Exercise & Pregnancy: The Benefits

Dear Expecting Mom,

If no one ever told you, let me be the first...Pregnancy is a sport and Labour is the Championship game. Well you already know that because you made it through try offs 😅

Ok in all seriousness...

Exercise is a very important aspect of maintaining a healthy pregnancy and having a straightforward labour and delivery. Here are 10 ways in which exercise can do a pregnant body good:

1. Boost in Energy. As the saying goes ‘to exercise you need energy and to get energy you need to exercise.’ This can be challenging especially in the first and third trimester when a Mama is doggone tired. If you can muster enough will power to go for a walk, climb some stairs or do some stretches you will definitely get a boost in energy to push you through your pregnant and tired days. 

2. Builds endurance for the big push. Back to that thing of labour being the Championship game... No athlete goes into a championship game unprepared. Some level of physical training is required. Especially because your L&D most likely will not be like in the movies where your baby flies out. If you’re getting a C-Section this may not be a huge selling point but if you’re opting to deliver naturally - you better have the stamina to push for hours if needed.

3. Helps the body to ‘snap back’ after labour. This is the benefit that gets the most airtime on social media and it is a worthy benefit. If you continue building muscle while pregnant at the end of pregnancy that muscle will help burn the excess baby fat and help return you to your pre baby #bodygoals.

4. Improves mood. When in doubt, worried, anxious fretting on your pregnancy etc. exercise may be the thing you need to lift your spirits. 

5. Improve sleep because pregnancy is known to to keep a mama up. Here are some other ways to get a great night's sleep.

6. Naturally induces labour. I walked and walked the day before my due date and delivered on my due date - this works.

7. Minimizes a range of pregnancy symptoms such as swelling of the feet, carpal tunnel syndrome etc.

8. Reduces chances of a perineum tear or episiotomy. Especially if you do pelvic exercises or kegels. 

9. Regulates weight gain and blood pressure.

10. Remedy for a breech 

Takeaway

For the most part walking, yoga and water aerobics are some of the best pregnancy exercises  for women of any fitness level. 

Based on my fitness profile I was able to walk, run, dance, do pregnant cardio, water aerobics and cycle during my pregnancies. Hands down my favourite exercises were dancing & aqua aerobics (which is basically dancing in water) 

Typically, fitness buffs who become pregnant can get away with doing modifications of some of their former exercises. 

Be sure to consult with your Doctor or healthcare provider on what exercises are best for you based on your pregnancy and fitness level. 💜

Disclaimer: I'm not a healthcare provider or personal trainer. Just a mom sharing my personal experiences with you.  

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) & The Expecting Mom - Part 1

What is Hyperemesis Gravidarum?

A couple of months ago I could not even spell this disorder but it’s quite a different scenario when someone close to you becomes so deeply affected by it. You quickly learn all you can about Hyperemesis Gravidarum aka excessive vomiting aka HG.

A quick google will tell you, at the very least, that HG is a rare pregnancy condition that affects 1 in 3 pregnant women and basically prevents women from keeping food or even liquid down. A quick social media scan will reveal what HG is not. The consensus on social media is that HG is NOT a form of Morning Sickness and that it’s actually quite different in the way it disables expecting moms. 

I want to lend my voice in sharing about some of the effects, survival tips and precautionary measures that I have learned about from doing my own non-scholarly HG research. I also want to share, in follow up posts, some ideas of how family members can support an Expecting Mom battling HG. My hope is that this can create more space for HG Expecting Moms; Survivors and Support Family Members to share their experiences, tips and ideas for dealing with HG.

I first heard about Hyperemesis not from the news and Kate Middleton or Amy Schumer but from a YouTube family called The McClures. It was a video where the mom, Ami, was pregnant with her third child and always seemed to be MIA, locked away in a dark room. Even though she explained what she had and some of her symptoms, my mind still registered it as some weird ‘extreme morning sickness’ that only other people get. I had absolutely no context. They say it’s rare but not until it enters your circle do you realize it’s rare but happens a lot and often goes undiagnosed. 

Why HG flies under the radar...

An HG pregnancy is traumatic and unless deliberately documented, a survivor may not be able to adequately paint a clear picture for non sufferers. As a result, it ends up mostly being a ‘who feels it knows it’ type of disorder. 

