Negating myths that pregnant women should avoid exercising, a new study has claimed that light exercise during pregnancy can work wonders in having a safe and normal delivery.

The researchers recommend supervised weight training for expectant mothers and propose that it is beneficial to prevent adverse side effects during the final days before delivery.

Patrick O'Connor, a researcher in the department of kinesiology at the University of Georgia College Of Education, and his colleagues, initiated the present study that aimed to establish the benefits of physical activity in pregnant women.

"Doctors often have been unwilling to prescribe weightlifting, in part, because there was little evidence that it is safe and effective," said O'Connor.

"I think that the appropriate conclusion of this study is that the adoption of a supervised, low-to-moderate intensity weight-lifting exercise program can be safe for women with a low-risk pregnancy," the lead investigator informed.

Study details
For the study, the researchers enrolled 32 pregnant women, who were asked to undergo 618 exercise sessions for a period of nearly 12 weeks.

The type of exercise, the weight used while exercising, fluctuations in the blood pressure, and side effects were all taken into account during the study period.

The researchers found that, none of the study participants reported musculoskeletal injuries after following the low-to-moderate exercise routine.

Amount of weight lifted was increased from time to time and women seemed to experience no negative effect from it.

"The data shows women can increase their strength even though they are pregnant and have never done weight-training before. And their body is changing over the 12-week period as the baby grows," O'Connor said.

Though weight training is beneficial and has no effect on the blood pressure, the researchers warn that during initial period of exercising, women may experience dizziness, but this decreases after sometime.

Why weight training was not recommended in past?
According to the researchers, doctors are aware of the benefits of exercising in pregnant women, but they don't recommend it as weight training leads to production of relaxin hormone which makes body the ready to give birth by making the connective tissue more lax.

"Increased laxity could be associated with orthopedic injury. The research focused on low-to-moderate exercise so as to avoid injury associated with increased relaxin in the body, said O'Connor.

The researchers aim at further studying weight training in pregnant women and find whether it can decrease back pain experienced during pregnancy, or not.

Findings of the present study have been published in the online edition of the 'Journal of Physical Activity and Health.'