Expectant
I’m pregnant!
We are excited and surprised, but mostly excited!
I am about ten weeks along. This is my third pregnancy, in as many years. I have a two year old, and a 11 month old. I feel like I should be a professional gestator by now, but I have surprised myself at how hard it is to get back into the swing of things, and to get myself out of bed in general.
This is where I beseech your help, readers. I am in great physical shape. I can run faster and longer than I have been able to ever before in my life. I lift weights, I do speed work weekly, and I generally feel fantastic. I feel like it would be reasonable to continue that as much as possible, for as long as I feel comfortable, throughout this pregnancy.
Even though, I have tons of experience being pregnant, I lack experience being pregnant and staying fit. When I got pregnant with my oldest, I was in decent shape and walked and jogged occasionally during the beginning of my pregnancy, but I certainly wasn‘t able to walk out the door and run eleven miles, like I can now. With my second, I continued my fitness regimen successfully (running and weights) until sixteen weeks, when an unrelated problem caused me to stay on bed rest, until near the end of my pregnancy.
Aside from the fact that exercise makes me feel good, this baby will be my first born via caesarean section, and my but I have a lot of anxiety about that. I am worried about the procedure itself, things like scarring and how quickly I can hold my baby, and the recovery, and how much longer it will take before I can do things again. One thing I know I have in my favor, is that I am in great shape, and my doctor has assured me that she feels like this will make a huge difference in how quickly I heal. She has cleared me to continue running long distances, and lifting weights.
Last Saturday, I met up with my running group and ran seven miles. Nothing felt any different, except for a few waves of nausea. I carried my water belt with me, which I don’t normally do for a seven mile run, and I ate a small breakfast about an hour before I left. My plan, at this point, is to keep doing what I have been doing. I am planning on continuing the long weekend runs, the shorter mid week runs, and the weight lifting twice weekly until I just don’t feel comfortable anymore.
Has anyone continued with their fitness regime while pregnant? Has anyone continued running long distances while pregnant? How did you do it? Oh, and what did you wear, since I anticipate needing new running shorts soon ?
September 13th, 2010 at 8:38 am
congratulations!
September 13th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Oh congrats! What great news. I have no experience in this arena at all so I will refrain from attempting advice, but just wanted to say congratulations to you and your family
September 13th, 2010 at 9:12 am
hi hi!
congrats! i’m a prenatal trainer, and run a prenatal fitness company in atlanta (ohbabyfitness.com) so this is totally my arena. you can absolutely keep doing what you’ve been doing– the best guidelienes to follow are from ACOG (http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp119.cfm)
most runners wear a support belt after 18-20 weeks pregnant- and you’ll want to be sure your shoes are good as your joints will be looser due to pregnancy. hope this is helpful!
September 13th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Congratulations!!! I’m a big believer in continuing vigorous activity during pregnancy. I kept up my pre-baby levels of exercise during both of my pregnancies. I ran (6-9 miles) every other day or so and also did other cardio on my off days. I did listen to my body and I found that I kind naturally decreased the intensity of my workouts over time because I would get short of breath more quickly. The only issue I had was that late in my second pregnancy I started to have pain when running due to that pelvic stretching that starts to happen. I also had to stop and pee fairly often, which was a pain. This routine worked for me because I’m not a person who feels sick during pregnancy and exercise gives me more energy, which I really needed when pregnant. If you do feel sick and tired, I don’t think you should feel bad about cutting yourself some slack. Everyone’s pregnancy experience is unique. Good luck!
Caroline
September 13th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Can’t give running advice since I’m not a runner, but I kept up my weight and cardio workouts during my pregnancy nine years ago. Like other posters, I had to slow down my cardio when I got super round, because I was pretty ungainly and did not want to fall. But the added weight during squats gave me some pretty nice legs and glutes! I ABSOLUTELY believe staying in shape (and that heaven-sent epidural) contributed to an easy birth and quick recovery for me. Plus it made it way easier to get back into the swing of exercising again after my daughter was born, although I didn’t always feel like it due to lack of sleep.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Congrats! I always have to stop running by the mid-second trimester b/c of back pain and the feeling that my pelvis is going to slide off…but keep on keepin on!
September 13th, 2010 at 11:04 am
I ran with a woman who found out she was pregnant just after she ran Boston, and she ran through to near the very end, eventually getting slow enough that we could actually run together shortly before she had her baby.
So it certainly can be done, but I’ve gotten the impression (I’m childless) that your body and your tolerance end up dictating what you can and can’t do, and that question will answer itself as time goes on.
If you want some inspiration, this is the blog of a fitness freak/pro triathlete that just had her baby a few weeks ago. The backlogs from the past 9 months detail a lot of what she went through and what she could and couldn’t do, and she’s a very entertaining writer:
http://elizabethfedofsky.blogspot.com/
September 13th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Congratulations! That is very exciting news!
September 13th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Congrats! I barely got off the couch when I was pregnant, but now that I am in decent shape, I plan to do things much differently if/when I get pregnant again. I can’t wait to read about your experience!
September 13th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Congratulations! I ran my entire first pregnancy (I sporadicly blogged back then) and am running currently at almost 17 weeks. I ran a 1/2 marathon at 14 weeks this time. You are on the right track with the water bottle. I take water with me on every run, even the short ones and make sure to eat pretty soon after finishing. As for what to wear, I kept wearing my same clothes. At some point I had to go up a size, and I recommend targets c9 brand as an inexpensive way to do that. I never felt like I needed a support belt. I plan my longer routes so I would go near a bathroom. During my 3rd tri last time, I mostly ran on my treadmill so I’d be near the bathroom. Good luck!
September 14th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Congratulations.
September 16th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
CONGRATULATIONS! Lol — I wondered if something was up when I saw your statement (on your other blog) about craving cheese and pickle sandwiches.
November 15th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Congratulations, of course! I had both of my kids via C-Section (totally NOT what I had planned) and I’d be happy to give you the low down on what it’s like and how soon I held my kids and the recovery/getting back into shape bit.
I think it’s super awesome that you are choosing to stay fit and healthy while pregnant. I wasn’t that good and that’s why it’s so hard to get these last 12 lbs off now!