Biking and Pregnancy

[mountainpuddles]

I am 6 weeks pregnant and wanted to know if anyone still rides while pregnant? How far? Intensity? My Dr. said I can exercise!!!

Becky

[Pedal Wench]

One of my club members and I went for a ride when she was 9 months pregnant. She had to use a rigid mtb to have room for her belly, and we only went about 10 miles, but she was riding all the time, just monitoring her heart rate and making sure she didn't get overheated.

Baby is two months old and perfectly healthy.:)

[crazycanuck]

I think there are a couple of posts in the health section that might be able to help you :) I think xeney & snowtulip may be able to help?

I'd also do a search and see what cool info comes up.

c

[velogirl]

congratulations, Becky! how exciting for you. most women can continue their current level of exercise while they're pregnant. that means, if you're currently riding a certain duration you can most likely continue to do so.

there are some common exercise restrictions during pregnancy, but your doctor should be able to explain them to you. for example, it's contraindicated to exercise on your back after the first trimester. it's also typically recommended that you don't let your heart rate exceed 140 after the first trimester. but again, your doc should be able to give you solid guidelines.

since you're in the bay area, check the velogirls yahoo group archives. I know many members who've become pregnant and there have been many discussions on the list of this topic.

personally, I know women who have continued to ride and race (yes, race) right through their pregnancy. of course, your results may vary.

again, congratulations!

Lorri

[xeney]

I quit riding in my second trimester due to worries about balance, but I wish I hadn't ... I got my balance back eventually, and I had foot problems in my third trimester that made walking very difficult. I would have been better off if I could have ridden for a bit longer. Still, I made the decision I made for good reasons, because I sure would not have wanted to fall.

At six weeks you should be fine. I was still mountain biking at that point -- my doctor said no mountain biking after the first trimester, but other riding was up to me.

But my advice is to just take it a step at a time. I was healthy and in good shape before pregnancy, and worked out regularly (but very lightly) right up until the day I went into labor, but I still had terrible pain and mobility problems. By my eighth month I couldn't walk a block without crying due to edema and ligament issues in my feet. I was really hard on myself about how immobile I had become, but I really don't think I could have done anything differently.

For instance: my eating was very healthy for the whole nine months, and I actually ate less in the last months because eating was uncomfortable. At the beginning of the third trimester I had only gained about 12 pounds, and my doctors were yelling at me a little bit for not having gained enough weight. A month later, with no change in eating habits, I was being yelled at for gaining too much weight. At the end I was barely able to do anything except drink massive amounts of water, and I was gaining five pounds a week, all fluid retention; my blood pressure was up and I was totally, thoroughly miserable. I was drinking up to 7 liters of water a day, living on fruit and whole grains, and fantasizing about punching the people who told me to drink more water! And avoid sodium!

A lot of pregnancy health is just luck, good or bad, and your body really has an agenda of its own that you can't control. That fact caused me a lot of grief and will be a big factor in decisions regarding any future children -- I loved pregnancy for about five months, but the end of pregnancy was the most physically miserable time of my life, and I'm not sure I ever want to do it again.

Just go easy on yourself mentally, and listen to your body for the physical side of things. You may be one of the people who can exercise right up until your due date, but don't take it as a personal failure if you can't.

PS: baby is three months old day after tomorrow, and I am fine now. I have three pounds left to lose of the 38 I gained. I'm still a size bigger than I was but I can squeeze into my old clothes if I like. Mobility is back, core strength is much better than expected, and the only lingering physical issue is some ligament pain in my left wrist. Which means I can't really ride yet because I can't squeeze a front brake lever reliably, but I expect that to get better in time.

[Brandi]

Awww congrats on your new baby!
Just do what your Dr says and you will be great. I know a lot of women who keep going till the end. But some don't. Your body will let you know! Just take care and keep us updated on how you are doing! And when you have it(him or her).

[mimitabby]

Hi Xeney
i had problems walking in my third trimester too, (of 1st pregnancy) my hips were loose and oh it hurt so badly... and then i'd get cramps from walking.
I had my kids right after they discovered that limiting moms to 20 pounds of weight gain was stupid, so I gained almost 40 pounds with each kid and no one dared to tell me anything about that weight gain. I lost it all too, within 4 months. Breast feeding helps with that.

I didn't ride bikes back then, but I did ride horses. After I started showing I just slowed down and quit riding. Some of the gals on here do amazing things while pregnant, but your doctor's advice sounds excellent good luck!

[HappyAnika]

Congratulations! I'm 27 weeks (6 months) along. My worst balance issues were around 6 - 9 weeks, I think stayed off the bike for 2 weeks then, but then my balance came back. I cut back on the intensity a bit, no all out efforts. I had morning sickness and nausea all day from weeks 7 - 13, so I didn't really feel like pushing it anyway. I did my first sprint tri at 11 weeks, but took it really easy. Then around 17 weeks my knee started hurting on my morning commute (20 miles). After talking to some people, I'm pretty sure this was due to my loosening hip joints which were in turn affecting my knee. I made some saddle and cleat adjustments and was able to do a few more short (10 -15 mile) rides. Now due to lack of day light, a rapidly expanding belly, bad weather, and other life chaos, I haven't ridden since mid September, around 19 weeks. I did go to a spinning class which was ok, except for standing, couldn't do that or I'd get the same knee pain. I really don't think I could even fit on my bike now with the belly, perhaps the mtb.

I have kept up running, step aerobics, walking, and weight training though. I'm determined to keep exercising as long as I can. I just ran a 5 k last Saturday at a very slow pace, but I did run the whole thing.

With all of the physical changes of pregnancy, it's common for female athletes to be frustrated by their apparent decrease in fitness. I started getting really pissy when I'd get out of breath climbing a flight of stairs. I had to have it explained to me that it doesn't mean I'm out of shape, just pregnant. I started noticing it around 15 - 16 weeks, it just got harder to do everything all of a sudden. Then when the baby is big enough that s/he is pushing on your lungs, oh the joy. ;)

If you haven't already, I'd recommend reading "Exercising through your pregnancy" by Dr. James Clapp. His group has done a lot of research on pregnant female athletes (both serious and recreational). I found it very helpful, it was recommended by Lenusik here on TE (is she still here?). I will say that even though I'm still exercising, I'm looking forward to some tough workouts after the baby is born. I just don't feel comfortable going all out while pregnant, and I miss it. Good luck! :)

[limewave]

Yay! Congratulations!!!!
Do a search in the threads and you'll find lots of info. The most important thing is to listen to your body. Everyone handles pregnancy differently and every pregnancy you have could be different too.

I was one of the lucky ones, I rode my road bike into the 9th month. On days I felt shaky, I did spin class.

Enjoy the freedom you have now, soon you'll be trying to figure out how to do a group ride while towing a burley . . .