During pregnancy, your body transforms a lot. Apart from psychological and hormonal changes, your body goes through tremendous changes as well. Weight gain, as someone rightly out, is one of the side-effects of pregnancy – and is important aspect of a healthy pregnancy. However, to keep the body fit for labor, often doctors advise to exercise. There are some exercises beneficial for pregnancy, whereas some can be truly harmful. So where does skipping falls under? Is skipping during pregnancy safe or not? What exercises are safe during pregnancy? Let’s know and try what is safe for your body.
Is It Safe to Continue Skipping During Pregnancy?
The answer can be both yes and no, as it largely depends on the strength of your body. If your body is already accustomed to strenuous exercises and workouts, then moderate jumping during pregnancy will not harm you. But if you are a beginner, then pregnancy is not the best time to begin your jumping workouts.
Especially during your first trimester, you should avoid jumping ropes and rather do other safe pregnancy workouts. The second trimester is the best time of the entire pregnancy journey. During this time, you can try a bit of jumping and skip. But instead of jumping with two feet at the same time, you can place one leg in front of the other. This will give you more stability and less jarring.
Skipping is a full-body workout. It strengthens your lower body especially the pelvic floor, glutes, and legs. So if done right skipping during pregnancy can prepare you well for childbirth and postpartum. But the chances of mistakes are also too high. So, it is best to consult with your doctor before trying skipping during pregnancy.
Related Reading: 8 Benefits Of Exercising During Pregnancy
Can Skipping During Pregnancy Cause A Miscarriage?
Miscarriage is called spontaneous abortion as it often happens when the body is not fit for childbearing or when the fetus has any abnormality. A miscarriage can happen due to many reasons and has a few common causes. You cannot just blame the jumping rope. The causes of miscarriages according to NIH mainly are:
- Chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, PCOS or polycystic ovary syndrome, and thyroid problems
- Obesity and malnutrition
- The genetic abnormality in the fetus
- Hormonal problems
- Consumption of caffeine, cigarettes, and alcohol
- Late first pregnancy or advanced maternal age
- Previous miscarriages
If you have any of these conditions, then you should avoid especially skipping during pregnancy in the first trimester. As the risk of having a miscarriage is high in the first trimester.
But if you are healthy and having a blissful pregnancy, then mere hopping during pregnancy will not cause a pregnancy loss.
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Harmful Effects Of Jumping During Pregnancy
When we are saying jumping or skipping is beneficial in pregnancy, we, of course, mean moderate jumping. Excessive jumping will lead to exhaustion, panting, contraction, and cramping. Jumping rope in third trimester is also not a good idea. As your body becomes big your center of gravity shifts and you can easily fall while jumping.
The harmful effects of jumping during pregnancy are:
1. Increased risk of miscarriage
Excessive jumping during the first trimester can cause contraction of your uterus and lead to a miscarriage. And, if you fall while jumping by mistake, then it can both harm you and your baby fatally especially, during the last stage of pregnancy
Related Reading: 6 Causes And 5 Ways To Deal With Weight Loss After Miscarriage
2. The risk of ligament injury
According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, during pregnancy, our body releases the Relaxin hormone. This hormone loosens the ligaments especially, in the pelvic region to make space for the growing uterus. Thus the joints get less support from their surrounding ligaments during this time.
These loose ligaments thus become more prone to injuries if you do excessive jumping. The high impact of skipping can cause you severe back pain and back problems for the rest of your life. Doing excessive workouts during pregnancy can even cause fractures in your joints and ligaments.
3. May trigger vaginal bleeding
Doing excessive ropes jump can lead to contraction. And excessive contraction can lead to the tearing of the placenta from the uterine wall. This condition is known as placenta abruption. Placenta abruption is marked with vaginal bleeding during pregnancy and severe back pain and requires immediate medical aid.
