pregnancy and max hr

[vigg]

Hi, I'm new here.
This has probably been griped about before numerous times, but I'm about 8 weeks pregnant and was warned during my first prenatal appointment that I should keep my hr at 140 or under. Having read that the 140 max was a pretty archaic guideline, I respectfully asked my MD to be a little more objective, especially considering that I, like most of you out there, can comfortably maintain a much higher hr for an extended amount of time. Her reposnse was that, after estimating my base hr was about 50, I really should keep my hr below 120 (yikes!). So much for objectivity.

I realize she's an md and all, but her concept of cardiovascular fitness seems a little scewed. There's absolutely nothing wrong with me physically, and when I pressed the topic she said go ahead and cycle, just avoid breathlessness (which sounds like perfectly good advice), but she sure does wish I would just walk for fitness for the next 8 months instead. This whole exchange has made me most uneasy. I will probably consult another OB for my own sanity, but has anyone out there had some experience with this?

Also, any experience or info about appropriate duration of a ride? My OB's concept of frequency/duration of exercise is 20 minutes 3x per week.

I had already slowed down considerably, and was trying to be as responsible as possible by "discussing exercise with my doctor.." But the response I got feels like a slap in the face.

[RoadRaven]

Hi there Vigg, having been pregnant before I got cycling, I can offer you no personal experience/stories.

I suggest you go to a local gym and ask them to recommend a sports doctor... or ask around a few obs/gynos...

I think calculating just by a text book may be inaccurate, but I would hesitate to offer much more in the way of advice when it yours and your baby's health at stake.

I think we have a few nurses and midwives here - hopefully they may have more specific thoughts.

Congrats on the new human you are growing too. I loved being pregnant.

[Lise]

Hi, vigg, welcome, and congratulations!

I cannot be of much help here, because I would've told you about the same thing as your doc. I'm a midwife, and I spend most of my time begging pregnant women to stop eating donuts and drinking whole milk and soda, and to walk a little, please, just walk around the block! Sigh. So I have no experience with the very fit pregnant women. RR's suggestions are good.

An exercise physiologist, trainer, or even physical therapist who works with pregnant women might have some research/info you can bring back to your doc. She's trying to give you the best info she has.

Best wishes, and take care,

Lise

[doc]

I'm always envious of pregnant women who can exercise. I couldn't do anything at all while pregnant. I would immediately puke. Do a search on this website because this topic has come up many times before. But avoiding breathlessness is a very good guide. You should avoid being anaerobic. If you remain aerobic, you should be good to go for as long as you like.

[btchance]

I'd also watch carefully to make sure you don't overheat. As far as what you can do physically, I would go with what your body feels comfortable with. For example, I had two close friends who were pregnant at the same time, due within a month of each other, and they both were horse trainers. One had to quit by 4 months because it physically hurt her. The other was riding up until she delivered.

Otherwise, I would talk to another ob/gyn. I've heard numerous different recommendations, but from my understanding the main thing is to remain aerobic (which the threshold will lower during pregnancy I believe) and to stay cool. I hope you can find the answers you want.

[RoadRaven]

bt raises a good point about body temperature.

When you're growing a new life, your blood volume increases because you are catering for the child's life oxygen supply as well. The extra blood volume raises your core temperature as a matter of course. So def watch how hot you get.

I did low impact aerobics (video/telly - 1/2hour 3-4 times a week) right up til the week 4 of my 5 babies were born. Well worthwhile from my perspective in terms of aerobic fitness during labour, as well as overall fitness for recovery afterwards.

[aliceanne]

I'm quasi-medical; while not technically qualified yet to give advice to others, I'll offer up a few words.

This article seems to contain pretty sound advice:

http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/3767.0.html

And please remember that as long as you don't drink/smoke/do drugs, etc., most problems with pregnancy and childbirth aren't due to anything that you do directly to your baby or yourself - they're due to subtle genetic defects that you can't do anything about. So enjoy your pregnancy and keep riding at a reasonable pace - best of luck!

[limewave]

Hi Vigg,

I was able to cycle throughout my entire pregnancy, however, I did have to take it easy. My ob/gyn happens to be a marathon runner and keeps up on the latest pg and exercise information. She wasn't concerned with my hr, but body temp and staying hydrated.

Pregnant women tend to dehydrate more quickly than normal. It's very, very important to have water and gatorade before going on a ride and to drink often during the ride--bring 2 water bottles. Plus, make sure you are getting enough calories to support the pg and the workout.

I also went from riding with the "B" to the "C" group. When you're pregnant, it's about maintaining fitness, not increasing it.

