Activity as Your Pregnancy Progresses
Reviewed by CDE Mehandi Sharma · Updated
Most GDM diagnoses land around 24 to 28 weeks, so the activity you begin with has to survive another three months of considerable physical change.
In the weeks just after diagnosis, most women can walk comfortably and this is the time to establish the habit — after every main meal, at a pace where you can still talk.
As the third trimester progresses, several things change at once. Balance shifts, breathlessness arrives sooner, the pelvis and lower back complain, and swelling in the feet makes long walks unappealing. Heartburn can make walking straight after eating uncomfortable.
The adaptation is to change the form rather than to stop. Shorter and more frequent walks instead of longer ones. Swimming or standing water exercise, which takes the weight off and is often the most comfortable late option. Stationary cycling. Gentle stretching.
Late pregnancy also means avoiding lying flat on your back for extended periods, and being careful about anything requiring balance.
Keep testing after meals as you adapt. If your readings start creeping up in the last weeks, part of the reason may be that you are moving less — but part is the placenta's rising hormone output, which is not something more walking can fix.