Does Exercise During Pregnancy Affect Labour or Baby? New Insights from Natural Births

If you’re pregnant or planning to be, you might be wondering: can keeping active affect your labour or your baby’s health? A new study from Poland offers fresh insight, focusing solely on women who had natural (non-surgical) births.

What Did the Researchers Look At?

The team, led by Anna Szablewska and Bartosz Zająć, wanted to understand whether physical activity before and during pregnancy impacts:

How labour unfolds (length of each stage, need for anaesthesia, perineal injuries),
Maternal health during birth (blood markers, weight gain),
And the baby’s condition at birth (weight, length, head size, APGAR score—which quickly checks how newborns are doing).

Rather than include all types of deliveries, they zoomed in on women who gave birth without surgical intervention, aiming for clearer insights.

How Was the Study Done?

They followed 115 pregnant women from outpatient clinics in northern Poland. Each woman reported her physical activity levels before pregnancy and during pregnancy using a special questionnaire tailored for expectant mums.

The researchers then matched this info with hospital records from the births, tracking blood tests, labour details, and various newborn health measures.

They compared those who met physical activity guidelines (at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week) with less active women.

Key Findings: No Negative Impact of Exercise

Surprisingly, physical activity didn’t make a significant difference in any of these outcomes:

Labour duration and stages: Exercise neither shortened nor lengthened labour.
Birth-related injuries or anaesthesia use: No link found to exercise levels.
Maternal health markers: Blood counts, inflammation levels, and pregnancy weight gain weren’t affected.
Baby’s health at birth: Weight, length, head size, APGAR scores, and even umbilical cord blood measurements showed no meaningful changes.

One small twist was a trend towards lower platelet counts in physically active women, hinting exercise might influence blood properties during pregnancy—a possible protective factor against clotting risks—but these findings need more study.

Why Does This Matter for You?

If you’re worried staying active might complicate labour or harm your baby, this research offers reassurance. Following WHO guidelines for prenatal exercise appears safe for both mother and child during natural birth.

The study also reminds us:

Keeping or becoming active before and during pregnancy won't compromise birth outcomes.
The benefits of exercise on pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes and mental wellbeing (highlighted in other research) remain valid.
Exercise recommendations matter more than ever in rural vs urban areas, as this study found women in cities were more active than those in villages.

How Should This Shape Your Pregnancy Routine?

Stick to recommended exercise: Aim for about 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly—think brisk walking, swimming, prenatal yoga.
Start before pregnancy if you can: It may help set healthy habits for later.
Don’t fret about labour times or baby size: Being active won’t "speed up" or worsen these.
Chat with your healthcare provider: They can personalise advice based on your health and pregnancy needs.

What Sets This Study Apart?

Unlike many studies mixing natural and caesarean deliveries, this one focused solely on births without surgical intervention, removing confounding factors related to surgery. Plus, it included detailed lab data, even from newborns’ cord blood.

While some prior studies hinted at benefits or small risks, this one clearly shows exercise at recommended levels is safe, supporting current global guidelines.

Where Next?

The researchers suggest:

Using wearable trackers to get precise exercise data in future studies.
Exploring if physical activity impacts blood clotting risks in pregnancy.
Including women with caesarean deliveries to see if findings hold for all birth types.
Understanding why women in rural areas exercise less during pregnancy.

Bottom Line

If you’re pregnant or planning, this study from Poland reassures that staying physically active according to WHO standards won’t negatively affect your labour or your baby’s health. So, lace up those trainers—your natural birth and newborn seem perfectly happy with a bit of movement.

For the original research and more details, have a look here:
Impact of physical activity on maternal and neonatal outcomes – Frontiers in Medicine