Prenatal Swimming Workout: Pool Exercises for Pregnancy

Introduction to Swimming While Pregnant

Carrying a baby inside your belly is hard enough on its own, so why would you want to workout as well? After all, every single day is a workout! However, while this may be true, there are some ‘warriors’ out there that want to be especially healthy and fit during their pregnancy which is where the various exercises for pregnant women come into play. While some practice yoga or take boxing classes in their spare time to keep their heart rate up, there are others that just need a good stretch without all the effort and exhaustion. Fortunately, through pool exercises for pregnancy, you can eliminate those aches and pains all while focusing on your physical health and upper body strength at once.

In this article, we’ll go over some key benefits to swimming while pregnant that you can only get from stepping into the pool. While this will focus on pool-based exercises, you can opt for aquatic physical therapy or aqua aerobics during pregnancy if you are recommended to perform physical therapy by your doctor likewise. The workouts within this article are best for those that are pregnant or are preparing for a future pregnancy, but truly benefit anyone looking for low impact exercise or water workouts.

Be careful. This is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor before beginning a new physical routine if you are already pregnant.

Please—above all, we want to keep you and your baby safe! This honestly goes without saying, but what type of instructor would I be if I didn’t stress the safety precautions I expect for my clients during pregnancy lessons?

Entering the Water

Entering the water may seem like a no-brainer, but there are some steps to take into consideration when doing so. Even if this isn’t your first rodeo, be sure to enter the water slowly. Give your stomach about a minute to become fully submerged. The water pressure on your stomach can cause movement inside, so to avoid hurting you or your baby, take as much time as you need while you submerge your belly. You can bend your knees to submerge at your own pace.

The baby isn’t equipped to handle the bubbles that form inside the body from quick pressure changes. Diving into water isn’t worth the potential risk and is simply not a good idea when you’re pregnant. You know your body better than anyone, so you need to be the judge of any pain that you may encounter during the swim lesson or pregnancy swimming workout. Furthermore, in the pool water, having all that extra weight on you can throw off your center of gravity so be sure to tread lightly.

Don’t Hold Your Breath!

One of the main concerns with expectant moms and swimming during pregnancy is how it might negatively affect the baby. Fortunately, if you follow these rules and ensure that you never hold your breath when swimming, your baby is sure to be fine. The main reason that holding your breath can become a problem is that a baby needs oxygen all the time. Therefore, you must not stop breathing, for both of your sake.

Even if you can hold your breath under water, a developing baby needs a constant supply of oxygen which is why some sources recommend that you avoid swimming altogether during pregnancy. However, as long as you avoid holding your breath and staying under water for more than a few seconds, you and your baby will be more than fine. It's something that we are so used to doing while swimming, so sometimes we don’t realize we’re holding our breath which is why it is highly important that you pay close attention as you exercise during pregnancy in the pool. It’s why I like to mention it to my pregnant clientele before we even start swimming.

Stay Hydrated and eat at Least an Hour Before Your Exercise

Swimming, unlike running for example, does not trigger your lactic acid and exhaustion receptors as quickly because you don’t feel like you’re actually sweating when you swim instead of run multiple times a week.

If you don’t swim on a regular basis, you don’t really think about this sort of thing, however, you do in fact sweat when you swim. It’s especially wonderful for pregnant women because the water keeps your body cool so you're more likely to get through your exercise without getting too hot. This makes these appointments highly optimal exercises for pregnant women. You’ll need to stay extremely hydrated before you plan on swimming or exercising and even more so during your swim. Since you don’t feel like you’re sweating, people tend to forget to hydrate when they swim more so than with other workouts or sports because you don’t feel sweaty or overheated.

As for the fuel, it varies depending on how long and far you swim, your weight, and more. We’ve all heard the saying ‘try not to eat right before you swim’. While some people will say that’s a myth, in my experience as an instructor, it’s better to just not risk it. Not only because you don’t want to get sick in the pool, but also because the pressure changes can cause common issues like heartburn and stomach aches. Ask your doctor or food practitioner for the correct caloric intake for your point in your pregnancy. Your best bet is to finish your pre-workout snack at least 30 minutes before you swim, then look forward to a protein-rich post-workout snack like yogurt or a small chicken salad afterwards.

It’s Better for Your Joints

If you have a hard time balancing while you do land workouts, you’ll definitely want to consider water exercises during pregnancy. They allow you to get a good workout in without having to worry about getting injured from a fall in the process. In the water, you’re a tenth of the weight that you are on land. It’s probably my favorite part about swimming. Aside from exercise benefits, swimming while pregnant also provides relief from aches & pains and common issues that women have to endure regularly while pregnant.

Swimming is also a more gentle approach when treating many different things like muscle pain relief, stretching your core, back pain relief, ankle swelling & pain relief, etc. The drills help with toning your buttocks, hips, thighs, hamstrings and back muscles to help with delivering the baby as well.

One thing to note before we continue is that while some sources may have told you by now that swimming in a chlorinated pool is dangerous during pregnancy, the truth is that this is simply not true and health care professionals will tell you swimming while pregnant is highly encouraged and completely safe.

