Benefits of water therapy during pregnancy include less swelling in legs, fetal health benefits, relief from body and back pain, weight control, mental well being, and controlled body temperature.

When a woman gets pregnant, a series of physiological changes take place in her body. In fact, pregnant women go through mood swings in unprecedented ways. As the pregnancy progresses the body undergoes many changes and some complications may develop. While medications and checkups by doctors are mandatory at these stages, opting for specific therapies can also be helpful. Some therapies can be used as complimentary with typical medications to benefit women who have conceived. One such example is water therapy.

Benefits of using Water Therapy for Pregnant Women

In a number of cases, doctors and medical experts have found the benefits of undergoing aquatic therapy for pregnant women. In fact, women who have conceived can obtain several benefits by trying water therapy. The touch of water is relaxing to the muscles and the buoyancy can induce a feeling of rejuvenation.

Some of these benefits are:

Less swelling in legs

A lot of women develop swelling in the lower part of the body, including feet, ankles and legs after conceiving. It can lead to pain and they also feel annoyed by the developments. Wearing compression stockings may help to an extent, but there is another alternative. Water induces hydrostatic pressure on the body parts. As a result, blood circulation gets a boost and swelling in lower body parts reduces.

Fetal health benefits

While the lack of documented medical evidence is still there, some studies indicate the health of the fetus in your womb may improve if you seek aquatic therapies in pregnancy. The theory is if you perform aquatic exercises in this phase, fetal heart rate changes go down.

Safe mode of exercise

Pregnant women are often advised to work out to stay in shape and strengthen the pelvic muscles after they conceive. Pregnancy exercises also help control a lot of physical complications they tend to develop and helps thwart excess weight gain. However, the main problem related with these types of exercises is the risk of falling and getting hurt. When you perform the water based exercises, the risk of falling by chance and hurting yourself is neutralized. You can also carry on exercising in water in advanced stages of pregnancy without worry and risk- which is neither advisable nor actually possible in the land.

Relief from body and back pain

When you get pregnant, the hormonal secretion in the body also changes in an unprecedented way. It is natural but there are certain effects of changes in hormonal secretions. Relaxin is one such chemical realized in female body during pregnancy. It is needed to make the pelvis region prepared for the childbirth. It is helpful for proper childbirth, but there are side effects too. The result can be mild to moderate back pain which can last for many days in pregnancy. Trying Aquatic therapy can be beneficial for such women. The tired muscles get relaxed by contact with water and the buoyancy of water can bring relief from pain too.

Excess weight control

During pregnancy, every woman gains weight and it is only natural. However, some of them tend to gain excess weight which can worsen the pregnancy related health complications. Trying exercises to shed excess weight is easier in water than in land. Besides, you will not easily get tired when you exercise in water in these stages. So, you will have better prospects of losing excess weight by choosing water for working out.

A sense of mental well being

Taking baths in warm water tub or trying water based exercises can also improve mental health of expecting women. When you are in a pool or tub of water, gentle pressure is exerted on body muscles. This soothes tired muscles and makes you feel good. You also feel your body is lighter in water compared to the way it feels on land. This eventually makes the mind relaxed and helps you get over pregnancy induced mood swings to an extent. It almost works as a stress buster for you. This can be eventually good for your overall health.

Controlled body temperature

Whether you try mild or moderate levels of exercise in pregnancy some changes in body temperature are bound to be there. Studies have found the human body temperature adjusts to water temperature almost 25% faster compared to air. When you are pregnant, a sharp rise in core body temperature may not be good for health of the fetus. This risk is almost nonexistent when you exercise in water.

Things to keep in mind

While trying water based exercises tend to be helpful for women who have conceived, keeping a few points in mind is necessary.

You should carry out such exercises in a pool or bathtub. In some places, you can find tubs with provisions to control water pressure and flow direction. The water temperature should ideally be lukewarm. Working out in water that is too cold or hot may affect your health adversely. You should also be careful about spending much time in the water in this stage. You also need to learn about suitable exercises that you can perform in the water.

Hope this article was of help for all our parents!! Please share your comments/queries/tips with us and help us create a world full of Happy and Healthy Babies!!