Page 31 - Varsity Special Issue

28 / Lifestyle Lifestyle / 29

Strength gradually pulled forward during preg- Group members also find practi-
Wu points out a mother’s body is she says.

nancy as her baby grows. But most cal suggestions and knowledge about
mothers do not know how to utilise pregnancy that most doctors cannot
their body strength and adapt to the provide. “Doctors do not study physi-
Training change. “They lack muscle strength. cal education and sports. They may
So it is easy to get hurt if they lift heavy not know details of sports that we
objects. The problem here is not about want to do. But we can ask those who
whether pregnant women should lift have experience in the group. Dr Wu,
heavy objects. The issue here is they En-tzu also answers most of our ques-
with should lift with the right movements,” tions as she has taken lessons about
special training for pregnant women,”
she says.

“Sometimes the group is more
The Online Community Lee says.
Babies in group in February. Lee Chia-hsin, a you see examples in real life going
convincing than doctors’ advice, as
Wu started a private Facebook
through the same journey as I did.
freelancer who is now eight months
pregnant, is one of the group mem- They are all normal people like you
and me, so you believe you can do it
bers. “Medical consultation only
Wombs lasts for about 15 minutes, includ- too,” she says. The group has around
1,150 members as of early November.
ing taking ultrasound pictures. But
we have many questions to ask, such
as questions about exercising during The First Learner
pregnancy. What kind of sports can Another member of the Facebook
Melissa Hsieh’s baby weighed 7.49 pregnant women do? What kind of group, Jennifer Lin, 29, shares how
Mothers find strength training benefi- pounds (3,401 grams) at birth. (Photo workout clothes suits us better? These she starts strength training. The first
cial for their pregnancy. courtesy of Melissa Hsieh) are not big issues, but they do bother time mother started lifting sessions
us,” Lee says. instead of jogging in the fifth month
old days, causes of miscarriages were The 36-year-old mother finds the of her pregnancy. “Many pregnant
By Linn Wu in Taipei unknown to most. It has nothing to Facebook community helpful and en- women develop back pain and swell-
do with doing exercise. If an embryo couraging. “Even if a doctor assures ing, but I had neither of them during
has no heartbeat, it will die eventually that you can train, you still feel doubt- my pregnancy. I think my training
no matter what a mother does,” she ful because you don’t see any real-life helped. I didn’t use the support belt
says. “Many factors can affect preg- examples. But after seeing pictures of either,” she says.
Melissa Hsieh performed deadlifts in her 30th week of
pregnancy. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Hsieh) nancy. Some can be explained by sci- many pregnant women lifting heavy In mid-September, Lin entered her
ence but some cannot. When doctors dumbbells or plates in the Facebook 37th week of pregnancy, which is con-
elissa Hsieh, a fashion de- forming Hatfield squats, which means exercise during pregnancy alien to are uncertain, people make up some- group, you believe it’s doable. Mothers sidered full-term. “Now I still train
signer, kept doing squats you hold handles on each side and older generations. “The elderly usu- thing for the sake of seeking an expla- will never risk hurting their babies,” my core muscles and lower body. I feel
Mand deadlifts until the step on pedals. It’s almost the same.” ally think pregnant women should not nation.”
week she gave birth to her seven- Though strength training has bet- carry heavy things and should avoid “
pound baby boy in late August. The ter prepared Hsieh for giving birth to physical activities to keep babies safe.
31-year-old mother thanked the skills her large-sized baby, her friends and At first, I also thought lifting weights The problem here is not about whether
she learnt from her training for mak- family have different views on her could hurt my baby. But I was soon
ing her delivery quick and smooth. workout during pregnancy. corrected by my coach. She also did pregnant women should lift heavy objects.
“I only pushed about five rounds “They want me to do moderate training during her own pregnancy,” The issue here is they should lift with
with 10 to 12 seconds for each round. exercise such as yoga. Many people she says.
My doctor and nurses praised me for never train and they don’t understand. Dr Wu, En-tzu, a 37-year-old ob- the right movements.
making use of my body strength to But my friends who also work out stetrician-gynaecologist, explains 80
push the baby out. They didn’t help know that training is good for me. My per cent of miscarriages are due to ab- Dr Wu, En-tzu
me push at all,” Hsieh says. “[Giving husband supports me too,” she says. normal embryos in early pregnancy. (Photo courtesy of Wu, En-tzu)
birth on] an obstetric table is like per- Hsieh finds the concept of doing “Since there was no ultrasound in the ”