4. May bring about preterm labor
Jumping rope during third trimester can cause preterm labor. Jumping with a growing heavy uterus will put enormous pressure on your cervix. And this frictional impact between the cervix and uterus can cause early labor.
5. Dehydration
Skipping is a strenuous workout and staying well hydrated during pregnancy is a must. This type of exercise will make you sweat more and dehydrated soon. Getting dehydrated while pregnant is not good for you and your baby.
How To Jump Rope During Pregnancy?
So is there any way to do jumping rope safely during pregnancy? Yes, there is. If you, do it with sincerity and with some precautions, then you can do mild skipping during pregnancy. Here are some tips for you:
- At first, you need to buy a pair of sturdy comfortable sneakers, a well-supportive sports bra, and a jumping rope
- Then you need to select an even surface of your home. There should not be any hurdles on your way, or else you may fall while skipping
- Now start by keeping your arms at the 90-degree angle and your elbows at your waist
- Have a light but steady grip on the handles of the jumping rope
- Now relax your neck and slowly put the tension in your wrists
- Keep one foot a bit ahead of the other
- And gently keep your abs in, and shoulder over the hip
- Now start jumping by moving the rope below your front leg then back
- Do it for ten minutes and then rest
- Or you can count 20 to 50 jumps at a time and rest. It depends on how much your body is supporting you
- Do not make high jumps, and do not overdo it as this can make your baby tired too
Safe Exercises During Pregnancy
If you don’t want the risks of jumping ropes, then there are plenty of safe pregnancy workouts that you should try. If you want to avoid cesarean birth, then you need to engage in some sort of exercise may it be yoga or even walking.
Here are some safe pregnancy exercises for you:
1. Light stretching exercises
Stretching is a very useful pregnancy workout, as it prepares you for the stretching and pushes you to require for childbirth. Stretching also makes your core strong and spine flexible
2. Walking
Walking is the safest pregnancy workout with many benefits without a doubt. And what makes it more desirable is that you can do it anytime you want. You can choose your terrace or lawn or go to the nearest park for walking. Brisk walking will make your muscles strong and reduce back pain
3. Swimming
If you know swimming congrats you don’t need to work too hard. Swimming is a healthy exercise as the water can support the weight of your baby bump and make you feel less burdened. Swimming is good for your heart. If you have back pain, then swimming is less problematic than other exercises
4. Low-impact aerobic exercise
Low impact aerobics includes walking or using an elliptical machine or riding a bike where at least one of your legs touches the ground. Doing low-impact aerobics is thus not that strenuous like high-impact aerobics. Aerobic exercise makes your heartbeat more, pumps more blood, takes more oxygen which will strengthen each cell of yours
5. Cycling (on a stationary bike)
You can do indoor cycling on a stationary bike. This will keep the lower part of your body flexible and strong and fit for childbirth
6. Prenatal yoga
Prenatal yoga is very much helpful as it will increase your body’s stretching ability. It will help you in mental concentration and focused breathing. Thus, you will get better sleep and stress-free pregnancy
7. Light weight training
A little bit of light weight lifting during pregnancy will protect you from gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and lower back pain
Related Reading: 12 Tips To Maintain Weight During Pregnancy
Conclusion
You can try any of these exercises according to your comfort. Exercises release endorphins that ease your body’s pain and stress and make you feel good. You can even try skipping during pregnancy by following our tips. But we will recommend you consult with your gynecologist before starting any pregnancy workouts.
FAQs
If you are well acquainted with exercises, then you need not hold back from them. But if you are a beginner, then escape the first three crucial months of your pregnancy.
There is a myth that skipping causes the uterus to fall out. Skipping while you are not pregnant is safe. But as you get pregnant, your ligaments supporting the uterus loosens, thus, heavy jumping can cause a misplaced uterus.
Yes, skipping can cause breast pain if you wear a wrong-sized or loose-fit bra while skipping. You need to buy a good-quality sports bra that can support your breasts while you jump.