Doing aqua-aerobics during pregnancy can ease the pain of childbirth, research shows.
Women who did three classes a week were over twice as likely to decline an epidural, a study found. It is thought the stress-busting effect of exercise helped.
Researchers tracked the pregnancies of 71 women.
Around half were asked to attend three 50-minute aqua-aerobics sessions a week.
Just nine ended up using pain relief for the births, compared with 24 of the others.
The exercisers spent just as long in labour and were no less likely to have Caesareans.
Researcher Rosa Pereira, of the University of Campinas, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said: ‘It suggests aqua-aerobics can get women into better psychophysical condition.’
Obstetrician Michael Heard, of the Royal College
of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the women may have enjoyed social as
well as physical benefits from the classes.
He said: ‘Obesity is probably
our biggest problem in pregnancies. Anything to help people remain fit is good.’
