All the new expectant moms google from the major to the silliest questions. And one of the major ones is can you go swimming while pregnant?
Pregnant women can swim and it’s completely safe. Swimming helps to harmonize the body, handles morning sickness, and boosts blood circulation. Most importantly, swimming relieves pregnancy aches. There are certain times though when you’ll have to stop swimming and avoid hot tubs to lessen pregnancy complications.
Is It Safe to Swim in Chlorine While Pregnant?
Before you start swimming, it’s fair to get scared thinking about what if you swallow chlorinated Water while in a pool. It’s not only you; many women are there that have the same fear in mind.
Even if you ingest pool water, you may be confident that it will not hurt you or your unborn kid. The sole job of chlorine is to disinfect the pool keeping it safe from other harmful bacteria. And there are even no peer reviewed studies with solid evidence proving that chlorinated pools harm anybody, if not pregnant women.
In a nutshell, pregnancy swimming in chlorine is entirely safe, and it is a fun way yet effective exercise to stay active and ease muscle tone.
When Can You Begin Swimming?
Pregnant moms need to know when they can start floating on Water so that it remains a safe exercise for them. Though it’s a low impact exercise, swimming during pregnancy depends entirely on the women’s health.
First Trimester
You can start swimming during pregnancy from the first trimester, and it’s a green light for you unless you have morning sickness. They’re so horrible that you can’t even peacefully pass your regular day, let alone swimming. So, it’s better to start the swim at a slower pace so that your whole body can cope eventually.
Second Trimester
It’s the ideal moment to dip yourself in the water when pregnant, as long as you follow the advice of a healthcare professional. If you feel like your body isn’t ready for swimming work, let it be. Don’t push hard on you and your coming baby.
If you can swim even once a week, it’s a thumbs up. You can go with your partner or friend and swim in a pool.
Third Trimester
During the third trimester, the baby bump starts slowly to build up, body temperature rises, and pressure develops. And this is the time when swimming will feel like heaven to you, and you’ll find yourself swimming more than in the last trimesters during the third trimester.
What Are the Benefits of Pregnancy Swimming?
When you’re pregnant, it’s an excellent idea to include swimming in your exercise routine. Swimming will benefit you in ways you never imagined.
When you begin to swim, your heart rate will increase, your joints will relax, and your muscles will strengthen. There are many more benefits of swimming that we’re going to shed light on.
Ease Sciatic Pain
When you swim, your entire body is on water supports, and you’re practically floating, with no strain on your back nerves or pelvic ligaments. As a result, you will have temporary alleviation from pelvic pain and sciatic nerve pain, saving you from a great deal of pain.
Apart from that, envision you and your baby swimming safe and having a fantastic time. That’s an out-of-this-world sensation.
Improve Labour Experience
Great endurance and strength are incredibly beneficial to expectant mothers during childbirth—swimming when pregnant will strengthen those muscles. Many women also have the option of water birth, which feels like heaven, and it’s an immense comfort to be floating on Water and feeling light throughout labor.
Decreases Body Temperature
When you’re pregnant, your body heat rises, and if it’s summer, it will add fuel to the fire. At that time, you need to stay hydrated and keep cool. And swimming in cool water will help you decrease your body temperature.
Rescues from Ligament Pain
Women who have gone through pregnancy know the feeling of this horrible ligament pain. It’s a sharp pain felt under the lower belly part on one or both sides. However, swimming helps to alleviate round ligament pain. In addition, this exercise will also remove the strain that happens due to rapid baby belly growth during the second trimester.
Release Stress
Most women, if not all, experience a period of stress during pregnancy. They weep out for no explicable reason. It’s understandable because being pregnant is both a physical and psychological challenge. As you may know, exercise helps relieve distress, and swimming will help you gain emotional tranquillity and more energy.
How to Swim While Pregnant
Swimming in your pregnancy is completely safe. However, if you’re not used to swimming, you better follow our directions:
- Get a comfortable maternity swimsuit.
- During pregnancy, you’re not in the total balance of your body due to the baby bump. So, be careful by the poolside as the surface is pretty slippery.
- Even when swimming, you’re sweating, which is often unnoticeable. To remain hydrated, bring a bottle of water with you.
- Don’t just jump into the water; instead, step into it slowly.
- Go for common strokes that are pregnancy swimming safe styles like frog kicks, backstroke, breaststroke, and dog paddle.
- It would be best to stop swimming whenever you feel tired, out of breath, or in pain.
Few Tips for Swimmer Moms-To-Be
So, you got approval from your healthcare provider depending on your medical conditions for swimming while pregnant. Now it’s time for you to grab our tips to dive in on this exercise.
Pick a Pool
If you don’t feel comfortable swimming, it’ll be less enjoyable and more unlovely. And what can feel comfier than to swim in your pool, if you have one luckily. Otherwise, you can always go to a community pool.
New Swimsuit
You can’t expect your old swimsuit to fit with your growing belly. There occur various physical changes during pregnancy. And it’s normal to be self-conscious at this time. You, therefore, must choose a flexible and comfortable swimsuit in which your changing body can fit.
Aqua Aerobics Class
If possible, get yourself into an aqua aerobics class; that way, you’ll be able to meet others like you. You’ll feel more relaxed by sharing your thoughts and emotions with them and getting exercise. It’s a win-win situation.
Things to Keep in Mind When Swimming
Though swimming while pregnant is a great idea and completely safe so far, you must be cautious now and then. Because it doesn’t harm to be on the safe side, right?
The Temperature of Water
You probably know that the temperature of your body mounts during pregnancy. So, hot water is a big no for you to swim. On the contrary, a typical pool usually has around 27C to 33C safe temperature.
With that being said, you are free to swim in cold water only if you have shoes, a wetsuit, and gloves. There’s a significant issue regarding cold water swimming. Basically, cold Water contracts blood vessels leading your baby’s oxygen levels to go down.
Open Water
During pregnancy, your body’s immune system gets slightly weak, resulting in less power to fight disease. That’s why if you go swimming in smaller bodies of water rather than a pool, make sure to check it for bacteria.
Aware of Energy
You won’t have as much energy during your pregnancy as you had before getting pregnant, and that’s why you must avoid swimming whenever you feel tired. You better start slowly and don’t push yourself. And if you’re in open water, be careful of the currents and tides for the wellness of your coming baby.
When Is Swimming Risky for Pregnant Women?
Pregnancy is a challenging and joyful period for every woman. During this time, swimming helps greatly, yet it might get risky if you overlook several things.
Avoid Hot Tubs
Don’t ever immerse yourself in hot tubs during pregnancy because hot water creates pregnancy complications that will harm you and your coming baby. If you’re craving to float, go to a nearby pool and start swimming.
Careful with Contaminated Water
Look, we’ve mentioned earlier that chlorinated Water is safe for swimming. However, you need to make sure that there’s no trace of contamination in the water that can put you at getting water-borne infections. Even if you walk barefoot on infested water, there’s a high chance that you’ll get infected.
Who Must Ignore Swimming?
Discuss with your healthcare provider before you decide to immerse yourself. Unfortunately, some health issues can make you avoid swimming while pregnant. If your doctor finds any major problems in you, you won’t find it much helpful.
Some of the major issues are:
- Uncontrolled Epilepsy
- Impulsive tearing of the membrane
- Vaginal bleeding
If you find any of them crawling in you, then ignore swimming and consult with your doctor as soon as possible.