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Why exercising during pregnancy is important:

During labor you need endurance and muscle strength. These are things only achievable by pregnancy. Exercising during your pregnancy will also help your body return to normal quicker after your baby is born. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that proves exercise will shorten labor but it is proven to make pregnancy much more comfortable by preventing backaches, constipation, fatigue, swelling, insomnia, and it improves body image.

Best exercises for pregnancy:

Nothing is better than walking or swimming during pregnancy because they work your whole body while not posing too much risk of injury. Depending on your fitness level pre-pregnancy, there is a wide range of sports available to you such as yoga, pilates, jogging, or weight training.

Sports to avoid during pregnancy:

Sports which have a high risk of falling or can easily throw you off balance are off limits during pregnancy. These include water skiing, horseback riding, and skating. Many doctors will recommend giving up cycling after the second trimester no matter how experienced you are. Staying on solid ground is key during your pregnancy.

If you’ve never exercised before:

As long as your health care provider gives you the go ahead you can start an exercise program during pregnancy, even if you have always been a couch potato. Because you’re not used to the exercise it is best to stick with low impact exercises such as walking or swimming.

Modify your routines as you go through your pregnancy:

During the first trimester it is very important to avoid overheating. Although not yet proven, some tests have shown that overheating can lead to birth defects. After your first trimester, you will want to avoid exercises that have you lay on your back for more than a few minutes. Lying on your back puts pressure on a major vein in your body, the vena cava, cutting off blood flow to your heart. If you can lie on your back without feeling nauseas, dizzy, or having shortness of breath then there is no harm in doing so.

Signs you are exercising too much:

Stop exercising immediately if you experience dizziness, shortness of breath, faintness, vaginal bleeding, blurred vision, difficulty walking, contractions, or an unusual absence of fetal movements (but bear in mind that your baby is often most quiet when you're at your most active). If any of these symptoms continue after you've cooled down, call your doctor or midwife immediately. In general, during pregnancy you shouldn’t “go for the burn”.

When to talk to your health care provider:

Check with your doctor or midwife before starting or continuing any exercise program. And keep checking in with her as your pregnancy continues to make sure you're modifying your routine as necessary. Sometimes exercise during pregnancy is strictly forbidden to protect the health of the mother, the baby, or both, so don't assume it's okay to keep at it the way you've always done.

Resources

General Pregnancy

Pregnancy at About.com (http://pregnancy.about.com/)
Pregnancy and Parenting at iVillage (http://parenting.ivillage.com/)
Pregnancy Symptoms (http://www.epigee.org/pregnancy/symptoms.html)
Top Ten Signs You Might be Pregnant (http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy-symptoms)
Pregnancy Symptoms from MedicineNet (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=79528)
Pregnancy at BabyZone (http://www.babyzone.com/loadpage/topic.asp?topicid=125628)

Childbirth

ChildBirth.org (http://www.childbirth.org/)
Childbirth on WikiPedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childbirth)
Childbirth Photos and Videos (http://technorati.com/tag/childbirth)
National Institute of Health (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childbirth.html)
Unassisted Childbirth (http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/)
Pain Medications During Labor (http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/laboranddelivery/ld_meds.html)
Labor Pain Meds at Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/labor-and-delivery/PR00105)

Complications

Pregnancy complications at BabyCenter.com (http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy/pregcomplications/index)
Bacterial Vaginosis (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/bacterialvaginoses.htm)
Incompetent Cervix (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/incompetentcervix.html)
Chronic Hypertension (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregcomplications/1427404.html)
Ectopic or Tubal Pregnancy (http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/ectopic.html)
Gestational Diabetes (http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp)
Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) (http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregnancy/fetal/313.html)
Iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregcomplications/3073.html)
Placenta Previa (http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/placentaprevia/a/previa.htm)
Placental Abruption (http://folsomobgyn.com/placental_abruption.htm)
Pre-Eclampsia (http://www.preeclampsia.org/)