Good luck with your PG! I hope cycling helps you through. It was my saving grace. I even managed a 30 mile bike tour 4 days before delivery. I was also able to recover from delivery very quickly and was even able to wear my normal clothes home from the hospital. I credit all that to cycling.

Take care!

p.s. invest in some x-large cycling shorts (in my case it was mens xx-large, so they would fit comfortably over my belly)

[limewave]

hsmpcycle---
I didn't have a problem with backaches or water retention either during my pregnancy. Only the last two days did I start to ache and waddle.

[vigg]

Hi Everybody,
I've been off this list for a while and just checked back to see some additional recomendations. Thanks to all. I have already read James Clapp's book cover to cover, and have spoken with a partner from the same group as my OBgyn who recomended support belts should the cycling become a balance issue and I need to switch to running. While I have yet to meet an OBgyn who will explicitly say that 140 is an arbitrary number for someone who's been excercising at higher hr.s for years, I've got enough info under my belt to listen to my own body.
I'm just finishing my 21st week and 140 is becoming an easier guideline to stick to. Anything beyond that and I begin to feel like I'm "breathing for two." Although amazingly still, after a significant warm-up I still comfortably exceed 140 without even realizing it.
To hsmpcycle, thanks for your advice and if you've already had your baby congratulations! I can't wait to meet mine.
Vigg

[ladyfish]

I think Limewave has it pretty right. If you are fit before pregnancy and exercise regularly, then you can do the same (less intensity) while pregnant. I exercised before I got pregnant with my first son. I continued to exercise while pregnant. I ran until that became uncomfortable, then switched to biking. I had to transfer from my regular bike to an exercise bike when my belly got bigger (remember your ligaments are more "stretchy" when you are pregnant) and the feeling of my belly hanging down when I rode my bike became uncomfortable (my stationary bike had an upright position, so no discomfort).

Listen to your body. Stay hydrated. Don't overexert. If it feels uncomfortable, stop doing it.

By the way, I'm convinced that my labor was easier because of my fitness, and even more convinced that I had less pain and an easier time because of all the time in the saddle! By the way, both my boys were born naturally. My 1st OB was shocked and amazed when she arrived to deliver my first born and asked about medications and the nurse told her "none". I went in with the attitude that I would only take meds if I really needed them. I didn't!

I'm sure Lise our resident Midwife can give you more info on the delivery part of your new adventure! Stay healthy and enjoy!

[hsmpcycle]

Hi Everybody,
I've been off this list for a while and just checked back to see some additional recomendations. Thanks to all. I have already read James Clapp's book cover to cover, and have spoken with a partner from the same group as my OBgyn who recomended support belts should the cycling become a balance issue and I need to switch to running. While I have yet to meet an OBgyn who will explicitly say that 140 is an arbitrary number for someone who's been excercising at higher hr.s for years, I've got enough info under my belt to listen to my own body.
I'm just finishing my 21st week and 140 is becoming an easier guideline to stick to. Anything beyond that and I begin to feel like I'm "breathing for two." Although amazingly still, after a significant warm-up I still comfortably exceed 140 without even realizing it.
To hsmpcycle, thanks for your advice and if you've already had your baby congratulations! I can't wait to meet mine.
Vigg

You are welcome and best wishes to you. You will enjoy motherhood, but enjoy your freedom now, because your life will CHANGE. I miss being able to sleep 8 hrs.

Just to let you know, I had a baby boy on August 2nd. It was a very easy labor. I gave two pushes and out he came. And just like the book said, the baby weight at 6 lb. 15 oz. was a lot less than his older brother (7 lbs. 9 oz.). After 2 weeks of life, the baby is holding his head up a little and throws very strong punches. I was able to start riding 2 weeks after the delivery. To date, I lost all of my pregnancy weight!!! YEAH!!!

Take care.

[susiej]

Vigg,

Congrats! And keep going.

A close friend of ours trained for a triathalon up until her eighth month. She'd run the triathalon the year before, and was in excellent shape. She just kept doing the training she'd always done.

I'd love to say we have fabu pictures of her crossing the finish line with a giant belly, but five days before the race, she just couldn't get through her normal, two hour workout. After 45 minutes, she was exhausted. I was nearly as disappointed as she! Baby was 7 pounds, and is beautiful. (The only complication is that she was TOO concious of her weight during and after pregnancy, and became a bit underweight while breastfeeding. She was told to eat more fat/protein.)

I found that my usal early-morning commute helped a lot with the nausea and exhaustion, until I was too exhausted to get up in time.

SJ