Swimming during pregnancy is fine, as long as you follow the safe tips

Do you want to keep exercising while pregnant? Can try swimming which is best done when the mother is pregnant. Pregnant women who are diligent in exercising can prevent their babies from developing chronic diseases as adults. Then why is swimming during pregnancy recommended and what needs to be prepared? Here's the explanation.

Can you swim when you are pregnant?

Quoting from Tommy's, swimming is a type of sport that has a lower risk of injury to joints and ligaments because the body is supported by water. Swimming also includes aerobic movements which can reduce the risk of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.

Some of the benefits of swimming during pregnancy are:

Improve lung and heart health

Quoting from Loma Linda University Health, maintaining cardiovascular health will help prepare for childbirth for pregnant women.

Swimming can improve lung and heart health, and can even prevent extreme weight gain and complications of gestational diabetes.

Reduces swelling during pregnancy

Swimming can improve blood circulation and reduce swelling in various parts of the body during pregnancy. When swimming during pregnancy, the buoyancy removes the burden of pregnancy from the muscles and back. This makes the body more relaxed and comfortable.

Relieves the effects of nausea

Pregnant women often feel hot during pregnancy and make the body uncomfortable. Swimming has a cool effect on the body and can help relieve nausea during pregnancy.

In addition, swimming can also make the body firmer without adding to the burden on the joints. Swimming helps keep you in shape and provides you with enough energy.

Moreover, swimming exercises all the work of the body's muscles, so that it makes pregnant women not easily tired because they don't need to exhaust a lot of energy for activities.

However, even though swimming is safe for pregnant women, not all activities in the water can be done. Some that are not recommended are scuba diving and water skiing.

The important thing, be sure to check with your doctor before starting any new activities while pregnant.

How do you stay safe swimming while pregnant?

Even though swimming is a sport recommended for pregnant women, you still need to be careful about water conditions.

Here are some tips for staying safe during swimming:

Stay alert while swimming

When pregnant women swim in the wild, such as the sea, lake or river, pay attention to the flow of water. We recommend that you be accompanied by a lifeguard or the location.

When swimming in an ordinary pool, do you need to worry about the chlorine in pool water?

Heather Figueroa, obstetrician at Loma Linda University Health explained that there are no studies that show any adverse effects of chlorine on pregnancy.

So far, swimming in an ordinary pool can still be done by pregnant women.

Avoid saunas and hot baths

Figueroa says that in the first trimester of pregnancy, hot baths and saunas are not recommended. The reason is, the gestational age is the time when the spinal cord develops in the fetus.

When soaking in hot water, it is feared that it can increase the core body temperature of pregnant women to fever and interfere with fetal development in each trimester of pregnancy.

Warm up and cool down

Even though swimming during pregnancy is safe and recommended, you still have to be vigilant by warming up and cooling down.

Warm up and cool down properly to prevent muscle cramps or injury during exercise.

If swimming causes stomach cramps every 10 minutes, stop swimming and call your doctor right away.

Also avoid swimming too hard until your breath feels short. Ideally, swimming duration is 30 minutes a day. You can reduce it when the body feels tired.

In addition to the things above, some tips to be comfortable when pregnant women swim, namely:

Swim in the morning to neutralize nausea and increase body strength.
Keep drinking water even though swimming does not make the body feel sweaty

Drink 1 glass of water every 20 minutes and at least a glass of water after leaving the pool. The amount of water needed, of course, will increase as the weather gets warmer.

What swimming styles are suitable for pregnant women?

During the first trimester, you can swim in whichever style you are most comfortable and comfortable with. But entering the second trimester, pregnant women usually have a body size that is getting bigger and heavier.

Backstroke with your back in the water can be a good movement for pregnant women to make during the second trimester.

Meanwhile, breaststroke is the best and most beneficial swimming style choice for pregnant women who are in the final trimester of pregnancy.

The reason is, breaststroke will help lengthen the chest muscles and reduce pressure on the back muscles. It's best to avoid backstroke as the time for birth approaches.

Even though swimming is a safe choice of exercise for pregnant women, don't forget to be careful when getting out of the pool to avoid the risk of falling, slipping and drowning.