Your Guide to Swimming While Pregnant
Swimming while pregnant can be one of the great physical releases of those nine months that we are awaiting our new little arrival. Many of us worry, however, that we might be damaging the little life we are carrying with us as we unburden our feet and backs. The good news is that it is perfectly safe to go swimming while pregnant so long as you follow a few common sense rules.
Safety Concerns
You should always check with your doctor first, of course, but generally speaking the swimming pool is a perfectly safe place for pregnant women. Studies have not turned up any negative results to fetal growth from chlorine, bacteria, or emersion. In fact, many studies show that remaining active has positive effects during pregnancy.
There are only two main concerns you should have during the pregnancy. The first is less about the pool itself than the hot tub and the sauna. Although it is perfectly fine to go in a pool, hot tubs and saunas do have some counter-indications. Studies have shown that the increased temperature of a sauna or hot tub can lead to problems in fetal growth and development. You will not “cook” your baby, and it is not clear that a one time hot tub experience during the first few weeks has much of an effect (so don’t worry if you went hot-tubbing the day after conception). Repeated exposures to such heightened temperatures and exposures beyond the very first weeks of pregnancy increase the chances of problems and should be avoided. You need not, however, worry about heated pools. So long as the pool is not heated to hot tub like temperatures and is just lukewarm, like most heated pools are, this is not any different from being out in the air as far as the baby is concerned.
The other concern is with your level of physical activity. You should not, of course, do anything that jostles the baby too much. You definitely do not want to be using the diving board, doing cannon balls, jumping on trampolines, or anything of that nature. (Not that you are likely to engage in these activities pregnant, but just in case.) However, you should also try not to overexert yourself--especially as your reach the second trimester and beyond. Even if you used to do dozens of laps in your Olympic sized pool before you were pregnant, you now want to take it easy when it comes to physical activity.
The Benefits of Swimming While Pregnant
Many women love swimming while pregnant. As your baby grows, and you have more of a load to carry around, you will find that the buoyancy of pool is a welcome relief from the pull of gravity. All of a sudden if feels like someone has lifted fifty pounds off your stomach. The pool can also offer a welcome relief to the higher temperatures not only of the weather, but also of your own pregnant body. Many women feel like their bodies have become mobile little ovens—thus bringing a completely new meaning to the phrase, “bun in the oven.” Of course, this is because the hormones raging in our bodies have made us into walking and talking incubators. The cool water of the pool is just what the doctor ordered for many of us during these hot flashes.
Overcoming Body Image Problems
For many of us gals, however, swimming while pregnant brings up lots of insecurity concerning body image. The last thing we want to do is put on our swimsuit and walk out in front of a bunch of strangers in our current condition. If you have such misgivings, you should check with your local gym and find a water aerobics class targeted to pregnant women. In addition, you will want to buy a swimsuit designed for pregnancy. Such suits will stretch out with you and will have the extra coverage that will help you to feel more comfortable while you’re at the pool.
Enjoy the swimming, ladies. You may find it harder to get the free time after the little one comes—at least until you’re both ready for the “Mommy and me swimming classes” anyway.