Are pregnant women lazy to move? here are 3 health problems and their complications

When pregnant, usually you will reduce various activities and activities little by little. Indeed, too much activity during pregnancy may endanger the health of you and your little one in the womb. However, in fact pregnant women who are lazy to move are also at risk of experiencing various health problems, you know.

As a result, if pregnant women are lazy to move

Even though they cannot do heavy work, it does not mean that pregnant women can be lazy to move. During pregnancy, food intake will increase because the baby in the womb needs nutrients to develop. Increasing food intake and the presence of a fetus in the stomach, make the mother gain weight.

If you gain weight is not balanced with physical activity, the risk of various diseases will increase, such as:

1. Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. About 3 in 5 pregnant women are known to have this condition, even though they have never had diabetes before. For that, pregnant women must be able to continue to control their blood sugar levels to remain normal.

When you eat, your body breaks down carbohydrates from food into sugar (glucose). This glucose will be carried by the bloodstream and enter all cells as energy. Well, the transfer of glucose to cells requires insulin so that sugar levels remain normal.

However, during pregnancy the placenta releases growth hormones, some of which can interfere with insulin's function in regulating blood sugar. As a result, blood sugar levels will increase and gestational diabetes can occur.

Apart from hormones during pregnancy, another factor that increases diabetes during pregnancy is being overweight. If pregnant women are lazy to move, their body weight will increase and insulin function will be impaired.

2. Depression

A study led by dr. Nithya Sukumar from the University of Warwick has found an association between pregnancy and depression and prolonged sitting habits.

The research team collaborated with the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in England and found that depressive symptoms are more prone to occur in pregnant women who are lazy to move, aka often sit and lie down for long periods of time.

Lazy movement can cause anxiety and stress for pregnant women. For example, think about how the labor process, feeling lonely, and gaining weight. Depression during pregnancy is not only bad for the health of the mother's body, but also disrupts the development of the baby in the womb.

Depressive symptoms during pregnancy are not very different from ordinary depression. Generally, this condition causes several symptoms that last for 2 weeks or more, such as:

Continue to feel sad, guilty, and worthless
Difficulty concentrating and losing interest in activities that you normally enjoy
Having thoughts of wanting to end your life
Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much

3.High blood pressure (hypertension)

Normal blood pressure in pregnant women is less than 120/80 mm Hg. If the blood pressure is around 140/90 mm Hg or more, it can be considered hypertension. The condition usually doesn't cause any symptoms and is only recognized when you take your blood pressure.

Blood volume during pregnancy will increase by as much as 45 percent. The increased amount of blood inevitably has to be pumped by the heart throughout the body. This causes the left ventricle (left side of the heart) to become thicker and bigger because it has to work hard to pump extra blood. This condition can make pregnant women prone to hypertension.

Well, for pregnant women who are lazy to move, blood pressure can increase and worsen hypertension. Why? Lazy movement can cause weight gain to become uncontrollable. This condition can increase blood flow in the tissue so that blood pressure will increase.

There are several types of hypertension during pregnancy, namely:

1. Chronic hypertension

This condition usually occurs because a woman already has hypertension before pregnancy. The doctor will make a diagnosis of chronic hypertension in pregnant women, if this condition occurs in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Usually, the doctor will give you a safe medication to keep your blood pressure under control.

2. Gestational hypertension

This condition usually develops after pregnancy has passed the 20th week. Fortunately, this condition can be cured after the pregnant mother gives birth to the baby.

Complications if pregnant women are lazy to move

The health of the fetus is very dependent on the mother. If the mother is healthy, then the fetus will also be healthy. Well, what happens if pregnant women are lazy to move? Certainly it will have a negative impact and threaten the health and safety of the fetus.

Complications that occur if pregnant women have a habit of being lazy to move.

Complications of gestational diabetes in pregnant women

Blood sugar that is not well controlled in pregnant women with gestational diabetes will cause several problems, including:

The baby's birth weight is quite large

This will make it difficult for the mother during childbirth. If forced, the risk of nerve damage due to pressure on the shoulder area can occur. For this reason, the medical team will recommend pregnant women to give birth to their child by caesarean section.

Preeclampsia

If pregnant women have hypertension as well as gestational diabetes, the risk of preeclampsia will be even greater. This causes babies born prematurely and pregnant women to experience seizures or strokes during childbirth.

Hypoglycemia

Uncontrolled gestational diabetes can cause hypoglycemia after childbirth. This requires that the baby be monitored for blood sugar for several hours after birth.

Complications of depression in pregnant women

Untreated depression during pregnancy poses a potentially dangerous risk to both the mother and the fetus. This condition can cause babies born prematurely, babies born with low birth weight, or still born with developmental problems.

Worse, pregnant women with depression can also do things that endanger themselves by committing suicide attempts.

If depression persists after childbirth, the child's development will also be impaired. The child will become more impulsive, less cognitive, more emotional. checkers are difficult to interact well with.

