Safety

The most important consideration is being able to know how much is enough, and to try not to overdo it. The safe upper limit for exercise during pregnancy has not been established to date. Most likely, it is closely related to the mother's fitness level, and the specific circumstances of the pregnancy. It is not possible to set an overall standard for all women, only to encourage exercise within safety guidelines. Therefore, it is important that each woman listens to her body while exercising, and learns to recognize her own limitations. Exercise capabilities should not be compared to those of any other pregnant woman.

Regardless of your fitness level, always check with your obstetrician about starting or continuing any exercise program during pregnancy. Guidelines by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists should be strictly followed. Intensity of exercise, or heart rate, recommendations are lower for pregnant women than those suggested for the general public. While exercise has some real benefits during pregnancy, safety of the fetus and mother is another important concern. And, once you have received the "OK" and any specific instructions from your obstetrician, please review the important articles linked to this page, including the Do's and Don'ts before beginning.

Prenatal Exercise
The General Guidelines for prenatal exercise summarizes the exercise types, frequency and duration suggested for women having non-complicated pregnancies. Specific exercises and illustrations for strengthening exercises, general comments on aerobic activities and a basic set of exercises for toning your pelvic region are presented.

Bed-rest and Limited Activity
Some women having a high risk pregnancy which requires very light physical activity or bed-rest may be able to do some gentle exercise to maintain strength and muscle tone, but this is not true in all cases. Always get specific advice from your obstetrician regarding your risks and limitations, and never do any exercise without medical approval in advance.

Nutrition
 

According to Federal Food Administration (FDA):

"Seafood can be an important part of a balanced diet for pregnant women. It is a good source of high quality protein and other nutrients and is low in fat.

However, some fish contain high levels of a form of mercury (called methylmercury) that can harm an unborn child's developing nervous system if eaten regularly."

Recent FDA recommendation limits the amount of seafood and fish intake to one meal a week.  This recommendation is the result of excessive mercury and lead level that can harm the fetal brain. As such your obstetrician will recommend to add "fish-oil products" (DHA, Omega-3, etc.) to your diet. For more detailed information on this subject, please visit www.FDA.gov.

While you are pregnant, you will need additional nutrients to keep you and your baby healthy. But, that does not mean you need to eat twice as much. You should only eat an extra 300 calories per day. A baked potato has 120 calories. So getting these extra 300 calories doesn't take a lot of food.

Make sure not to restrict your diet during pregnancy either. If you do, your unborn baby might not get the right amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Low-calorie diets can break down a pregnant woman's stored fat. This can lead to the production of substances called ketones. Ketones can be found in the mother's blood and urine and are a sign of starvation. Constant production of ketones can result in a mentally retarded child.

Needed Nutrients

• Folic acid: Pregnant women need 400 micrograms (400 mcg) of folic acid every day to help prevent birth defects.

• Iron: Pregnant women need twice as much iron — 30 mg per day — than other women.

• Calcium: Pregnant women aged 19 to 50 years should get 1,000 mg/day of calcium. Younger pregnant women need even more — 1300 mg/day.

• Water: Pregnant women should drink at least six eight-ounce glasses of water per day. Plus, pregnant women should drink another glass of water for each hour of activity.

Multivitamins

Most doctors recommend that pregnant women or those trying to get pregnant take a multivitamin or prenatal vitamin every day. This ensures that you and your baby get enough important nutrients like folic acid. Folic acid helps prevent serious birth defects of your baby's brain and spine. These birth defects often happen before most women know they are pregnant.

Even women who plan carefully to eat healthy every day sometimes fail to get important nutrients. Taking a daily multivitamin or prenatal vitamin will guarantee you daily dose of needed nutrients. But don't overdo it. Taking more than one multivitamin daily can be harmful.