Pregnant women now encouraged to stay fit.

2004 JUL 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The last thing Rachel Pisciotta wanted was to be a couch potato during her pregnancy. So with her doctor's support, the three-time marathon runner tweaked her workout routine to accommodate her growing belly.

Pisciotta scaled back on her running to avoid overheating, but managed to compete in two 5K races during the first trimester. When the jerky motions of running were too uncomfortable, she switched to brisk walking during the last 3 months. She also did weight training and exercised on an elliptical trainer.

Not so long ago, many doctors took a conservative approach on recommending physical activity for expectant mothers. There were fears about the unknown effects of exercise and concern that overexertion might cause a miscarriage or harm the fetus.

In the late 1980s, new research forced the medical community to rethink old notions. Scientists found that active pregnant women often had trouble-free pregnancies and did not increase their or their baby's risk for health problems. Some studies even found that women who exercised regularly endured labor better, although exercise did not shorten the time spent in labor.

Even more recent research has further pointed to the growing benefits of physical activity during pregnancy, most notably the finding that exercise may reduce by half a woman's risk for a type of diabetes known as gestational diabetes mellitus.

For Pisciotta, who gave birth to son Joseph in April 2003, working out relieved the stress of impending motherhood and made her feel in control of her inevitable weight gain.

"I was terrified that if I went from exercising a lot to doing nothing, I'd blow up to a very large size," said Pisciotta, who works at the University of Rochester Medical Center in upstate New York.