +0000

It sounds like more of an educational issue rather than conscious anti-feminist agenda. It wasn’t that long ago that some doctors were advising pregnant women to “have a smoke instead of a sweet if you’re feeling a little fat”.

By: Cara

Cara — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:22:14 +0000

any baby that doesn’t come out perfectly will be blamed on the doctor. Ob/gyns have the highest malpractice insurance out of any other specialty.

The issue of insurance may be true, but it seems to me that any baby that doesn’t come out perfectly is blamed on the mother. Either way, though, it’s pretty anecdotal, and I’m sure that we could both cite evidence.

Some do spend thousands of dollars and long stretches of time trying to get pregnant. But most women don’t. And though I agree that most women want healthy babies, I also think that they don’t want to be infantalized themselves. Again, restrictions on exercise are hardly the only imposition that pregnant women face.

By: sabrina

sabrina — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 15:52:50 +0000

I don’t think this can be explained by doctors being fetus centric. Actually, most mothers who want to carry their baby to term are “fetus centric” and with our litigious society, any baby that doesn’t come out perfectly will be blamed on the doctor. Ob/gyns have the highest malpractice insurance out of any other specialty. I think doctors feel playing it safely to ensure the maximum protection of the fetus is the best way. Remember, some women spend thousands of dollars and hours in clinics trying to get pregnant. Light exercise for nine months doesn’t really seem like that much of an imposition in that light.

By: Ole

Ole — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 09:42:08 +0000

That sounds odd. In Denmark pregnant women are told that gymnastics, walking, running, cycling, swimming and yoga are good types of exercise. The general advice they receive is that you can do as much as you want, as long as it doesn’t feel uncomfortable (as with all kinds of exercise, really…). Most team sports (soccer, handball etc.) and contact sports (karate, boxing etc.) are discouraged, however, in order to avoid punches, falls, running into others and such.

By: Jane

Jane — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 07:29:58 +0000

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/7077867.stm

Nine months after giving birth, Paula Radcliffe wins the New York Marathon.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/PersonOfWeek/story?id=3547940&page=1

Dara Torres holds her young daughter while receiving her medal for winning the women’s 50m freestyle at the last U.S. Nationals. No one can tell me that these awesome women didn’t exercise during their pregnancies :D