Indoor exercise, yoga: Essential pointers for pregnant women during coronavirus

Unless it is a high-risk pregnancy, women should not visit hospital, but connect to their doctors via phone or video calls only. 
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

At the virtual summit, Maternal Health: Care During Corona Virus, a few of India’s leading gynaecologists and obstetricians advised pregnant women to continue exercising indoors to avoid unwanted weight gain.

Among those who attended the summit were Dr Jayasree Sundar (Director, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital, New Delhi), Dr Amita Shah (Chief and Senior Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon) and others.

The Integrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Council that conducted this session, had also roped in a sign language interpreter from Indian Sign Language Interpretation Association (ISLIA) to ensure inclusivity in transmitting this medical advice.

Maternal Health: Care During Corona Virus was a virtual summit
Maternal Health: Care During Corona Virus was a virtual summit

Asking the expectant mothers to be vigilant, doctors also talked about some guidelines that they must follow to keep fit.

“Currently, it is not advisable to go out for a walk. But like everyone, it is important for expecting mothers to keep physically fit. They can exercise inside rooms, corridors or on the terrace. There are numerous apps that track footsteps, which is a good way to measure if you have fulfilled your exercise need for the day or not. Yoga and in fact, even basic household chores are a good exercise. We have not seen any major weight gain in pregnant women who have done household work during the lockdown period of three weeks,” said Dr Sunder.

“Even amid this raging pandemic, families are welcoming their new-born babies. However, due to the very nature of the disease, it is imperative that everyone who is dealing with an expecting mother is aware of the basic dos and don’ts,” said IHW Council CEO Kamal Narayan, adding that the guard needs to be up even after a child is born.

Unless it is a high-risk pregnancy, women should not visit hospital, but connect to their doctors via phone or video calls only. 

“For those who suspect a pregnancy, we generally conduct a confirmatory ultrasound in the eighth week. However, now we are asking such women to take a good diet and folic acid and come in the tenth week only. We are also educating women to check the progress of their pregnancies by monitoring the growth of the fundal height,” said Dr Shah.

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