A Mother’s Day resolution for Mom and Baby!

BY: SAMANTHA MONTPETIT-HUYNH / SNAP Beaches / VOLUME 3. NO.4 / MAY, 2008

If you are “expecting” or a new mom facing the many daily challenges of your growing family, no doubt you are focusing on everyone else but yourself. At one time or another, all of us moms have been guilty of the “super-mom” complex, trying to balance children, work, home etc…..  So what happened to us?

Here we are doing everything in our power to ensure everyone else has what they need and their health is our number one priority. At the same time, we wake up, zone in on the biggest cup of coffee we can grab, pop a Tylenol or two and off we go. We can’t afford to be sick. There’s too much to do!

Well how about making our health a priority as well? As we have been told over and over again (and what we preach to our children), we must treat ourselves well, eat properly and get plenty of sleep so we can stay healthy! But let’s not forget about the importance of exercise. Regular physical activity not only improves our quality of life, but studies have shown a correlation between weight gain during pregnancy and childhood obesity.

Research has shown that exercise during pregnancy improves pregnancy related discomforts and has direct benefits to baby as well, such as:

• Improved circulation enhances delivery of nutrients through the placenta
• Babies tolerate the stress of labour and delivery better
• Higher apgar tests
• Exercise helps to produce bigger babies
• Babies are born with leaner muscle mass

Dr. James Clapp III, a leading researcher on exercise and pregnancy, found that exercising while pregnant resulted in increased placental growth, and leaner and bigger babies. These children remained leaner at five years of age compared to those of non-exercising mothers..

So here you have it: Exercising during pregnancy has numerous benefits to both mother and baby. This Mother’s Day, make a change for yourself and your little one. You will reap the rewards of “you time” while setting the stage for exercise and health for the rest of your family.

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