Dr Pooja Marathe Explains Why Yoga Is The Best Exercise For An Expecting Mum

Prenatal yoga is a healthy practice for an expecting mum to stay fit. But how does prenatal yoga help pregnant women feel good and stay calm during the most crucial nine months? 

Read on for six important reasons why yoga is the best exercise and can make a positive difference in your pregnancy.

6 Benefits Of Prenatal Yoga For An Expecting Mum

1. Reduces Preterm Labour Risk and Other Complications

High-stress levels can increase the chances of miscarriage and preterm birth rates. Hence, yoga during pregnancy is a great stress reducer. Women who do yoga and  breathing exercises and practice certain posture positions and meditation tend to have a lower preterm labour rate if done for one hour a day. Plus, it also reduces hypertension associated with pregnancy.

2. Provides Support for Changing Body

During pregnancy, the body experiences change at an accelerated rate and need help to compensate for it. Practising safe and healthy ways to stretch during pregnancy supports the changes that happen to a woman. Yoga poses and stretches focused on the lower body help stretch and strengthen the muscles to support a growing belly.

3. Improves the Mood

Exercise-based yoga when combined with breathing exercises,  meditation and deep relaxation tends to help decrease depression levels in expecting mums. 

4. Tones the Body 

Speaking to BabyChakra, Dr Pooja Marathe Paediatrician says,”If your OB-GYB clears you for toning while pregnant, exercising for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times a week is ideal, according to the American Pregnancy Association. That half-hour or so is long enough to give you cardio and fat-burning benefits, but not so long that you overexert yourself.

Fortunately, growing research suggests that losing some weight during pregnancy might be possible — and even beneficial — for some women who are extremely overweight or obese (have a BMI over 30).”

5. Prepares for Delivery

The breathing exercises and yoga that you learn and practise during pregnancy can be calming when the time comes to push the baby out. Plus, you also get a better experience when recovering from a C-section or even normal delivery because of the stretching and strengthening moves. This is because your core and other important muscles become stronger and more toned. 

6. Relief from Common Pregnancy Complaints

According to Dr Pooja Marathe, there are many ways in which relief can be provided like practising good posture. She says that ass your baby grows, your centre of gravity shifts forward. 

Here are Dr Pooja Marathe’s tips for practising Yoga during pregnancy-

1. Get the right gear. Wear low-heeled — not flat — shoes with good arch support. 
2. Lift properly. 
3. Sleep on your side. 
4. Try heat, cold or massage. 
5. Include physical activity in your daily routine. 
6. Eat small, frequent meals.
7. Eat dry, carbohydrate snacks throughout the day.
8. Take rests throughout the day.
9. Keep yourself well hydrated with water, and avoid alcohol and caffeine.
10. Wear comfortable clothing, tight waistbands can make you feel worse.

Prenatal yoga can provide the cure for common pregnancy discomforts such as nausea, lower back pain, insomnia, headaches and shortness of breath. The stretching of the body and toning of muscles helps circulate blood throughout the body in a healthy way.

Plus, deep breathing provides oxygen to your baby and to your own muscles. Practising mindfulness yoga also helps provide relief from depression that one experiences during pregnancy. Unless your doctor has advised you against Yoga, you should very much incorporate it during your pregnancy. Practice prenatal yoga safely for your and your baby’s good health.