Pregnancy is a transformative journey, filled with excitement, anticipation, and new often experiences. For many expectant mothers, staying active and healthy is a top priority. One of the more fun ways to achieve both physical and mental well-being is outdoor swimming when pregnant, but because it’s rise in popularity has been in more recent years, the research behind it’s use and safety is a little scant (to say the least).
Let me explain a little more, first lets discuss the benefits of outdoor swimming:
Benefits of Outdoor Swimming when Pregnant
Low-Impact Exercise
Swimming is gentle on the joints and muscles, making it an ideal form of exercise for pregnant women. The buoyancy of the water supports your growing bump, reducing strain on your back and pelvis. It can be a nice exercise if you have been struggling with musculoskeletal pains and there are different options when swimming to reduce movement further while keeping up cardio-work. Read more on swimming in our Blog here.
Improved Circulation
Regular swimming can enhance blood flow, which may help alleviate common pregnancy-related issues like swelling in the legs and feet (read the study on this here). You can also read more info on swelling in pregnancy on our symptoms page here.
Stress Relief
It’s pretty well known now that immersing yourself in nature while swimming outdoors provides a calming environment that promotes relaxation and reduces stress. The rhythmic motion of swimming can also help regulate breathing and soothe your mind.
Better Sleep
Any exercise, including swimming, has been linked to improved sleep quality, which is often elusive during pregnancy, one study showed that those exercising for just 30 minutes a day had better sleep than those who did not (read it here). We also have a lot of information on better sleep, on our insomnia symptoms page, here.
Temperature Regulation
On warmer days, outdoor swimming can help you stay cool and comfortable, especially when pregnancy makes you feel overheated. This can be so nice when a heatwave strikes or if you’re getting towards the end of pregnancy in the summer.
Safety Concerns with Outdoor Swimming When Pregnant
Here are a few rules that become a little more important outdoor swimming when pregnant.
Consult With Your Healthcare Provider
Before starting or continuing any exercise routine, including swimming, check with your doctor or midwife to ensure it’s suitable for you, certain conditions can put you at more risk of complications.
Choose Safe Swimming Spots
This sounds obvious but what you thought of as safe before, might not be when pregnant. Make sure the water you are swimming in is clean. In lakes or rivers where wildlife contamination is likely, particularly geese, rats, nearby cattle, I would suggest caution on swimming and certainly ingesting any water. Weil’s disease (leptospirosis) crosses the placenta and can cause severe outcomes for foetus and mother.
Opt for well-monitored locations such as lifeguarded beaches, lakes, or pools. Avoid areas with strong currents, slippery surfaces.
Mind the Temperature
Steer clear of extremely cold or hot water (for now). Cold water might cause your body to overcompensate in regulating its temperature, blood vessels will constrict which ‘may’ impact the delivery of blood to the baby, while hot water can raise your core temperature, causing you to feel faint and could also be harmful to your baby.
There isn’t research to back these theories either way though. A new study (read more here) is looking into the effects of outdoor swimming when pregnant but significant results will take some time. They concluded that there isn’t enough evidence out there to give proper advice on the subject yet but did state that ladies taking part in outdoor swimming when pregnant should only do so if they are regular outdoor swimmers already.
Listen to Your Body
If you feel fatigued, dizzy, or uncomfortable, stop. Make sure you are not alone and can get some help / care if needed. Pregnancy is not the time to push your limits, it’s short period and the health of your baby is none negotiable.
Stay Hydrated
Even while swimming, you’re still losing fluids. Bring water along and drink regularly to stay hydrated. This can help with those faint / dizzy spells, cramps and any fluid build up in your body.
What does the research tell us
Well, we touched on this above but this is the important stuff. The effects of cold-water or outdoor swimming when pregnant are largely unknown. All the studies that have been done recently have come to the same conclusion: Research gaps highlight the need for research to enable accurate advice to determine whether it is safe for pregnant women to swim outdoors in cold water.
There is some good information and advice on the Outdoor
Swimming Society website (link here). They make a good point stating: ‘It is important to be aware that during pregnancy your body is pushed towards its physiological limits and doesn’t have as much reserve as usual”. They also come to the same conclusion that there just isn’t enough research / evidence to give an answer to the question ‘Is outdoor swimming safe when pregnant’?
Based on the (lack of) evidence though, some conclusions have been drawn (read more here):
- Pregnant women should only swim in cold water if they are regular cold water swimmers
- They should not swim alone
- They should avoid cold water swimming if they have raised or very low blood pressure
Concluding that:
“There’s so little out there about cold water swimming in pregnancy that women are left in the dark when it comes to making a decision on whether to continue swimming or not”.
Conclusion
Outdoor swimming during pregnancy can be a truly magical experience. Whether you’re gliding through calm lake waters, enjoying gentle waves at the beach, or floating in an outdoor pool, this activity connects you with nature while nurturing your body and mind. However, the full safety of it is not yet known and it should be done with caution until we know more.