Best exercise & fitness for pregnancy books according to redditors

Absolutely, one of my favorite instructor guides/yoga books is "Yoga for Everyone" by Diane Bondy, it includes images of adjustments that may help for different body types, including amputees.


https://www.amazon.ca/Yoga-Everyone-Poses-Every-Type/dp/1465480773/ref=asc_df_1465480773/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=335298220709&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17659693979158353899&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001093&hvtargid=pla-525398671883&psc=1

1. Exercising daily
   
2. Tweaking my diet now so that when pregnancy hits, I don't also have to screw around with my diet while dealing with hormones/sickness
   
3. Pre-conception visit with the doctor. Make sure you go soon so you can get updated on your vaccines and get all your test results in before it's time to start trying! I just had mine, and it all went smoothly.
   
4. My doctor recommended "The Healthy Pregnancy Book". She said it's "a little crunchy," but mostly very good. She advised me NOT to read "What to Expect When You're Expecting" because it's kind of gross and scary, and she thought it would make my anxiety worse. The book she recommended to me has been very good so far, and it's thoroughly informative without being scary.
   
5. Making an Amazon list of gender-neutral things that look good for the baby-to-be. I read a great piece of advice that said not to reveal the gender of your baby until AFTER the baby shower. That way people will get you practical things instead of frilly dresses or football onesies. So I've been comparing car seats, wraps, cribs/bassinets, etc.
   
6. Crying every time I see a baby because I'm sick to death of waiting and there is only a little over a month left of waiting for me. It's like when you really have to go to the bathroom, and when you finally get there and you see the toilet, you almost feel like you're going to pee your pants because of the relief/anticipation of seeing the toilet. That's what it's like for me, TTC-wise, right now.

Ok a bit of a long read, but you can do it!!!

Have you done any research on labor yourself or just listened to horror stories from other people? Don't go getting too scared!

I got terrified of ever giving birth when my mom told me "it's like period pain but 10 times worse". At that point she didn't know I had endometriosis and actually pass out from the pain. Even now she still doesn't understand. It wasn't till I was in my 30s that I mentioned it to a midwife friend of mine and she said, its different for everyone and just because I've had this pain doesn't mean it will be 10x worse, maybe it'll only be the same.

My point being, you may have had it bad in previous situations, but you may find inner strength when you need it.

Personally I think informing ourselves as to what our bodies can do is very important. For generations we've had doctors tell us we need to do it a certain way. But there are other ways of doing things and knowing about them may help you.

One book I found really empowering and well written is Janet Balaskas Active Birth. Even if you plan on an epidural the second you walk into hospital this helps you understand what's going on in your body. Once you know you wont be as fearful. I've used some of the positions to help my back pain already. Some days it was so bad I'd be in tears and hardly able to walk. Knowing what position to get into to relieve the pain has helped a lot!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1558320385


Another book I found helpful deals more with how your mind and body work while it in pain. I never thought if be able to get a needle every day because I always pass out getting blood tests done. Well for a year and a half I was getting up to 7 injections a day! Plus surgery every month. I lay down for blood tests. I take a few deep breaths and I keep chatting with the tec doing the draw. Sometimes I get ones that don't understand my need to lay down. To them I simply tell them (in a half joking manner) that if they'd prefer to scrape me up of the floor that's ok but I'm trying to save them the trouble. You need to find what works for you. Get back in control of your body as much as you can.

Here's the second book I found helpful.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1741750970
It goes over lots of ways to occupy your brain and deal with fear and adrenalin. One thing that stuck with me is 'labor pain is healthy pain.migraines and endometriosis are NOT healthy pain' and there is a difference.
Another thing that stuck with me was that by burning off the adrenalin with activity or sound will increase the production of endorphins to help deal with the pain.


So basically, my suggestion to you, read and empower yourself to try and get past your anxiety and stress. Read with your SO, it sounds like he's already doing what he can to help and is willing to do more. Work together as a team and you'll be great!!

Alright, kid. You're 12. You like to read. Good work. It's useful for exploring new interests. A few recommendations for life in book form:
Yoga for Dummies
Chinese: Crash Course
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Phantom Tollbooth
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
Case Closed, Vol. 1
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Those should get you started on an introspective teenagehood. If any of those strike your interests, let me know and I'll do a little digital dumpster diving.

