Tar Pit Yoga - Prenatal Yoga & Prenatal Fitness

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Prenatal Yoga Videos

These videos are all quite gentle.

Prenatal Yoga with Shiva Rea

ZenMama with Rainbeau Mars

Crunch Yoga Mama with Sue Elkind

Prenatal Fitness Books/Decks

These are all safe and geared for beginning exercisers.

Buff Moms-to-Be

Pregnancy Fitness

The Prenatal Yoga Deck

Yoga Info\Prenatal Yoga & Prenatal Fitness

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, "There are no data in humans to indicate that pregnant women should limit exercise intensity and lower target heart rates because of potential adverse effects." (ACOG Technical Bulletin Number 189, February 1994. See below for the full bulletin.) As a matter of fact, exercising during pregnancy provides all sorts of benefits for both the mom and the baby.

If you're concerned about safely exercising during pregnancy, discuss the subject with your doctor, but I'd also highly recommend reading Exercising Through Your Pregnancy by James Clapp, MD. The book is a little technical, but definitely worth the read. Most prenatal fitness books and videos are very conservative and recommend only gentle exercises, such as leg lifts and stretching. Those activities are fine, but Dr. Clapp's research provides strong evidence for continuing even a vigorous exercise program all through pregnancy. His studies have shown that women who are performing weight-bearing exercise before pregnancy and then continue to exercise through the entire pregnancy reap the most benefits, including

Less weight gain during pregnancy
Fewer physical complaints during pregnancy
Shorter, less complicated labor
Quicker recovery after delivery

Women who begin an exercise program during pregnancy also report feeling better, but Dr. Clapp's studies suggest that the beginning exercisers need to do quite a bit of weight-bearing exercise throughout the entire pregnancy to obtain the same benefits as the continuing exercisers.

Babies benefit from prenatal exercise, too. Dr. Clapp's research shows that children of women who exercise

Don't have trouble with the transition to life outside the uterus and tend to be alert and easy to care for
Have less fat at birth
Have less fat at five years of age
Score higher on tests of general intelligence and oral language skills at five years of age than children of non-exercisers

Dr. Clapp's book doesn't give much exercise instruction, however. If you're new to exercise and are wondering what to do for your quads, for example, you'll need to get help somewhere else.

Expecting Fitness provides a lot of beginner-level exercises. It might be a little too conservative, but I'd recommend it for a couple reasons. First of all, it was co-written by Sheryl Ross, MD, who happens to be my doctor, and she's great. Secondly, it also gives safe exercises for high-risk pregnancies, which you won't find in most prenatal fitness books.

So what about yoga? Although yoga does not provide the same cardiovascular benefits as running or cycling, it does have other important benefits. Asana (physical posture) practice helps maintain muscular strength and flexibility during pregnancy, and pranayama (breathwork) practice can help improve concentration and promote relaxation. Yoga and meditation can also teach you how to really experience discomfort, making yoga a useful preparation for labor. A person's natural tendency is to try to make any physical discomfort go away immediately, but yoga can help you breathe right into it, removing a lot of fear. Preparing for Birth with Yoga by Janet Balaskas is a good guide. It's not just about doing postures, it actually prepares you for labor and delivery. It also has instructions for some more challenging postures, in case you're an experienced practitioner.

In summary, it's always important to discuss exercise with your doctor, but pregnant women without additional risk factors are allowed and encouraged to maintain an active pregnancy. As the pregnancy progresses, modifications can be made to accommodate your changing body size. Drop me a line or call if you live in Los Angeles and are interested in a prenatal exercise program.

LOOKING FOR A DIETITIAN?

Here are a few registered dietitians I know in the Los Angeles area that can help you with your nutritional needs during pregnancy:

Jo Scott, RD
627 N Rossmore Avenue
Suite 212
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 465-3639
nutrijo@comcast.net

Susan Shapiro, PhD, MS, RD, FADA
8306 Wilshire Blvd #1518
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 659-7800
drsushaprd@comcast.net

Deborah Klein, MS, RD
1120 S Robertson Blvd #305
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 247-0018
livetitian@aol.com
www.livetitian.com

Diane Whelan, MPH, RD
10850 Wilshire Blvd #740
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-4288
whelanmphrd@msn.com

Susan Dopart, MS, RD
2336 Santa Monica Blvd #201
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 828-4476
susan@susandopart.com

LOOKING FOR A POSTPARTUM DOULA OR BABY NURSE?

Kathleen Sullivan
Phone: (310) 276-1605
Cell: (310) 486-1040
SoftSlumbers@aol.com
www.SoftSlumbers.com

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXERCISE IN PREGNANCY AND POSTPARTUM
(from ACOG Technical Bulletin Number 189, February 1994)

There are no data in humans to indicate that pregnant women should limit exercise intensity and lower target heart rates because of potential adverse effects. For women who do not have any additional risk factors for adverse maternal or perinatal outcomes, the following recommendations may be made:

1. During pregnancy, women can continue to exercise and derive health benefits even from mild to moderate exercise routines. Regular exercise (at least three times per week) is preferable to intermittent activity.

2. Women should avoid exercise in the supine position [lying on the back] after the first trimester. Such a position is associated with decreased cardiac output in most pregnant women; because the remaining cardiac output will be preferentially distributed away from splanchnic beds [the gut area] (including the uterus) during vigorous exercise, such regimens are best avoided during pregnancy. Prolonged periods of motionless standing should also be avoided.

3. Women should be aware of the decreased oxygen available for aerobic exercise during pregnancy. They should be encouraged to modify the intensity of their exercise according to maternal symptoms. Pregnant women should stop exercising when fatigued and not exercise to exhaustion. Weight-bearing exercises may under some circumstances be continued at intensities similar to those prior to pregnancy throughout pregnancy. Non-weight-bearing exercises such as cycling or swimming will minimize the risk of injury and facilitate the continuation of exercise during pregnancy.

4. Morphologic changes in pregnancy [a woman's changing size, shape and weight] should serve as a relative contraindication to types of exercise in which loss of balance could be detrimental to maternal or fetal well-being, especially in the third trimester. Further, any type of exercise involving the potential for even mild abdominal trauma should be avoided.

5. Pregnancy requires an additional 300 calories a day in order to maintain metabolic homeostasis [stable body functioning]. Thus, women who exercise during pregnancy should be particularly careful to ensure an adequate diet.

6. Pregnant women who exercise in the first trimester should augment heat dissipation by ensuring adequate hydration [drink water], appropriate clothing, and optimal environmental surroundings during exercise.

7. Many of the physiologic and morphologic changes of pregnancy persist four to six weeks postpartum. Thus, prepregnancy exercise routines should be resumed gradually based on a woman's physical capability.

Contraindications to Exercise

The aforementioned recommendations are intended for women who do not have any additional risk factors for adverse maternal or perinatal outcome. A number of medical or obstetric conditions may lead the obstetrician to recommend modifications of these principles. The following conditions should be considered contraindications to exercise during pregnancy:

Pregnancy-induced hypertension

Preterm rupture of membranes

Preterm labor during the prior or current pregnancy or both

Incompetent cervix/cerclage [a surgical procedure to close the cervix to keep the fetus intact in utero]

Persistent second- or third-trimester bleeding

Intrauterine growth retardation.

In addition, women with certain other medical or obstetric conditions, including chronic hypertension or active thyroid, cardiac, vascular or pulmonary disease, should be evaluated carefully in order to determine whether an exercise program is appropriate.