As you get ready to have a baby, you may be wondering if it is okay to go running with that little human inside you. You may have concerns about whether all that activity and jogging will cause the baby to bounce up and down and cause injury or whether such physical exertion on the mother’s part is bad for the baby somehow.
The simple answer is that it is safe to jog while pregnant and after you have had the baby as well. In fact, jogging can be very good for the baby and the mother, and we’ll tell you why.
Jogging is doctor recommended
Gynecologists and other medical experts recommend jogging while pregnant. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises pregnant mothers to get about 20-30 minutes of physical activity each day. This doesn’t have to be a high intensity workout or anything, but some light exercise like what jogging provides can be very helpful.
That exercise is going to help out with all sorts of medical problems and make your pregnancy much less complicated. Jogging a few times a week while pregnant reduces the risk of preterm birth, high infant birth weight, preeclampsia, and the necessity of a caesarian section.
Jogging also helps you to feel better, getting rid of anxiety and reducing stress factors. Pregnancy can come with a lot of tension and worry, and when you get involved in some physical activity, you can work a lot of that out. If you find yourself constantly worried about the birth and the health of the baby, then running can do you a lot of good.
Of course, you can end up more stressed than before if you have the wrong kind of running equipment. Shoes that are too tight or that don’t offer enough support can leave you with sore feet or injured arches. Clothes that are a poor fit for you can chafe or make it difficult to do much jogging. Make sure you have the right equipment before you go jogging, and you may want to to check out online resources like Jogging Addiction to find the best gear for running while pregnant.
Jogging can speed up childbirth
Are you having trouble waiting for the baby to come out and want to hurry things along? If you have reached your due date and are not seeing signs that the baby is coming soon, then one thing that doctors recommend to help the process along is to engage in some physical activity. Jogging has helped many an expectant mother give birth when they were inpatient to have the baby come out. While running during the third trimester is uncommon, there are still many mothers that manage it, with some professional runners jogging even on the day of delivery and the day after they have given birth.
Of course, the running will be a lot slower during the tail end of the pregnancy, but it can still be beneficial to run, so long as the mother is able to without too much discomfort.
Running after pregnancy
It’s very common these days for new mothers to take up jogging as a way to get their pre-pregnancy body back. Mothers are snapping back to their original weight faster than ever, and jogging is a good way to do that. However, this can also be dangerous, if the mother overexerts herself.
It is important to listen to your body and realize when jogging or other strenuous physical activity may be too much for you to handle. If you have any health concerns or see signs that jogging may be causing you health issues, then you should consult with your doctor before doing anymore jogging.
A lot of experts will recommend that you wait to run until six weeks after you have had the baby. Most mothers will go for a postpartum checkup at that point and will be able to clear this kind of activity with their doctor. If you feel up for jogging before then, though, then you should just clear it with your doctor, just to be safe.
Closing thoughts
Expectant and new mothers should realize that there will be times where jogging is either not possible or not a good idea, and they need to be careful about pushing themselves too far. At the same time, it’s okay to work out and go for a jog during and after your pregnancy. It can be beneficial to you and the baby and can help with a lot of health issue that mothers face at these times in their lives.
If you have a baby on the way or you just gave birth, then jogging could be a great physical activity for you to try out. You don’t have to be a professional or regular runner to get benefits from it. Remember that just 20-30 minutes of exercise a day can be hugely beneficial to the mother and child.
You should also know that you won’t be alone if you take up jogging around pregnancy. There are lots of moms who do this, and you can join those in your area or connect with them online to find support and companionship.
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