I have found Fit and Healthy Pregnancy by Kristina Pinto to be pretty good overall. They say to avoid back stroke while swimming which I don't agree with since gravity doesn't pull baby onto vena cava like on land, but otherwise their recommendations seem good. https://www.amazon.com/Fit-Healthy-Pregnancy-Strong-Shape-ebook/dp/B00FGDGHFI

Edit: This book is definitely geared to athletes and active non-competitive people. It talks a lot about how to maintain or tone down your existing routines, with not much focus on new-to-fitness people.

I've posted about this before, but get the book "Exercising Through Your Pregnancy" by Dr. James Clapp. You should/can absolutely do as you were doing before you got pregnant, but just at a 70% intensity level. Exercise is good for the baby, and for you!

Heart rate monitoring is not necessary and not a good way to judge exertion level when pregnant. Research has shown that you should aim for 70-75% exertion level. Or like a 15-16 on the Borg Perceived Level of Exertion scale. Basically, make sure you can pass the talk test while working out.

Once your body knows that it's pregnant, it immediately starts getting ready for the whole shebang. Your cardiovascular system literally doubles overnight to make room for the extra blood and plasma that you will be making over the next few months. Part of the first-trimester ickiness has to do with "under-fill" problem. Your heart now has to work harder to pump blood, your blood pressure drops, and you will find that your heart rate gets much higher during exercise than it ever did previously. This is a normal adaptation to pregnancy, and it isn't anything to be alarmed about. Later in pregnancy, you will find that it is difficult to get your heart rate up! This is all normal, based on what I have read.

http://www.amazon.com/Exercising-Through-Pregnancy-James-Clapp/dp/1936374331

Get this book. Lily outlines what is safe during pregnancy in regards to carbs as well as everything else.

I highly recommend the book The Pregnant Athlete. It's very exercise friendly and has practical advice and exercise plans for each trimester. https://www.amazon.com/Pregnant-Athlete-Ever-Before-During-Pregnancy/dp/0738217263

Personally I think the 25 lb thing is bullshit, especially as my toddler is 25 lbs right now and I am going to keep picking her up throughout my pregnancy. No one bats an eye at pregnant moms lifting up 40 lb wiggly kids.

The book Real Food for Pregnancy: The Science and Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0986295043/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Gma6CbCK8ZJZ4

This really explains all the nutrients that are so important for your growing babe and why. It was easier for me to eat healthy after reading how important real foods nutrients were.

I’m 34 weeks. LOVED this book for nutrition (I’m a dietitian, but don’t specialize in pregnancy so I loved all the research she did). https://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-Pregnancy-Prenatal-Nutrition/dp/0986295043/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542323316&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=real+food+for+pregnancy&dpPl=1&dpID=61omKYMMOOL&ref=plSrch she also has a book for gestational diabetes that I’ve heard is also good.

Lululemon align leggings have been a comfort godsend. Very stretchy. Only pants that stay comfortably on the bump for me. And rumor has it that they will fit just as well when you are back to your prepregnancy bod. Only complaints are that they didn’t seem super breathable when the weather was hot, but now that it’s getting cooler I haven’t had any sweat issues.

You might frame it in terms of other fitness. Ask what movements specifically you should avoid, and that will help you on the mat. The biggest consideration right off the bat will be to avoid hot yoga. If you're already practicing though, continuing to do so is fine. You might snag a book or two. Here's one reference: http://www.amazon.com/Iyengar-Yoga-Motherhood-Practice-Expectant/dp/1402726899 and I'm reasonably sure others have resources they trust.

All of this.

My OB-GYN still believed in the you must never get your heart rate above 130 claptrap, which has clearly been disproven, but always pushed me to lift weights, even though I was not lifting at the time. He was a proponent of light weights, high reps, though.

This book might be worth checking out. I had an older edition and it mostly focused on cardio, but there should at least be a chapter on weights. You can usually find it at your local public library or bookstore.

I am looooving [Active Birth] (https://www.amazon.com/Active-Birth-Approach-Giving-Naturally/dp/1558320385). It's all about each stage of labor, how birth positions affect them, exercises to try, etc. It's great.

I made it through one session of prenatal yoga. It would have been less but I couldn't think of a graceful exit other than jumping up and running when she said "let's begin with 5 minutes of silent meditation." Since then I've been sticking with Pilates, light weights/circuit training, and very occasional lap swimming. Was curious about water aerobics as well but haven't found the time. With regard to worrying about going to the gym and taking it easy, I've found this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936374331 to be very reassuring (short version: slow down when you feel you need it, but moderate to even intense exercise has tons of benefits and very little risk.)

