Study: Maternity sportswear reduces ‘bump bounce’ by half
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A local Indianapolis doctor hopes improved clothing technology will get more women more active during pregnancy.
A new study shows sportswear designed specifically for pregnant women can reduce “bump bounce” by half.
A group of researchers, who study how well certain bras support women, decided to use their technology to measure bump bounce. Those researchers found typical sportswear allowed for 6.2 centimeters of bump movement, while clothing from manufacturer Fittamomma reduced that movement to 3.8 centimeters – even while running.
Fittamomma shared video from the study.
The study suggests special clothing may help pregnant women overcome pregnancy-pain and other common barriers to exercise.
IU Health OB-GYN Chemen Neal said that’s important, especially with the amount of obese women in the United States.
“As history has played out, physical exertion has never been shown to have any kind of an adverse effect on a woman’s pregnancy and now in the time that we’re in right now, obesity is a huge problem and it causes actually a lot of problems in pregnancy,” Dr. Chemen Neal, IU Health OB-GYN, said. “Women who are obese have more pregnancy complications, more chance of gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia and exercise has been shown to decrease the chances that will happen to somebody while they’re pregnant.”
Dr. Neal says you don’t have to be active before you’re pregnant to exercise while you’re pregnant. Doctors suggest pregnant women exercise for 30 minutes, at least five days a week, but few meet those guidelines and many decrease activity or stop exercising in the second or third trimester.
You may pay more for bump-reducing active-wear though. The Fittamomma leggings run between $75 and $80.