Exercising during pregnancy - weighing up the options

A PREGNANT mother of two has caused controversy by posting photos of herself lifting weights on Facebook.

Taken while she was eight and a half months pregnant, 35-year-old American body builder Lea-Ann Ellison is shown squatting as she lifts a huge weight above her head.

The photos and Ellison’s subsequent defence of them have sparked a debate. Traditionally, women were prescribed bed rest while pregnant. It was thought that increasing core body temperature and shifting blood flow and energy from the foetus to the mother could lead to disturbances in growth and congenital problems. There were also concerns about the risk of injury during exercise.