Hardcore fitness during pregnancy increases in popularity

10/31/2016

This article originally appeared on abc-7 and can be found here.

One Australian mom and fitness guru took to Instagram to show off her rock hard abs during pregnancy.

Chontel Duncan has since come out and admitted how her abs caused complications during birth, detailing how surgeons had to cut and use forceps to successfully get her son out.

Southwest Florida gynecologist, Dr. Charlene Okomeski, has never heard of a case this extreme.

"I've done lots of C-sections and vaginal deliveries on people who have been very fit, they have been dance instructors, exercise instructors, and I've never said that someone wasn't in too good of shape that it made their delivery difficult," Okomeski said.

She stresses the importance of exercise during those nine months.

"If you think about it, labor is an athletic event and so the more fit you are, usually the better off you are during labor," she said.

You're also in the clear to endure the same workouts you did before pregnancy, like running or lifting weights, but don't strain yourself.

"You just have to make modifications or adjustments as it becomes uncomfortable as you get larger," explained Francisca Slagter, an occupational therapist at Bayfront Health Porth Charlotte. "It helps manage fluid, it helps sleep, it helps everything.

Keep your body temperature low and don't exert yourself to the point of exhaustion where you can't complete a sentence.

"The possibility of injury is getting larger as the pregnancy progresses," said Alicia Nieves, an occupational therapist at Bayfront Health Port Charlotte.

Okomeski also warns expectant moms to stay away from bicycling or horse back riding during pregnancy, to keep the strain off the belly and back.

As for Duncan, her doctors said she has healed normally, and she's back to her workout routine.

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