Pt. 1. Concerns about exercise and reproduction ; Controversy over exercise during pregnancy ; Early animal experiments ; Attitudes toward exercising during pregnancy ; Origins of the controversy ; The stimulus for research ; Summary ; Unexpected benefits of exercising during pregnancy ; The heart and circulatory system ; Lung and placental gas transport ; Body temperature and sweating ; Metabolic and hormonal responses ; Muscle, ligament, and bone ; Summary
Pt. 2. Impact of exercise on reproductive outcome ; Exercise, fertility, and early pregnancy ; The confounder problem ; Fertility concerns ; Potential early pregnancy problems ; Summary ; Exercise, premature labor, and fetal growth ; Physical stress, fetal growth, and pregnancy length ; Regular exercise and premature birth ; Effects of regular exercise on the baby's growth ; Summary ; Exercise, breast-feeding, and infant growth ; How exercise affects milk production ; Maternal weight loss while breast-feeding ; Breast-feeding and infant growth ; Effects of exercise during lactation on infant growth ; Summary ; Maternal benefits of regular exercise ; Maternal weight gain and fat accumulation ; Maternal discomfort and injury ; Labor and delivery ; Pregnancy complications ; Maternal fitness and physical performance ; Subtle benefits ; Long-term outcome ; Summary ; Benefits of maternal exercise for the baby ; Baby's physical responses to maternal exercise ; Baby's condition during labor ; Neonatal condition ; Why babies benefit from maternal exercise ; Long-term outcome ; Summary
Pt. 3. Exercise prescription and monitoring ; Principles for exercise prescription ; Who needs an exercise prescription? ; The right amount of exercise ; Guidelines for developing an exercise program ; Dos and don'ts ; Contraindications to exercise ; Summary ; Preconception and early pregnancy exercise ; Four elements for successful conception ; Physiological function before conception ; Physiological function in early pregnancy ; Contraindications to exercise ; Beginning exercisers ; Recreational athletes ; Competitive athletes ; Needs of other exercising women ; Summary ; Mid- and late pregnancy exercise ; Physiological function in midpregnancy ; Physiological function in late pregnancy ; Contraindications to exercise ; Prescribing exercise ; Modifying the training regimen ; Summary ; Postpartum exercise ; Physiological changes during lactation and the postpartum period ; Spontaneous patterns of exercise performance after the birth ; First six weeks after the birth