lil miss
05-06-2010, 09:18
Pregnant women have been warned that doing housework could potentially cause the premature birth of their baby.
New research from the Netherlands examining the behaviours of 12,000 pregnant women has found that "boring and repetitive" household chores increased the chances of giving birth three weeks before their due date by 25 percent, the UK's Daily Mail reported.
The researchers also found women who worked night shifts gave birth to larger babies, and women who were inactive were more likely to give birth to underweight babies, lead researcher Hajo Wildschut from Erasmus University Rotterdam wrote in the Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology journal.
But Wildschut found that exercise — even strenuous exercise — had no negative side effects for the mother or her baby.
"Most women who are pregnant are healthy and most of them are [delivering] perfectly healthy babies," Wildschut said.
"Women who are healthy and do not have pregnancy complications should not restrict their activities in order to achieve a better pregnancy outcome. They may safely continue their normal daily physical activities, including strenuous activities like jogging, squash and weight training even until late in pregnancy."
The UK's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommended women who are pregnant should avoid contact sports, horseriding, cycling and ice-skating, the Daily Mail reported.
Mother & Baby expert and birth educator Gabrielle Targett advises pregnant women to consult their GP or midwife before continuing their regular form of exercise, and prior to starting any new programs. If you’re pregnant, you should aim keep your heart rate at or below 140 beats per minute if you're in your twenties or thirties, and below 120 beats per minute if you're 40 or older.
(taken from http://www.motherandbaby.com.au/ContentItem.aspx?ContentID=1719)
New research from the Netherlands examining the behaviours of 12,000 pregnant women has found that "boring and repetitive" household chores increased the chances of giving birth three weeks before their due date by 25 percent, the UK's Daily Mail reported.
The researchers also found women who worked night shifts gave birth to larger babies, and women who were inactive were more likely to give birth to underweight babies, lead researcher Hajo Wildschut from Erasmus University Rotterdam wrote in the Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology journal.
But Wildschut found that exercise — even strenuous exercise — had no negative side effects for the mother or her baby.
"Most women who are pregnant are healthy and most of them are [delivering] perfectly healthy babies," Wildschut said.
"Women who are healthy and do not have pregnancy complications should not restrict their activities in order to achieve a better pregnancy outcome. They may safely continue their normal daily physical activities, including strenuous activities like jogging, squash and weight training even until late in pregnancy."
The UK's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommended women who are pregnant should avoid contact sports, horseriding, cycling and ice-skating, the Daily Mail reported.
Mother & Baby expert and birth educator Gabrielle Targett advises pregnant women to consult their GP or midwife before continuing their regular form of exercise, and prior to starting any new programs. If you’re pregnant, you should aim keep your heart rate at or below 140 beats per minute if you're in your twenties or thirties, and below 120 beats per minute if you're 40 or older.
(taken from http://www.motherandbaby.com.au/ContentItem.aspx?ContentID=1719)