Relationship between Daily Physical Activity During Last Month of Pregnancy and Pregnancy Outcome

BACKGROUND: Previous researchers have evaluated the influence of physical exercise or physical activity on pregnancy outcome, but the influence of daily physical activities in details including energy expenditure, biomechanical load and exercise before and during pregnancy have remained unclear. This study evaluates the relationship between daily physical activities as a biomechanical load and energy expenditure and physical exercise during household activities with birth weight, type of delivery and Apgar score. METHODS: The participants of this study were household, first parity women who referred to a prenatal care center in southern Iran. 132 volunteer women were eligible to be enrolled according to their general health and not having any absolute or relative limitation for participating in any kind of activity. Information about daily physical activity was collected through a personal interview using a structured questionnaire during two separate days of ninth month of pregnancy. Data on delivery were recorded from recorded documents of mothers in the hospital. RESULTS: There was no relationship between biomechanical and energy load and birth weight. There was a significant correlation between Apgar score and biomechanical and energy load. Infants of mothers who exercised before or during pregnancy had a significant higher weight than the non-exercise group. Apgar score indicated no significant difference among those having exercise and those without before and during pregnancy. There was no significant difference in the biomechanical load and energy expenditure in the two types of delivery. CONCLUSION: Daily activities in normal range do not induce any harmful effect on birth weight; increasing biomechanical load as a result of some maternal body postures that may be harmful for infant health at birth time. Physical exercise before and during pregnancy may have a positive effect on birth weight.