Exercise while pregnant could improve your baby's health

Published on Thursday 16 April 2009 22:02

WOMEN who exercise in pregnancy could strengthen their babies' lungs and nervous system, new research suggests.

Experts from the United States carried out a small study into the impact of exercise and found potential benefits for unborn babies. They also suggested exercise might be able to help prevent cot death, but said far more research was needed.

Dr Linda May, an assistant professor of anatomy at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, said her study had yielded "exciting" results.

She said: "We tested foetal breathing movement and the way the baby's nervous system was developing.

"When we compared babies whose mothers exercised with babies whose mothers had not exercised, we found wonderful differences.

"Foetal breathing movement and the nervous system were more mature in babies exposed to exercise."

All the women involved in the study were 36 to 38 weeks pregnant and aged 20-35.

The mothers-to-be were classified as exercisers if they exercised for at least 30 minutes three times a week.