Exercise During Pregnancy Helps with Newborn Size

While not tied directly to gestational diabetes, exercise would certainly help in that area. The study, published in the October issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that the odds of delivering a too-big baby dropped by as much as 28% in women who exercised regularly in their second and third trimesters during their first pregnancy.

The Norwegian researchers reported that the number of too-big babies appears to be on the rise at the4 same time that the number of women exercising during pregnancy is on the decline. A heavier birth weight baby is known medically as fetal macrosomia.

A heavier birth weight poses a risk to both the baby and the mother. A weight of more than 8.8 pounds raises the risk of delivery problems, C-sections, postpartum hemorrhage and lower APGAR scores.

In women with first-time pregnancies, those who exercised at least three times a week had a 28 percent lower risk of a large birth weight baby. Those who continued exercising at 30 weeks had a 23 percent decreased risk of having a too-big baby.

The study could not determine why the benefits did not appear to apply to those who'd already had children. It's possible the risk factors are not modifiable in later pregnancies.

At any rate, the key finding of the study is this: pregnancy should not be an excuse to stop exercising. That's something that should be true, even if this study did not exist.