lizard@nbires.UUCP (LisaLynn Turboff) (03/06/84)
Well folks, if you're interested in what other folks had to say, read on ...
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From: utastro!bill@ut-ngp
I'm not an expert, but that's the silliest thing I've heard
in quite a while. When my wife was pregnant, she was advised
to exercise as she always had as long as she felt up to it.
She was told that exercise was good for her & wouldn't hurt the baby.
She continued to ride her bike practically until the babies
were born, though she did go shorter distances as the day
approached, for her own comfort.
This sounds like the kind of advice women got 50 years ago!
--
Bill Jefferys 8-%
Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712 (USnail)
{ihnp4,kpno,ctvax}!ut-sally!utastro!bill (uucp)
utastro!bill@ut-ngp (ARPANET)
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From: seismo!harpo!eagle!mhuxl!houxm!hou2f!pvlm@ut-sally
Umm...I'm not a doctor, but my wife took an aerobics class
while she was pregnant. The instructor took care to make sure
that she didn't do any exercises that would have shaken her up,
but I don't think she had any restrictions on giving her
cardiovascular system a workout. I'd get a second doctor's
opinion.
Pete LaMaster BTL NJ (201)949-5009
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From: seismo!harpo!floyd!clyde!akgua!gatech!mark@ut-sally
I think that it should be fine to get your heart rate up. I know of
several women who have exercised throughout pregnancy( I'll admit I
don't know how intensly they exercised.). I also have an uncle who
is an obstetrician and professor at a medical school. He has done
several studies on women runners( I can probably get copies if you
are interested.) and he has never mentioned anything to me about
problems of that sort. I guess what I am trying to say is that it
pays to find a doctor who knows about exercise. Many doctors are
ignorant about exercise and its effects. For instsnce, many athletes
are diagnosed as anemic . It looks like they are because they have
greater blood volume than non-athletes.
Mark Johnson
UUCP : ...!{akgua,allegra,emory,rlgvax,sb1,ut-ngp,ut-sally}!gatech!mark
ARPA : mark.gatech@CSNet-relay CSNET : mark@gatech
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From: seismo!harpo!decvax!wivax!tackett@ut-sally
Here is one small fragment of biology which relates to your question,
but probably doesn't answer it.
The circulatory system, right down to the capillaries is capable of
adjusting flow to various areas. There is simply not enough oxygen
to supply all areas of the body under stress at once.
There is a priority system. Number one is the brain. The brain must
have both the oxygen and the warmth from the blood to remain functional.
Number two is the set of skeletal muscles. It is more important to be
able to flee or fight than to perform other functions that can wait.
Third is the digestive system. There is no harm in letting a half
digested meal remain so while the organism protects itself from stress
in other areas.
I don't know where the uterus fits into this scheme, but intuition
suggests that the baby takes a lower priority than the mother's
immediate survival.
I suspect that the above process is not generally harmful to unborn
children, simply because the human race has been prolific for a long
time. Artificially straining the basic system by smoking or drug use
is probably a lot worse than a little exercise.
/////\\\\\
\ \ / / From the brightly colored, ever opening 'chute
\ / of
NOID Ray Tackett
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From: brunix!jss@allegra
I never heard that one. My kids were born 19 and 21 years ago, respectively,
and we were urged to exercise. My OB discouraged horseback riding, I don't
know why, but said anything else was fine. I did modern dance through my
first pregnancy, and some "serious" folk dancing through the second, had
very fast and easy deliveries, and enormous, healthy babies. This is, of
course, just anecdotal.
good luck, when you come to it,
judith
allegra!brunix!jss
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From: seismo!harpo!decvax!tektronix!orca!janr@ut-sally
I guess I'm a maternal type--two kids (one recently), no
medical study. The advice from OBs these days is that
moderate exercise is very beneficial to the mother's
overall fitness, but that you shouldn't be doing really
heavy exercise because of less oxygen getting to the baby
and also toxins in the blood from very heavy exercise.
(I know, it sounds bizarre, doesn't it?) Swimming is often
recommended as an exercise with a lot of benefits for pregnant
women and relatively low chance of injury or overdoing. I guess
the key is not overdoing--but you certainly don't have to
sit in a chair for 9 months either.
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From: seismo!decvax!tekig1!barbaral@ut-sally.UUCP
At the women's health spa I go to, I see pregnant women working out.
In fact, there are some articles posted there for exercises for
pregnant women. The pregnant women aren't jumping around in the
aerobics class, but they do get a good workout on the exercycles
and weight machines. Please post what you find out.
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And, that's all I've gotten. I'd sure like to hear more from everyone. It's
a lot more interesting than "feminist" issues (I mean, what's more feminist
than bearing a child?).
Lisa
~
somewhere!nbires!lizard