Multi-day tour and pregnant?

[Tara]

I'll start this with the caveat that, of course, I will discuss this with my OB, but I want to get some advice/experience from real cyclists in case she needs some convincing that a healthy low risk cyclist can do something like this.

This year, I signed up for my first RAGBRAI (so excited!), but now I'm unexpectedly (but happily) pregnant. I will be in my 14th week the week of RAGBRAI. Am I crazy for thinking that I can still do it?

Most of the days' rides are about 50 miles (one day is 84 miles). I've been training for it since January, so it will just be a matter of staying consistent with my riding over the next 2 months to maintain my fitness. I'll drink lots of water, go slower if I need to, and stay out of the noon-time sun if it's really hot. Does this sound reasonable, or am I deluding myself?

[Kiwi Stoker]

I am 27 weeks and have stopped cycling. Why? For various reasons but up until then I found I did have to make changes.

Morning sickness- no, it's no guaranteed to go away at 12 weeks or at 20 weeks. It can hit anytime. And you don't have to be sick, just feel bad and hungover. Somedays all I could do was lie in bed. Not nice.

I had to change to bib shorts pretty early (15 weeks) as the waist band of my shorts really hurt. I also had to change my saddle to a wider one.

I had to drop my kms down by 16 weeks. Bent over I ended up with very bad stomach pains and felt very crunched up. So dropped the 80km rides down to 40km and that's with a coffee stop in the middle too!

OK and the big reason I have stopped riding- I just had an accident. Wasn't another car involved, just fell off. I can say the last 2 weeks have been pretty yuck with bad road rash, lots of bruising and a cracked rib. Bubs is all OK but I have been told I am very very lucky and it could of been so much worse.

If you are riding long distances on roads it's only going to increase the risk of you having a accident, whether it's a road condition or some other cyclist doing something stupid.

[Skippyak]

IMO Your OB will discourage you, if it was 30 miles a day, maybe, but not 50-84. It will be your decision of course, totally your call and she won't be interested in your peeps from the interweb's opinions, her job is to define you as a risk, and manage you as such. Fetus is about a half ounce, increased blood volume, potential for feeling like **** as you sometimes do at the time of pregnancy, will you actually enjoy the ride worrying about your decision? Were you riding alone? How will this impact your group if not?

[Kiwi Stoker]

Oh Kiwi! Sending good thoughts your way. So sorry! (((())))

Thanks Muirenn. it's very appreciated.

I just also wanted to say, having spent 3 nights in the women's hospital, that being healthy. fit and normal weight doesn't guarantee you a low risk pregnancy. I spent time with a lady at 32 weeks with preeclampsia who was totally normal looking plus a 20 something year old who had been in hospital for 8 weeks (since 23 weeks pregnant) in premature labour. She was now 34 weeks and the hospital was going to let bubs arrive. She was young, healthy and not at all overweight and this was her first child. She was over 2 hours from home, (so her partner couldn't be with her all the time) and was on a sickness benefit as she couldn't work.

Pregnancy can make healthy women very sick. It made me feel very humble to watch women struggle to carry a pregnancy because of nothing they had done wrong and what they were putting up with to have their baby.

[lor]

I had planned on taking a car racing driving school course, but found out I'd be about 12 weeks pregnant during the course. I knew at 5 weeks that I wasn't the driver I was a few weeks prior and cancelled.

My balance was horrible as was my depth perception and my reaction times were noticeably slower. Also, my energy levels were cut in half (although that turned out to be hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's.)

[Atlas]

I know someone who rode part of RAGBRAI pregnant but I don't remember how far along she was and it was only one day, not the whole week. It is more than likely going to be incredibly hot and humid that week and Muirenn is right, you'll be surrounded by other cyclists who don't know how to ride in a group. For a lot of people it's the only time they ride their bikes for the year and it's one big party. There are so many accidents that happen that I would be wary of going. Plus this year it's going through Des Moines which makes me think it'll have even more riders than normal. I've only participated in it once and that was enough for me to realize it's not my thing. I grew up in Iowa and enjoy the backroads more on my own than with 10,000 other people.

Not to say you couldn't do some of it. Depends how you feel at the time and it might be worth it to do a day or two, but the whole week might not be reasonable. I don't think I would do it.

[lph]

I don't know RAGBRAI, but having trained all through a pregnancy and seen many friends do or attempt to do the same I can only say that it's impossible to tell how you are going to feel. You may be one of the lucky ones who feel fit and energetic, you may feel fine in the middle of the day but fall asleep by 6 pm, conversely you may feel like **** in the morning but be raring to go later. Your legs may feel stupendous, but your lungs may be all cramped and squashed up because of the baby appropriating space inside. There's no telling, and some of the fittest people I know have been knocked out by mid-pregnancy, while others have just sailed merrily through. Personally I was very comfortable on a bike right up to delivery, but I wasn't riding long distances at the time.

Best of luck to you, no matter how it goes!

[Crankin]

I agree, there is no way to tell how you will feel. Personally, I wouldn't do it. Now, this is coming from a person who exercised intensely throughout 2 pregnancies, was young, fit, and healthy. That is, until at 32 weeks, I went on a neighborhood ride with my DH and 2 year old, had a little wobble, probably due to my protruding abdomen, and jammed the end of the drop bar into my stomach. One week later, I went into labor. I was able, with the help of drugs, staying at home, and my mom moving in with us for 3 weeks, keep the little racer in there until 36 weeks, when they deemed it safe for delivery.
Make an informed decision for you, but I learned the hard way, that everything changes when you are responsible for a pregnancy. This was 28 years ago, and I wish I had not gone on that ride!

[Tara]

Thanks, everyone, for their input and experience. No way to tell of course whether I'll have the energy and fitness (and positive attitude!) to do it by then, but riding with crowds of inexperienced riders was one thing I hadn't taken into account. I'll continue to mull it over. The tickets to Des Moines have already been purchased, but maybe we could just have a week of vacation touring the hot spots of Iowa?

[Skippyak]

14 weeks is also not a viable fetus, so as crankin said, you are responsible, if you were to have any trouble, there is nothing much to be done. Unless you live in my state (UT) it is not likely that you will have that many pregnancies in your life. So maybe you could take time out to enjoy it? I had two and my second had me asleep almost all day and at 20 weeks we found out why (twins). None of this means don't ride or exercise or any such nonsense, it just might be a time to relax a little more though. If you get your doc to write a note, your airline tickets etc might be refundable. It is worth a shot.

[obie]

I agree with the others. I was very very lucky to have an easy pregnancy and was riding daily past my due date, but never with a group. Not only did I not want to crash and hurt the little one; I also didn't want other people to bear the burden of being part of an accident that could have deeper implications than road rash. Everyone's comfort level varies; for me, it was riding with one or two trusted people at most. Best of luck to you!

[colby]

I'm not sure the rules of the ride, but another option might be to ride some of the days (shorter days, better weather days, etc), or some of the distance each of the days, and SAG the other days/remainder of the distance. You still need to face the group riding issues and there's still risks, but you might be able to enjoy parts of it.

I would expect to be less tolerant of conditions and varying terrain, and possibly pretty tired. You never know until you get closer, though. You might be able to transfer your registration, though that doesn't save you the travel costs.