I'm only 7 weeks, but I'm still crossfitting and I plan to continue all the way through. I've attached a book. I got it from my local library and it told me everything I needed to know about scaling and the benefits that moderate/high intensity workouts can have for the baby. It's also by a pair of doctor/researchers who provide a lot of valid data which they collected themselves. As a researcher, their methods looked awesome and I trust it. You should snag a copy somewhere :)
Exercising Through Your Pregnancy

I didn’t do OTF during my last pregnancy but I did do a boot camp class with similar exercises all the way into the third trimester. A good friend that I was working out with is an athletic trainer that had experience with pregnant athletes. She helped me modify. During the second trimester, I started modifying anything that required laying on my stomach like Supermans and back extensions with bird dogs and y-raises. Around 20 weeks, I started modifying planks. When my belly got really big, I started doing ab exercises on a Bosu ball or wedge.
As far as running goes, I just listened to my body and walked when I needed to. Totally up to you but I would skip the all outs. I highly recommend investing in a belly support band to hold everything in place.
A couple books that also helped with modifications are The Pregnant Athlete and Exercising through Your Pregnancy

Um, no, exercise is oxygenating your blood, which the baby gets. It's good for them.

Here's a good resource

I ran throughout my pregnancy. Up until 33 weeks when the recovery from the running began to take up my whole day, and I had to choose - do I want to run and spend the rest of the day on the couch or not run and participate in life? It's not that running itself ever got especially hard, it was the recovery that was time consuming. A simple 3 mile run made me feel like I was recovering from a hard and hilly half.

Until then I ran just as I always had, almost daily, but I just tried to keep my heart rate and body temp low. So this meant always running at a conversational pace, not at race pace and often running on a treadmill in front of a fan. Gradually, I had to take walk breaks and not just run the whole time. My easy paces went from 9:00 mile to 12:30 miles and eventually with walking breaks to 15:00 miles. At that point recovery was getting hard too, so I said eff it, and I just walked and used the elliptical up until the due date.

This book was my guide.

Just pay attention to your body. As an experienced runner, you will know when it's time to walk or cut back. The only problem (as an experienced runner) will be your ego/pride keeping you from slowing down. Just remember every mile you cover is a mile further than 99% of the population will go today, and every step is a step toward health and fitness that you won't regret, no matter how slow you go.

Also, drink TONS of water - TONS. It will help prevent Braxton-Hicks contractions.

I really feel like running/being a runner helped me through the athleticism of labor and gave me a speedy physical recovery from delivery.

I've had two kids - check out the book [Runner's World Guide to Running and Pregnancy] (https://www.amazon.com/Runners-World-Guide-Running-Pregnancy/dp/1579547478). I ran throughout my first and some of my second trimesters, but (1) I was usually soooo tired, all I wanted to do was sleep, let alone get out the door and run, and (2) I had placenta previa, especially in my second pregnancy, so I was told not to exercise while that was an issue. In general, though, you can keep running throughout, and I know many women who have run half marathons while pregnant.

http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Pregnancy-Book-Everything-Parenting/dp/0316187437

The healthy pregnancy book by Dr Sears! :)

I think we're in the same position - I'd rather be active in labor than lying down, but everyone tells me I'm going to want the epidural, and I wonder about my pain tolerance... My hospital offers a Natural Birth Class - is that an option for you? It may give you more information! Also, yesterday someone who recommended the book, Active Birth, in their birth story. I was thinking about reading through that was well.

I had both of my children naturally. In both situations I was throwing up during labor (phenergan is your friend). It was tiring and by time I was ready for it to end, it did. The second time around was better, part of that is because I read Active Birth: The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally and it helped a great deal.

I love the book Real Food for Pregnancy. While it is geared specifically towards those who are already pregnant it would also be great as fertility/pregnancy prep advice. She walks through all the nutrients needed for pregnancy (and probably also for fertility) and goes through real food sources of how to get them in your diet. It's written by a wonderful nutritionist/blogger who you can find here. She's paleo/low carb inspired, but is very practical.

I was a runner and stopped at around 5 months or so. (Not because I had to - just because it wasn't fun anymore. With every step I felt like I needed to pee, even if I didn't. I just didn't enjoy it anymore.) If you've been doing it before, and you feel okay doing it, you're totally safe to run all the way through. (I've had marathoner friends who ran till 8 months!)