Also, many HG sufferers may get medicines/treatment but never get a diagnosis or a name to put to what they are experiencing. Family members who had to lend support may also eventually forget how traumatic HG can be and especially when there is no name or label for that experience. The birth of a bouncing new baby also helps to erase the memory of some of the trauma. 

I believe it’s so important for Expecting Moms suffering from HG to receive a proper diagnosis; not only to get the right treatment plan but also to have a way to properly communicate what they are going through to family and friends so they can receive all the support they need. 

What does HG look like?

1. Excessive vomiting for more than 5 times per day.
2. Inability to keep even water or ice down
3. Extreme nausea 
4. Constant spitting
5. Strong aversions to food and food smells
6. Extreme dehydration 
7. Extreme Thirst 
8. Fire Like Feeling In Belly 
9. Strong headaches 
10. Sensitivity to light and sound 
11. Physical pain from heaving to vomit 
12. Nose bleeds from agressive vomiting 
13. Vomiting Blood 
14. Dark urine 
15. Little to no urine 
16. Extreme fatigue 

And the list goes on...

So just how can family and friends support an HG mom experiencing these strong debilitating symptoms? 

Comment below and I will include your suggestions in Part 2 of our HG awareness series. 💜

Have a Birth Plan; Hold It Loosely

I remember as a first time mom reading and researching and being told ‘you should create a birth plan’. In fact I came across a free template on offer from Huggies as part of their No baby Unhugged Campaign that I was happy to use. It discussed things like pain management; support people; equipment of choice and after delivery. 

I want to talk a bit about the expectations after delivery because I remember being confused about my birth plan versus the reality. After I completed my plan I submitted it to my doctor and hospital and was confident that I now knew what to expect. In reality I didn’t.

You see while plans like these are helpful for things within a pregnant woman’s control before labour; after labour it’s just a piece of paper.

Reality After Labour

The reality, in a typical hospital setting, is that after labour everything moves really quickly. The baby is out and then there is a rush to clear the baby’s airway to get that first cry, then to quickly examine, cut the umbilical cord and then to warm the baby, check vitals and record everything: time of birth, APGAR (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity and Respiration) score etc. 

Simultaneously, the new mom is being checked for successful delivery of the placenta, any vaginal/perineal tears and blood loss (this is huge).

What is Postpartum Hemmorrhage?

Normal blood loss during a vaginal delivery is 500 ml and during a caesarean is 1000 ml; anything more is in the territory of Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH). 

I remember my first time delivering and after delivering looking around frantically at where they were taking my baby and wondering why the baby wasn’t with me for skin to skin like I stated on my birth plan. Instead, I had nurses around me frantically massaging my belly and trying to get a needle that had gotten dislodged during labour, back into my vein . I thought to myself, I delivered the baby already. The baby is crying and doing well; why are they still trying to get this needle back into my hand when I am done with it? Not to mention the pushing down on my belly when the baby and the placenta was already out. 

Three labours later, I finally learned why...

Severe bleeding after giving birth, also known as Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH), is still one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity to date but with skilled and timely care it is preventable. The precautions taken to ensure a safe post delivery experience for the new mom may include:

1. Administration of a drug through the IV drip (such as Oxytocin) to help the uterus to contract and stop blood loss. This, in my case, is why nurses were so frantic to get the needle back into my vein. 
2. Controlled Cord Traction (allowing the placenta to deliver naturally via your own pulsations before clamping)
3. Uterine massages and or compressions to help the uterus contract and to deliver any placenta pieces that may have been detached and left behind in the uterus. 
4. Monitoring the new mom’s blood loss from 4 to 24 hours after delivering.

That’s why even though you may have one or two nurses attending to you while experiencing contractions; by the time you are about to deliver, a swarm of nurses enter the delivery room alongside the Doctor. Ideally, they are all there to ensure that mom and baby get past that first step of survival. 

Takeaway 

That’s also why you should ideally hold your birth plan loosely because your healthcare team has their own plan and goal and that is: a safe birthing experience for mother and child. However, it’s also important as an expecting mom or support person, to know what to expect in those few hours after giving birth so that you can advocate for your personal healthcare in the event that you are not receiving proper post partum care. 

Wishing you all the very best in your labour and delivery mama! 💜💪

Disclaimer: This blog article is not a substitute for medical advice. I’m sharing my personal experience and research in addition to giving my own advice. Please always consult with your doctor or medical professional about your healthcare.