Aquarobics While Pregnant Reduces Need for Pain-Killing Drugs During Labor
Source: All 4 Natural Health News Date: 02/04/09
A Brazilian study has found that doing aquarobics during pregnancy helped reduced the amount of pain-killing drugs requested by the women during labor.
The
study, which was published in the journal Reproductive Health, looked
at 71 pregnant women. Half of the group went through three sessions of
aquarobics each week during their pregnancy, with each session lasting
50 minutes. The other half was the control group.
Rosa Pereira
from the University of Campinas in Sao Paulo, leader of the study,
reported: “We found no statistically significant differences in the
duration of labor or they type of delivery between the two groups.
However, only 27 percent of women in the aquarobics group requested
analgesia, compared to 65 percent in the control group. This represents
a 58 percent reduction in requests.”
All along, there has been
some doubt as to whether it was safe for expectant mothers to exercise
during pregnancy. One main worry was the possibility that exercise may
have adverse effects on fetal / placental demands, thereby compromising
the development of the fetus or increasing the risk of abnormalities.
The study team, however, concluded that aquarobics not only did not
harm the cardiovascular health of the pregnant women, but also did not
adversely affect the wellbeing of their newborns.
“We’ve shown
that the regular practice of moderate water aerobics during pregnancy
is not detrimental to the health of the mother or the child. In fact,
the reduction in analgesia requests suggests that it can get women into
better psycho-physical condition,” added Pereira.
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