The Outcomes of Pregnant Women Improving their Cardiovascular Fitness

By: Wiki Group 47, The Chamber Crusaders

Group Members:Elliot Bloem, Tarryn Bruckner,

Stephanie Cannon, Hanna McLennan, Jaye Sippel

13th October, 2011

•Cardiovascular Fitness = “ability of the lungs to provide, consume and transport oxygen to the blood and the heart”(Waehner 2008)•By maintaining exercise, you can maintain your cardiovascular

fitness (Turner-Lee 2004, Clapp 2000)•Physical activity is safe for most pregnant women and improves

maternal fitness and birth outcomes (Cannella et al, 2010).•But what exercises are safe for pregnant women and what is the

benefit of maintaining cardiovascular fitness?

ReferencesCannella D, Lobel M, Monheit A, 2010, 'Knowing is believing: information and attitudes towards physical activity during pregnancy', J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol, vol. 31, no. 4, pp236- 242, viewed 6 August 2011, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/pubmed/20969538>Clapp III, JF 2000, ‘Exercise during pregnancy: A clinical update’, Clinics in sports medicine (0278-5919), vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 273-286, viewed 4 September 2011, MD Consult Australia, <http://www.mdconsult.com.proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/das/article/body/278160027-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=11247873&sid=0/N/172670/1.html?issn=0278-5919>Turner-Lee, D 2004, Healthy moms give birth to healthy babies, viewed 4 September 2011, <http://www.nextstepfitness.com/downloads/Healthy_Moms_Give_Birth.pdf>Waehner, P 2008, Cardiovascular fitness, viewed 8 September 2011, <http://exercise.about.com/od/cardioworkouts/g/cardiofitness.htm>

How can pregnant women improve and benefit from cardiovascular fitness?

• Physical activity is fundamental to ensuring a safe, healthy, successful pregnancy (Sports Medicine Australia 2009)

• Adequate nutrition, sleep, exercise and relaxation = Efficient cardiovascular fitness (Sports Medicine Australia 2009)

• Safe, appropriate, effective exercises include walking, jogging, swimming and yoga (BabyCenter 2011).

• Benefits:lower the risk of complications (Turner-Lee 2004)healthier mother after pregnancy (Turner-Lee 2004)increased blood plasma volume (Clapp 2000)increased cardiac output = greater nutrient delivery to mother/

foetus (Longo1983)healthier baby (Clapp 2000, Turner-Lee 2004)

ReferencesBabyCenter 2011, in BabyCenter Australia Medical Advisory Board (ed.), Exercises recommended throughout pregnancy, viewed 6 August 2011Clapp III, JF 2000, ‘Exercise during pregnancy: A clinical update’, Clinics in sports medicine (0278-5919), vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 273-286, viewed 4 September 2011, MD Consult Australia, <http://www.mdconsult.com.proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/das/article/body/278160027-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=11247873&sid=0/N/172670/1.html?issn=0278-5919>Longo, LD 1983, ‘Maternal blood volume and cardiac output during pregnancy: a hypothesis of endocrinologic control’, American journal of physiology: Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology (0363-6119), vol. 245, no. 5, pp.R720-R729, viewed 8 September 2011, American Physiological Society, <http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/245/5/R720.short>Sports Medicine Australia, 2009, Exercise in Pregnancy, viewed 7 August 2011, <http://sma.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/WIS-ExPreg.pdf>Turner-Lee, D 2004, Healthy moms give birth to healthy babies, viewed 4 September 2011, <http://www.nextstepfitness.com/downloads/Healthy_Moms_Give_Birth.pdf>

•Search for our poster to find out more about precautions to be taken before exercising, how the safe exercises impact cardiovascular fitness and how it benefits the mother and baby

•If you are still interested further, the wiki of Group 47 is the place to go for more information and links to further resources

•Our final message: “Pregnant women are stronger than you think!”

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