Avoid Hot Tubs While Pregnant

You’ve likely heard about the dangers of sitting in hot tubs while pregnant already but I can’t stress this enough to my clientele and all pregnant women that hot tubs, if not used properly when pregnant, can be seriously harmful to you and your baby alike.

Spending more than 10 minutes in a hot tub can raise your body temperature above 101°F which can raise the risk for neural defects, miscarriage, and brain/ spinal cord abnormalities. Chances are especially high if this happens during the first four to six weeks of pregnancy. That being said, the cool temperatures of the pool water are very therapeutic for the baby and the mother. The cool temperatures help with morning sickness, relieving women from nausea and vomiting, and relieving various bodily aches and pains as well. It also helps with your delivery when the time comes, helping your muscles and back to be more relaxed.

Ankle Swelling, Pressure, and Sciatic Pain

Ankle swelling really is one of the top concerns raised when women are pregnant. It’s a legitimate concern when you are carrying 20 extra pounds. It’s also why swimming is so popular for pregnant women. You get relief from that intense pressure and new weight on your ankles. It also helps reduce the pressure on your joints, and if you experience it, the sciatic pain in your back. Start with submerging your limbs in water. This helps push fluids from your tissues back into your veins (where it goes to your kidneys and then out through your urine). It also boosts your circulation, which keeps blood from pooling in the lower limbs. You want to be at least waist deep for most exercises, except maybe specifically this ankle relief exercise.

Disclaimer: What to Look for in Case of an Emergency

As with anything, and especially pregnancy, you’re going to have a general level of fatigue and bodily annoyances that you’re dealing with on a regular basis. If you experience anything beyond that, like sharp pains, shortness of breath, faintness, vaginal bleeding, dizziness, uterine contractions, or absence of fetal movements, stop your workout immediately and contact your healthcare practitioner.

Drill #1: Backstroke-Breaststroke Kick

This drill is fun because you’re on your back, doing a very relaxing frog kick. You can use your arms if you want, but you don’t have to. This drill is more about stretching all of the muscles in your upper things, your bottom and your legs. If you do want to use your arms, you can do a double arm backstroke, or single arm backstroke. I like the double arm, because with a good kick, you can really glide across the water. It’s relaxing, but gives you a nice workout at the same time. It is a very simple drill, if you even want to call it a drill, but it does relieve you of upper leg tension muscle spasms preparing you to give birth a lot easier. The more muscle development in your back, butt, shoulders, and neck the better. Any type of fitness and exercise is going to help on the day it comes to push.

Drill #2: Shallow Water Drills

Shallow Walking: using a normal stride, walk around and don’t stop for 5 minutes. You can switch this up by walking sideways, on your heels or your tiptoes. This can be switched to running by using a shorter stride and focusing on raising your knees with every stride.

Shallow Jumping Jacks: These are regular jumping jacks, but in the water. Don’t forget to jump straight up and down without arching back or drifting backwards. This strengthens your butt, thighs, hips, neck, shoulders, and back.

Lunges: You can perform normal lunges, focusing on posture and form. You can also switch this up by doing side lunges as well.

Drill #3: Deep Water Drills

Scissor Drill: Float as if leaning back in a chair, toes pointed, legs straight and arms by in front; scull water with hands to stay balanced. Hands are sculling, or cupping the water in and out with your arms keeping you afloat. Alternate legs & cross your legs in a scissor cross motion. (Almost just doing whatever you need to stay above water). This is a bit hard to explain, so please feel free to watch a YouTube video on this specific drill.

Run/jog Drill: Run or jog forward and back in the water. Go forward for 20 counts as if on land, then backward for 20 counts. Keep knees up, arms moving in opposition to legs; don't lean. Continue for 8–10 minutes. This helps strengthen legs and hamstrings as well as your butt.

Cool Down & Conclusion

As a swimmer, the more professional I got, the more my coaches always made me cool down. As an instructor, I have seen firsthand how important it is when working out for any sport, especially swimming which is extremely underrated.

The science of muscles is very well studied, and we take full advantage of that when we cool down. Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds. Start with your arms, your back, then your butt and legs. A full body stretch is going to be the best thing when you're pregnant. Nothing is worse than being super sore and stiff when you’re already working out your muscles just by being pregnant.

As always I recommend going over these drills with an instructor if you are pregnant. The instructor will help you get the most out of your workout and ensure you and your baby are staying safe in the water.

I hope these drills and workouts help you with your pregnancy! Pass this blog post along to your pregnant friends. Be safe, and happy swimming!

Josiah Scrivner’s bio:

Swim Instructor in Orange County, CA

Hi, my name is Josiah & I've been Swimming Competitively, teaching Swim lessons and Life Guarding myself for 10+ years with ages 5 all the way to adults or seniors. I have experience in Child Care and with Special Needs Children. Since I can remember, I was a natural born swimmer and haven't been able to stay away from the water since! Some of my best memories are of my time swimming year round. I love teaching swimming because I know how rewarding and important it can be!