Moms Prepare for Newborn’s Arrival Through Yoga

Becoming a new mom is nerve-wracking and exciting. New moms spend their time attending doctor’s appointments, preparing the nursery, or even spend this time relaxing. However, exercise during and after pregnancy may be the best way to prepare for delivery.

Exercise like yoga, walking, bicycling while pregnant can provide numerous physical and mental health benefits.

Anita Somani, MD, an OB/GYN, at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and Comprehensive Women’s Care, tells Spectrum News 1, “It reduces the risk for diabetes, for high blood pressure conditions like preeclampsia. It could help with labor, reduce the risk of patients having a C-section or an operative delivery.”

For post-partum, exercise is just as important. Dr. Somani mentions one of the long-term benefits of exercising is that it can aid postpartum depression. Depending on the type of delivery mothers have, Dr. Somani recommends core-strengthen exercises due to the importance of abdominal, core and back muscles when it comes to labor.

“Doing things that will strengthen your core, which prenatal yoga can help with, which doing yoga after pregnancy can help. Those are things you should really focus on,” Dr. Somani told Vivica Grayson.

Dr. Somani suggests prenatal and post-partum exercise because of its significant benefits for mental and physical health, with or without previous exercise experience.

“Even if you weren't exercising before pregnancy, you can start during pregnancy. You may just want to start with something like yoga or something that isn't too strenuous. So walking, bicycling and swimming. Anything that you can do comfortably and that you want to do through the pregnancy is going to be ideal,” she said.

For mothers who are typically active, Dr. Somani suggests continuing to be active and modify the form of exercise as their pregnancy develops.

While it is important to prepare for a baby’s arrival, it is just as important for mothers to care for their own body during this beautiful transition in life.

To learn more about Women’s and Reproductive Health at OhioHealth, click here.

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