Can You Do Pushups & Situps When You Find Out You're Pregnant?

Keeping healthy can make your pregnancy and delivery easier. Sit ups and push ups can enhance your core strength, which is particularly useful during childbirth, but these exercises can bring risks when you are pregnant. Once you know you're going to be pregnant, talk to your doctor about what exercise is safe for you. Exercise can help you control stress. (picture: Jupiter images / pixland / Getty Images)

precautions

generally speaking, sit ups and push ups are quite safe in the first three months of pregnancy, or at the beginning of the second three months if your doctor allows them. However, some variables may make these exercises forbidden. If you've had complications during your past pregnancy, or bleeding during your current pregnancy, it's wise to avoid strenuous exercise. If you are pregnant with more than one child, you may need to stop doing these exercises early in pregnancy, rather than a woman with one child. Once you are in the middle of pregnancy, sit ups and push ups are not only challenging, but also potentially dangerous. Sit ups or any other activities that require lying on your back are dangerous because maintaining this position reduces the flow of oxygen to your baby. When you do push ups, the main risk is falling. If your hand slips or your arm reaches out and you fall on your stomach, your baby will be traumatized. If you are pregnant for three weeks or three months, follow some simple precautions to reduce the risk of injury to yourself and your baby. When you do sit ups, you can only do them 10 to 15 times at a time, then stand up and walk around, letting the blood flow through your body. If you like, you can do another one in a few minutes. Do push ups on the carpeted floor so your hands don't slip. Push ups can also be easier than kneeling. Stand a few feet away from the wall, hands against it. Bend your elbows until your chin is near the wall, then push yourself back into the standing position with your arms. If the doctor forbids sit ups and push ups, or if you just want to stay healthy in the third trimester, there are other simple exercises that can keep your core strong. When doing the leg lift, put your hands and knees together and alternately lift one leg behind you. You can exercise your arms and upper back with resistance bands. Sit on a chair or on a medicine ball with a resistance band under your feet. Hold the end of the strap and pull the elbow back so that it is close to both sides, or make bicep curls. Swimming and walking can also help you stay healthy and strong during pregnancy.