This clinically and practice oriented, multidisciplinary book is intended to fill the gap between evidence-based knowledge on the benefits of physical activity and exercise during pregnancy and the implementation of exercise programmes and related health promotion measures in pregnant women. It will provide medical, sports, and fitness professionals both with the knowledge needed to allay undue fears regarding the consequences of exercising during pregnancy and with the practical expertise to offer optimal guidance on exercising to pregnant exercisers and athletes. Readers will find up-to-date evidence on the psychological, social, physiological, body composition, musculoskeletal, and biomechanical changes that occur during pregnancy and their implications for physical activity and exercise. Detailed descriptions are provided of the components of exercise testing and prescription for pregnant women, the current evidence-based and practice-oriented guidelines, and exercise selection and adaptation during pregnancy. Exercises specifically targeting musculoskeletal health are discussed separately, and a concluding chapter explains the nutritional requirements in pregnant women who exercise.
Your journey through a comfortable, safe, and confident pregnancy begins with Pregnancy Fitness. This practical guide answers your questions and delivers the information, exercises, and workouts you need to maintain your personal fitness and enjoy the best possible experience in welcoming your baby to the world. Written by three experts in prenatal and postpartum fitness, pelvic floor exercise, and core restoration, Pregnancy Fitness covers all physical and physiological aspects of pregnancy, birth, and recovery so you can enjoy peace of mind throughout your pregnancy and long after delivery. You’ll get complete need-to-know information about hormones, body and posture changes, and common pregnancy aches and pains, along with critical information on diastasis recti and pelvic floor health, which aims to support and protect your body from core dysfunction. A full spectrum of stretching, strengthening, and functional exercises provides the focus, description, safety tips, and variations that allow you to progress safely through your pregnancy and to be physically prepared for birth and optimal recovery. The sample workout programs guide you through each phase of pregnancy, including postpartum, to help you establish and meet your personal fitness goals with comfort and confidence.
A simple, easy-to-follow guide for staying fit while pregnant and shedding the post-baby pounds after! Being a mom is the toughest job in the world. It's difficult to take time for yourself. Now, in How to Exercise When You're Expecting, even the busiest moms can learn how to stay strong and fit during their pregnancy and lose the post-baby weight after. Lindsay Brin, a women's fitness expert and creator of #1 bestselling Moms Into Fitness DVD series, shares insider tips to: -Understanding and tackling food cravings -Exercises that are safe to perform during different stages of pregnancy -Preparing for labor through relaxation and yoga techniques -How your body and metabolism changes after childbirth -Keeping fitness and nutrition a priority when time is scarce Battle-tested through Lindsay's own pregnancies, How to Exercise When You're Expecting offers a before, during, and after guide that will get moms back in pre-baby shape-or better.
Pilates for Pregnancy offers over 60 gentle exercises divided into two main sections: Early Pregnancy (0 to 16 weeks) and Later Pregnancy (16 weeks to birth). In addition, Lynne offers exercises for pre- and post-pregnancy. The book covers all the current health guidelines: for instance, did you know that exercising supine during pregnancy increases your chances of developing supine hypotensive syndrome? The book is especially unique for its inclusion of a Q&A with a midwife on preparing for labour and the birth itself, a series of postnatal exercises that you can do with your baby, plus a groundbreaking new exercise programme for correcting diastasis recti (abdominal separation that occurs shortly after childbirth). With Pilates for Pregnancy you will be well on your way to attaining an enjoyable and enriching pregnancy.
Personal trainer, founder of Bumps & Burpees, and new mum Charlie Barker provides you with 36 workouts designed specifically for you to do safely during your pregnancy. Learn how to keep your baby safe when working out and what physical changes you can expect in each trimester. Step-by-step exercises designed to develop your strength, fitness, and flexibility, will help you to carry your growing baby in greater comfort, prepare you for childbirth, and recover well. Best of all, you can do it all at home, with minimal or no equipment. Charlie's holistic approach helps you prioritize your own health and wellbeing throughout pregnancy and early motherhood, for the benefit of you and your baby.
This book provides an introduction to the sociological study of midwifery. The readings have been selected to highlight the interplay between midwifery and medicine, reflecting the medicalization of childbirth. It highlights the major themes in both a historical and a current context, as well as western and non-western societies. Two major themes underlie the organization of this book: that the conception of midwifery must be broadened to encompass a sociological perspective; and that the ongoing trend toward the medicalization of midwifery is crucial to an understanding of the historical, current, and future status of midwifery. By medicalization of childbirth and midwifery the author mean the increasing tendency for women to prefer a hospital delivery to a home delivery, the increasing trend toward the use of technology and clinical intervention in childbirth, and the determination of medical practitioners to confine the role played by midwives in pregnancy and childbirth, if any, to a purely subordinate one.