Swimming During Pregnancy: The Positive Signs That You Can Expect

Taking care of your health and the health of your baby inside you becomes your first priority, during your pregnancy. So, eat in balance, drink lots of water, take enough rest, and do the right kind of exercise daily.

Before you start exercising don’t forget to consult your doctor. Remember, during pregnancy, you won’t be able to put stress on your body with a lot of activities. Include low-impact-pregnancy-safe exercises like brisk walking and Kegels only. Wondering, what about swimming during pregnancy?  You must have felt like asking your doctor about it once, but didn’t, as you don’t know whether swimming is safe during pregnancy or not.

😊 You needn’t worry at all! We have some good news for you…  And Yes! Swimming is safe when and there’s nothing like floating in fresh and clean water while nurturing another life inside you.

But, safety can’t come alone. It comes with plenty of benefits that swimming has to offer.

What Are the Benefits of Swimming During Pregnancy?

Swimming is a low–impact aerobic exercise that works on every corner of your body and benefits your body in several ways. Want to know how? Here are the benefits of swimming during pregnancy.

Improves Your Heart Health

Swimming is originally a cardiovascular exercise. During your pregnancy, it works on your heart muscles by keeping your lungs strong, and making your breathing easy, thus reducing any kind of cardiac problems. Working on your heart’s health as well as breathing technique from the early stage of your pregnancy can help you endure the labour pain and makes you feel less exhausted in the 3^rd trimester.  

Reduce Your Pregnancy Swelling

As you progress with your pregnancy, the developing baby exerts a lot of pressure on the uterus, thus making you feel swollen. Submersing your body in the water increases blood circulation and reduces swelling. Moreover, the ability of water to keep you upwards or float on the water can take off some of the weight from your body and make you feel light and comfortable.

Tone and Strengthen Your Muscles

While you’re swimming during your pregnancy, you would have to use both your arms and leg to move through the water. Your entire body stretches and becomes more flexible, and you can further tone and strengthen your muscles. Toned arms and legs muscles can reduce the length of the labour contractions³.

Keep Your Morning Sickness at Bay

Nausea and morning sickness are common first-trimester symptoms. Start your day with a swim and keep early pregnancy morning sickness away.

Encourages the Baby to Take the Correct Position Inside

By the time you enter the labour and delivery stage of your pregnancy, the baby starts taking a position to move out. However, sometimes the baby might take the breech position due to several complications. Swimming keeps your belly light in water and your body aligned naturally, thus helping the baby to take the right position.

Reduces Back Pain

As you enter the second and third trimesters, the size of the baby puts a lot of pressure on the uterus, thus giving you pain in the back. The breaststroke style while swimming in which you involve your chest and the torso can reduce back pain during pregnancy.

Keeps Your Body Cool

Your body temperature is naturally high during your pregnancy due to the hormonal overdrive, the baby’s metabolism, and the increased blood supply. A dip in a pool can keep you cool and help in maintaining a comfortable body temperature. 

Swimming Helps in Reducing Your Stress and Hypertension

Swimming can have a positive effect on your mind, just like doing yogasana or pranayama. As you swim during your pregnancy, the brain produces endorphin hormones and keeps stress levels as well as hypertension lower.

Swimming Improves the Quality of Your Sleep

Insomnia is common during your pregnancy, due to the soaring hormones, frequent bathroom visits, finding difficulty in getting a comfy sleeping position in bed and increasing stress factors. Staying in water for some time can make you feel cool in the body and take all your worries away from you. When you remain cool and stress-free, you will automatically feel like going to bed and getting a good night’s sleep.  

How To Swim During Your Pregnancy?

You can try out the freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke.

• In freestyle, you practice the breathing technique as you move in the water with both your hands and turn your head from left to right.
• Backstroke, however, is a great exercise! You use your hand and back muscles as you are backstroking in the water.
• As you start doing the breaststroke, your legs, arms, neck, and shoulders – all are at work. Depending on your health, you can try out the butterfly or dog paddle technique.

That’s not all. Before you enter the pool, you must keep a few tips in mind:

• Look for a swimming pool that is close to your house. You wouldn’t have to travel much and feel exhausted.
• Go for pools that are indoors to keep the sun’s exposure and overheating away. But, if you go for pools that are outdoors, make sure that you wear waterproof sunscreen and keep applying it after every two hours.
• Warm up and stretch your muscles before you enter the pool.
• Keep yourself hydrated before you enter the pool.
• Don’t forget to wear your earplugs to avoid developing an infection in the ears.
• Once you’re in the pool, breathe steadily as the life you’re nurturing inside would need a continuous supply of all–essential oxygen. However, if your breathing seems to be difficult in the water, try to use a snorkel.
• Wear swim fins to make your legs work better in the water.
• Take the help of the trainer.
• If you experience bleeding, uterine contractions, unusual lower abdomen pain or dizziness while you’re swimming during pregnancy, consult your healthcare practitioner immediately.

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