Exercise in women's fitness wear during pregnancy can reduce the chances of having an overweight baby, according to researchers.

Research published in the October issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that women who exercised regularly in the second and third trimesters of their first pregnancy reduced the chances of having a newborn with excessive birth weight by up to 28 per cent.

The Norwegian researchers found that pre-pregnancy exercise did not seem to make a difference in a baby's birth weight, but exercise during pregnancy did.

Women who had been pregnant before were more likely to have heavy babies if they trained in fitness centres or swam during the later stages of their pregnancies.

Earlier this month it was reported that over a third of pregnant women still believe the old wives' tale that they should not exercise after becoming pregnant if they did not before.

The NHS recommends donning ladies fitness wear and staying fit during pregnancy. It said exercise helps expecting mothers cope better with the physical demands of pregnancy, labour and motherhood. ADNFCR-2569-ID-19373891-ADNFCR

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