What Are the Benefits of Exercising During Pregnancy?

What are the benefits of exercising during pregnancy? Can a woman continue exercising at the same pace throughout her pregnancy? Can a woman who stopped exercising early in her pregnancy resume her routine later?

Absolute Contraindications to Aerobic Exercise During Pregnancy

- Hemodynamically significant heart disease

- Restrictive lung disease

- Incompetent cervix/cerclage

- Multiple gestation at risk for premature labor

- Persistent second or third trimester bleeding

- Placenta previa after 26 weeks of gestation

- Premature labor during current pregnancy

- Ruptured membranes

- Preeclampsia/pregnancy-induced hypertension