Any other pregnant triathletes?

[Veronica]

Well, I did email her and asked her to give us another chance.

I've been on so many boards where anyone new is treated with such suspicion. It just isn't right, IMHO.

And we do have that nice little triangle on the left that we can use to alert our great moderators to a post that seems off.

Veronica

[snapdragen]

And we do have that nice little triangle on the left that we can use to alert our great moderators to a post that seems off.

Veronica

I wonder what would happen if I reported a post to myself? Adventure Girl would think I'd gone off the deep end....

[Grog]

I was writing up my reply and suddenly it occurred to me the idea was so far out, it just might be a joke, and I was not going to be the one who'd been had.

Sorry to revive this almost-dead thread, but I just wanted to point out that it's actually not far out at all. I distantly hang out on pregnancy forums these days (because, well, I'm pregnant!) and I read a lot about pregnant women who decide to take on a new sport and things like that. Including triathlon. We're pregnant, not sick, and the old guidelines about taking it easy during pregnancy have thankfully been superseded with an encouragement to exercise - even vigorously so, as long as one does not have risk factors preventing them from doing so safely. I have even seen some research that supports taking on a new, more intense exercise regimen during pregnancy, with benefits to both the mother and baby.

This being said, the thought of running in the hot summer of Israel is enough to make me really queasy, but I'm fully adapted of the Pacific Northwest so don't ask me.

And, one final note about the "it could have been..." speculations on miscarriages and early labour: women who lose babies are tormented with doubt about whether this or that thing that they did (such as exercise, flying, falling flat on their face after tripping on their shoelaces, taking a fast walk in the summer heat, eating a hotdog) caused their miscarriage. Unfortunately, I know what I'm talking about. But the truth is that miscarriages happen to non-viable pregnancies no matter what we do about them, and if you've kept on living during your pregnancy you're bound to experience some coincidence that will make you wonder "what if...". All that guilt - fueled by the well-meaning comments and concerns of friends and relatives - is really doing a lot more damage than good. Some conversations are much better left to the privacy of one's doctor's office.

[OakLeaf]

Grog, did we know that??! Congratulations!

[roo4]

And, one final note about the "it could have been..." speculations on miscarriages and early labour: women who lose babies are tormented with doubt about whether this or that thing that they did (such as exercise, flying, falling flat on their face after tripping on their shoelaces, taking a fast walk in the summer heat, eating a hotdog) caused their miscarriage. Unfortunately, I know what I'm talking about. But the truth is that miscarriages happen to non-viable pregnancies no matter what we do about them, and if you've kept on living during your pregnancy you're bound to experience some coincidence that will make you wonder "what if...". All that guilt - fueled by the well-meaning comments and concerns of friends and relatives - is really doing a lot more damage than good. Some conversations are much better left to the privacy of one's doctor's office.

Grog, this is very true. The vast majority of miscarriages are due to chromosomal abnormalities or other problems that lead to non-viable embryos. Sometimes bad stuff just happens. Thanks for reminding us.

[anakiwa]

It's probably a little late to respond to this, but I'll chime in on the original question.

I'm 6 wks post-partum and while I stayed very active during the entire pregnancy (of more than 42 wks in my case) I don't think racing during the second trimester is a great idea (particularly if it's an activity that's new to you). The one thing I found over and over is that I had to be extremely flexible and constantly re-think activities to stay active throughout the pregnancy.

Re running- 24 wks is when I had to more or less give up (it had nothing to do with fitness- my abdominal muscles were just getting too loose and it's rather disconcerting to run with abdominal pain when you're pregnant).

Re biking- I stopped during the winter and found I couldn't resume it in the spring (at that point I was in my third trimester). It had nothing to do with balance or fitness- the issue is that there was enough extra weight hanging off my front that I had too much back pain (I couldn't sit in a regular chair for weeks and realized it was somewhat absurd to continue).

Re swimming- this actually worked well- but as one of the other posters pointed out- I had to be extremely careful about calories afterwards- I'd spend 1/2 an hour in the pool and feel great- as the pregnancy progressed I had less and less time to get fluids/calories into me afterwards without feeling like I was going to faint.

So in the end I found I had to constantly re-think what I was doing for reasons I hadn't predicted. I'd be concerned about combining all three in the second trimester in a race setting (especially if that setting is new to you).

Re shorts- Bornfit makes a maternity short- I used it a few times and liked it (but as above gave up riding sooner than I thought I would). I found that some of the regular shorts I had seemed to fit well even into my third trimester (the lower rise ones) BUT once I got on the bike and rode they put enough pressure on my abdomen to cause Braxton Hicks contractions (not a big deal but definitely interfered with the ride).

Re nutrition- I'd be really careful to make sure you eat/drink well after the swim (before you get on the bike) even if it takes more time.

Personally, I was determined to stay active during my pregnancy and felt I succeeded at that. I would encourage any woman to do the same. But I would also suggest you don't set your heart on any one particular activity and stay open minded about the fact that what works for you may change considerably between now and when you deliver.

[GLC1968]

Wow, I'm shocked by this post. Truly.

I'm a fairly active member at beginner triathlete and I regularly refer women over there to TE for safe environment in which to ask questions of a more feminine bent. I recognize this woman from BT and she is not a troll.

I wish I'd opened this post earlier (but seeing as how I have never had children, figured I couldn't offer advice) to offer support to a new TE member.

For the record - there are thousands and thousands of triathletes that participate for the experience and do not 'race'. I would expect that someone who is already following her doctor's advice about training this early on would fall into the 'participant' category when it came to race day.