I still do tons of other things (I teach BodyPump still, at 28 weeks. I taught indoor cycling till 26 weeks and now I ride at home. I walk. etc.) I just chose to not run anymore.

I read this book which was good perspective! Ignore what non-athletes/runners say - their advice is often ridiculously outdated. http://smile.amazon.com/Pregnant-Athlete-Ever--Before-During-Pregnancy-ebook/dp/B00HTQ31CW/ref=sr_1_1

You do need to be clear that your intensity will HAVE to change. It's just how it works. E.g. I was teaching cycling and stopped teaching because at too high an intensity I would get Braxton Hicks contractions. And while teaching, it was impossible for me to moderate the intensity enough. I ride at home now and I can manage intensity so that doesn't happen. The same will apply for you and running. As long as you don't try to "push through" signs that it's not right you'll be fine :-)

Ages and Stages is a good book from birth upwards. Should suit your learning style. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0471370878?cache=b4f08094ac027bb062cdfafc49386ce2&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1405376511&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

If you're looking to work out or keep fit at all, check out Baby Barbells and The Art of Roughhousing. Both have some good tips for playing with your kid in ways that will benefit your health as well!

Little peanut gave me an AWESOME night of sleep last night. I didn't wake up til 5 AM, and even when I woke up, all I had to do was pee. Wasn't nauseous or stomach cramping or anything!

Hopefully all of August (and September) goes this way :)

[EDIT] Oh yeah, DH took me to a Barnes & Nobles after puppy class yesterday and we picked up 3 books!

• The Expectant Father
  
• The Pregnancy Countdown Book
  
• Sear's Healthy Pregnancy Book
  
  We also have 3 other books that DH picked up a few days ago... plus we're on an adventure to find The Mayo Clinic Guide and [The Birth Partner]
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155832819X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER)
  
  All this reading makes me happy~

Seconding this -- My sister got me this book and I love it. It has a month to month guide and specific exercises. https://www.amazon.com/Pregnant-Athlete-Ever-Before-During-Pregnancy/dp/0738217263

While I don't follow this advice, since I'm pretty sure it's been out of date for almost 20 years, I did notice something interesting. My running has naturally slowed since I've gotten pregnant. A few times, in the middle of a run, I've stopped to take my pulse, just out of curiosity. Every time, it's between 140 and 150. It's almost as though my body is slowing to a pace where my heart only needs to hit that particular rate. So maybe there's something to the idea that your heartrate shouldn't exceed 140 in pregnancy, but at least for me it seems as though my body is preventing it without my input.

If you want some evidence, particularly for cardio, read James Clapp's Exercising Through Your Pregnancy

http://www.amazon.com/Exercising-Through-Pregnancy-James-Clapp/dp/1936374331

There's also a subreddit /r/fitpregnancy

I read Exercising Through Your Pregnancy finally and have been feeling really inspired to keep up my workouts!

My runs are starting to feel better again! I am at 24 weeks now. It was great until about 20 weeks, then I had a phase where the round ligament pain made me want to cry during runs. Now I'm back to running 3 miles without pain, and I ran 3 times this week.

I also played tennis twice, went to barre once, and prenatal yoga once.

My goal next week is to run 3 times (3 miles), play tennis 3 times, and hit prenatal yoga twice.

Not pregnant, nor have I ever been, but I know there are some books out there about running while pregnant. For example: Runner's World Guide. I'd suggest just doing research and as everyone else has said to listen to your body. I went to spectate my bf's 1st half marathon and remember seeing a woman who was probably 5 months with a shirt that said "You just got passed by a pregnant woman" on the back :)

I'd suggest an experienced teacher or a good book for suggestions
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402726899?keywords=geeta%20iyengar&qid=1453947839&ref_=sr_1_4&s=books&sr=1-4

I'm totally find with baby taking what baby needs and leaving me with the leftovers! My doctor increased me from 88 mcg to 100 mcg - I hope that's enough for now. I keep having to remind myself of this quote Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols.

>Simply put, humans are wired to reproduce successfully. Even when conditions aren’t optimal, your body will do everything in its power to follow the blueprints and carry your precious baby to term. If that weren’t the case, there would be no way we’d have so many humans on the planet despite all sorts of common interferences, like malnutrition and toxin exposure.

I'm officially done googling and will just take it one day at a time! Thank you for responding!