Hypertension complications in pregnant women

Hypertension during pregnancy that is not treated and sedentary habits that are not eliminated will cause complications, including:

Preeclampsia

This condition can cause serious damage to vital organs, such as the brain and kidneys. Preeclampsia, also known as toxemia, can cause seizures. If not treated immediately, it will be fatal. Symptoms of preeclampsia that may occur in pregnant women include:

The face and hands are abnormally swollen
Continue to have headaches and disturbed eyesight
Upper abdominal pain along with nausea and vomiting
Difficulty breathing

HELLP syndrome

HELLP syndrome describes a variety of conditions, such as hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. This condition is very severe and life threatening. This can happen if preeclampsia is not treated immediately.

Other complications

Hypertension is not only dangerous for the mother, the fetal growth rate can also be disturbed. This condition can cause babies to be born with low birth weight, including with other complications, such as:

Placental abruption: the placenta is detached from the uterus prematurely, causing the blood and nutrients to be cut off for the baby
Caesarean section and premature birth: in order for the mother and fetus to survive, the baby will be born prematurely by caesarean section.

Tips for pregnant women so they are not lazy to move

An easy way to ensure that your body remains active during pregnancy is by exercising. This physical exercise helps you to control your weight, strengthen the muscles in the body that are stretched due to the presence of a fetus, and facilitate the labor process. So, don't make pregnancy or fear of miscarriage an excuse to avoid exercise.

Before you do this physical activity, always prioritize consulting a gynecologist. Then, apply some of these tips to keep exercise safe, such as:

1. Select the appropriate type of exercise

The most recommended types of exercise for pregnant women are yoga, brisk walking or walking, swimming and dancing. It's best to avoid sports such as cycling, horse riding, or sports that make you flat on your back for long periods of time.

2. Do not exercise alone

Sports are prone to injury. So that this does not happen, it is best to ask your partner or family member to accompany, watch over, and watch over you.

3. Stop when tired

Even though it's healthy, don't overdo it. If in the middle of the exercise, your breath starts to gasp, then take a break.

4. Avoid strenuous exercise

If you start exercising, do this exercise for 15 minutes 3 times a week for 2 weeks. Then, the duration can be increased to 30 minutes.

5. Inadequate body fluid needs

During training, don't forget to bring spare drinking water. This avoids you from thirst or dehydration. Avoid exercising during the day as it will make you tired easily. Do it indoors, if you want to exercise during the day.

6. Warm up

Many skip warm-up sessions before exercising, even though this is important in order to prevent sports-related injuries. Warming up also makes the muscles of the body less "shocked" when exercising so that the muscles are more flexible.

Exercise movements recommended for pregnant women

Source: Pregnant Mama Baby Life

Apart from walking, swimming, or dancing, you can also do some exercise movements that are great for pregnant women. This exercise aims to strengthen muscles and joints, improve circulation, and relieve back pain and lumbago during pregnancy. So that you are not mistaken, follow the exercise movements while pregnant and how to practice them below.

1. Exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles

When the baby in the womb gets bigger, the pressure on the muscles in the lower back will increase. This often causes back pain. Apart from avoiding you from being lazy to move, this exercise can strengthen your abdominal muscles. To demonstrate it, follow the steps, such as:

Position your body like on all fours; knees and hands resting on the floor to support the body. When doing this position, keep your back straight.
Then, lift your back up — toward the ceiling — to pull in the abdominal muscles. Let the head relax facing the front.
Hold this position for a few seconds, then relax your abdominal muscles by realigning your back.
Repeat this movement 10 times. If you feel discomfort or feel pain, stop moving immediately.

2. Pelvic floor exercises

The pelvic floor consists of a layer of muscle that stretches from the pubic bone to the end of the spine. The goal of doing pelvic floor exercises is to strengthen these muscles.

If the muscles in the pelvic area are weak, it is easy to pass urine. For example, when coughing, clean, or tense. If it continues to weaken, urinary incontinence can continue after delivery. That means, you will have difficulty holding or controlling the excretion of urine.

To demonstrate this exercise, follow these steps:

Position your body lying on the floor with your hands at your sides.
Then, bend your knees and let your palms rest on the floor
Then lift the lower back area (around the stomach) slightly upward. Hold this movement for 4 seconds and lower it slowly.
Do this movement 10 times.

Also prevent fatigue during pregnancy in this way

During pregnancy, hormonal changes and the process of developing the baby in the womb will certainly make your body work twice as hard. This is why you get tired easily during pregnancy.

Even so, you shouldn't be lazy to move. Well, here are the ways to prevent fatigue during pregnancy that you can do:

Get enough nutritional needs

Apart from supporting the growth of the fetus, nutritious foods also provide energy for your body. Ensure daily intake of calories, iron, and protein. Don't forget to stay hydrated every day by drinking water, eating soup, or drinking juice.

Enough rest

The key to preventing fatigue is getting enough sleep. You do this by sleeping early and taking time to nap. Avoid drinking too much water at bedtime as it risks causing you to go back and forth to the bathroom. This can disrupt sleep and tire your body the next day.

Rearrange the schedule of activities

The body that gets tired quickly does not allow you to do your usual activities. So, try to rearrange the schedule of activities every day. Reduce various activities that consume a lot of energy or do heavy work. If you can't, finish the job slowly and not in a hurry.