Pregnancy exercise boosts your baby’s heart

Exercising when you’re pregnant has been found to have a beneficial effect on your unborn baby’s heart.

A study by American researchers has shown that regular physical activity helps to reduce the heart rate of your foetus, improving cardiovascular health. This positive effect was also found to continue after a baby is born.

“This exposure to maternal exercise has influenced the way that the nervous system and heart have developed,” explained researcher Linda May at Kansas City University, “and the heart is born healthier.”

• Find an exercise regime to suit you in each trimester
• Your five-step pregnancy exercise plan
• How to exercise safely in pregnancy