Can body builder be fit to be pregnant?

Answer 1

Yes; though that would depend on how you are defining the word fit.

A women's overall health is of great value during pregnancy. Good nutrition is vital not only to the women's survival but the baby's growth development both during pregnancy and after birth for its long term health.

Other factors such as heart health and proper blood pressure levels are also vital to a women's survival. Pregnancy increases stress on the heart and if these systems are not in proper working order, there is increased risk of death to both mother and child.

However; the term fit is often used to describe muscle development. Muscle development by itself is of less importance than heart health and proper nutrition in relation to pregnancy.

In fact, some degree of body fat (enough to fall in the normal average height to weight range) is considered healthy for pregnancy. The body's fat storage acts as a nutritional buffer between meals to supply the mother and developing child with calories non-stop. If one were to take the idea of fitnessto an extreme and attempt keeping off all body fat; this may actually lead to the ill health of both the mother and the child during pregnancy.

Simply put you won't know exactly when your body will need nutrients for the developing child and a fitness regime that minimizes or removes all body fat during pregnancy can actually be potentially dangerous.

To attempt a pregnancy as a body builder implies you may be considering it with a very low body fat percentage. I would suggest consulting with a doctor to ensure that your nutritional levels and food intake are adjusted to a healthy level to ensure the additional calorie burden of the developing child's needs are taken into consideration.

You are after all; eating for two.

On a personal note: I have known body builders who have had children. They typically gain an extra 10 to 20 pounds of body fat in addition the weight of the child (they increase their food intake to safely feed the child). It also typically melts right off after the birth since their muscle mass has little trouble using up the extra calories after the child is no longer part of the equation.