Pregnancy and Preterm Labor

[lph]

no advice on the preemie thing, but a few thoughts on being an "addict" to a daily workout. I say that tongue-in-cheek, but just partly. (I'm one too, biking every day keeps me sane and stable).

A large component of my habit, I think, is the comfort of routine, a steady dose of endorphins and stress relief. It's a healthy addiction, but an addiction nonetheless. Consider that once this habit is getting in the way of something else you want to or should do, you may be seeing the downside of an addiction. Physically you can keep in adequate shape (unless you compete) by walking and swimming for a few months.

If I were you I'd definitely get a second opinion, but also give a thought to why exactly biking and running is that important to you. Not least it could be useful if you ever get injured and have to do some alternate training for a while. I had to, last winter and it was an eye-opener.

[Mistie]

It seems odd they want to restrict your activities. Active pregnant women have a reduced preeclampsia rate (which rises as you age and is high for 1st preg). Mild to moderate exercise also helps reduce the risk of gestational diabetes. Hmmm, without a cause for your prior preterm, I would think they would be cautious at first, ride but carefully, light, not hard. As you progress, you should watch for signs that the exercise is not working for you....bleeding or spotting, loss of amniotic fluid which is easily noticed and smells like the ocean (sorry), dropping/open cervix at exams. FYI: I had preterm at 24 weeks which resulted in a stillbirth. I was told NEVER have another child since I have a common but detrimental clotting disease. Well, I fell into the 15% fail rate with a condom (I also can not take hormones because of the clotting). They started me on heparin and I delivered (by induction) a healthy baby boy at 38 weeks. Every pregnancy is different. Just go easy and try to keep HR no higher than 130 in 1st tri, 120 in 2nd tri, and 100 in 3rd tri. This was what my OB told me. I found that 3rd tri activity levels were higher when I exercised. I guess my son liked it too!

[SpinSpinSugar]

Do you have or can you buy a pregnancy friendly bike? Something with a Mixte or step-through frame and upright handlebars? Tons of women in Amsterdam ride pregnant every year and they're fine.

Not to mention the thousands/millions of years women have been working HARD all throughout their pregnancy until the day they give birth with no ill effects. I've never heard of a Native American woman getting a day off from moving camps (by horseback), butchering meat, and tending crops just because they were pregnant.

SpinSpinSugar

[tribogota]

Mistie, I just want to say I send a hug for the still birth and happy to hear that the second one was great!

[tjf9]

There was an excellent article on BikePortland on this topic a few months ago: http://bikeportland.org/2009/02/03/b...hile-pregnant/ . I think there were some great points in there.

[Grog]

There was an excellent article on BikePortland on this topic a few months ago: http://bikeportland.org/2009/02/03/b...hile-pregnant/ . I think there were some great points in there.

Interesting article, thanks.

What bothers me in it though is the underlying assumption that driving is less likely to induce trauma than cycling. Frankly, I doubt that. Of course, if one has balance issues induced by the pregnancy, that are not addressed by an upright-style bike, then possibly the risk increases.

Anyone has a stat on the number of trauma per 100,000 km or miles traveled by mode of transportation?

[msincredible]

Anyone has a stat on the number of trauma per 100,000 km or miles traveled by mode of transportation?

There's lots of interesting statistics here:
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm

Sadly the guy who compiled them was killed a few years ago by a drunk driver.

[msincredible]

Do you have or can you buy a pregnancy friendly bike? Something with a Mixte or step-through frame and upright handlebars? Tons of women in Amsterdam ride pregnant every year and they're fine.

I went riding with my quite pregnant friend in Utrecht a couple of years ago.

Upright step-through bike, flat route, and dedicated bike paths were great for her.