Pregnancy week by week

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Wall push-ups

Interested in pregnancy exercises? Good for you! Pregnancy exercises can help you improve your core strength, tone your muscles and prepare for labor.

Start your pregnancy exercises with wall pushups, which work the pectoral muscles in the front of your chest wall and the triceps muscles in the back of your upper arm. Stand up facing a wall. Then lean against the wall with your hands. Keep your knees comfortably apart. Place your hands on the wall at the level of your shoulders, slightly greater than shoulder-width apart. Slowly bend your elbows and lower your chest until your chin reaches the wall. Remember to keep your back straight. Then return to the starting position. Gradually work up to 15 repetitions.

1. Frequently asked questions. Pregnancy FAQ0119. Exercises during your pregnancy. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/~/media/For%20Patients/faq119.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20120918T1042484702. Accessed Sept. 19, 2012.
2. Simkin P, et al. Update on nonpharmacologic approaches to relieve labor pain and prevent suffering. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health. 2004;49:489.
3. Dudley TJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 25, 2012.
4. Friend JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 25, 2012.
5. Pregnancy: Staying safe and healthy. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/you-are-pregnant/staying-healthy-safe.cfm. Accessed Sept. 25, 2012.
6. Nordahl K, et al. Fit to Deliver. Point Roberts, Wash.: Hartley & Marks Publishers Inc., 2005:1.