Swimming is one of the most beneficial exercises for pregnant women. As you progress through your pregnancy your joints and ligaments will begin to loosen which limits the types of activities in which you can safely take part in. Higher impact and more intense exercises can be too hard on the joints, particularly as your weight increases and your belly expands, also throwing off your natural balance and equilibrium. Most women can swim throughout their entire pregnancy as long as their heart rate is under 140 beats per minute and barring any other medical limitations. Swimming allows you to work many muscle groups, burn a lot of calories, increase flexibility and cardio vascular abilities (which you will need down the way for labor) and strengthen back muscles.

If you have access to an indoor pool at a fitness club or workout facility, then swimming is an exercise in which you can engage in year-round. Once you have found a pool you will need to find a comfortable and well fitting ~1337.html" maternity swimsuit as your pre-pregnancy swimsuit will only last you a few weeks into your pregnancy. It is not recommended that you try to squeeze into your non-maternity swimsuit as it can constrict developing milk ducts in your breasts and put unsafe restrictions on your expanding belly. Pregnancy is not a time to look for minimalizing styles that suck in your belly or constrict your bust, instead you need a suit made to stretch and expand where you need it to for the coming months of pregnancy.

Depending on the time of year you are in the market for a maternity swimsuit, your style preferences may vary. Spring and Summer months offer the biggest selection in maternity swimsuits in both your local maternity boutiques and chain stores as well as online maternity stores. Every style from babydolls, strapless minis to tankinis and even bikinis are available in multiple colors and prints for ~1007.html" maternity swimwear . Typically you will find more colorful patterns and beachy colors to choose from during the warmer months. The lively bright colors go great with summer tans and are popular for beach wear and at your local summer pool. In the cooler months many maternity stores do not carry maternity swimwear, so your best bet may be doing a search online to find a decent selection. If you do purchase your suit online, you should check out the online store's return policy on swimwear as some do not allow any returns of swimwear or returns can only be made for store credit or exchange.

If you are looking to do some serious lap swimming, your best bet is a one piece suit with minimum water resistance. ~113.html" Prego Maternity makes a number of good one piece styles for lap swimming. Their Empire Tank one piece suit is excellent for lap swimming. This style is super supportive in the bust with wide adjustable tank straps and a back bra clip for extra support. The fabric is made with 20% lycra and stretches as you need it for all trimesters of your pregnancy. The Empire Tank is available in both solid black and navy and is sold in some online stores throughout the year. A low cost option in a one piece suit is Prego Maternity's Texture Heart maternity swimsuit. This cute suit comes in solid black, and has a shelf bra for moderate bust support. This suit stylishly criss-crosses in the back to form the shape of a heart. The Texture Heart is also a very stretchy suit with a textured fabric and 20% lycra which will fit most women from beginning to end of their pregnancy.

When you are shopping for your maternity swimwear remember to err on the larger size if you are early into your pregnancy and expecting to wear the suits for at least several months. Set aside your pre-pregnancy mindset for swimsuit shopping where your goal is to look as skinny as possible and minimize your belly. When pregnant you will not be losing weight in the near future or getting less curvy, instead your goal for a good swimsuit fit should be one that will comfortably expand with you and hopefully last you for the duration of your pregnancy or your intended swim season. Of course it should be a style that you like and provides the right amount of bust support, particularly if you are looking at lap swimming.

If you plan to continue swimming after you have your baby and intend on nursing your baby, you may consider a nursing swimsuit. There are a number of brands that make very stylish nursing swimwear including Belabumbum and Prego Maternity. Some nursing swimsuits are made exclusively for nursing and others, such as Belabumbum's Nursing Tankini, are made for both maternity and postpartum nursing swimwear use. Buying a swimsuit that can be worn both during and after your pregnancy is an excellent way to extend your investment and use of your suit without having to purchase several non-pregnancy sizes of swimsuits on your way back to your pre-pregnancy shape. It also gives you the option of easily nursing your baby at a moment's notice while at the beach or pool and flatteringly disguising a postpartum belly.

So regardless of the season, swimming is a great exercise to take part in while you are pregnant. Use your online resources to find the best suit for your body and look for one that allows you room to grow!