Quote Originally Posted by alpinerabbit View Post
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 We're pregnant, not sick, and the old guidelines about taking it easy during pregnancy have thankfully been superseded with an encouragement to exercise - even vigorously so, as long as one does not have risk factors preventing them from doing so safely.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.