Running/jogging while pregnant

[Curious cat]

Hi I probably will have to do some solid research for this but thought I should start here. I am wondering if there is anyone here who has continued to run while pregnant and if so, were there any problems that you experienced. Many thanks.

[Andrew Gubb]

Ooh. Never been pregnant in this life but it is an interesting question...

[meggarz]

If you have high blood pressure, risk for preterm labor, or bleeding you shouldn't. Staying active through your whole pregnancy makes the end much easier. If you're generally healthy you can do a lot of the physical things you normally did close to the end, I don't see you wanting to run or jog in your third trimester much since baby will be dropping and more pressure on your bladder.


I was constantly on my feet my whole pregnancy and walked many hours a day, it kept the weight gain consistent and I felt pretty good till I went on bedrest.


(I didn't run but I did jog, I couldn't overdo it because I had high blood pressure and P.E around 20 weeks)

[Clint Cora]

Now one question that I would throw back at you is if you were pregnant and if your ob/gyn advises you one way regarding this issue and other folks here on the forum advise you another way, would you ignore your ob/gyn?

I'm sure that you could sense that I would say, listen to your ob/gyn.

[Curious cat]

Andrew - maybe in your next life? It's amazing what your body can do during labour!

Meggarz - thank you for sharing. I hope it all turned out well

Clint - I'm not expecting at the moment though we are trying to conceive. As with anything, I would heavily consider a professional opinion but in the end my husband and I will weigh up both the risks and benefits and make our own decision. I wouldn't solely rely on forum advice but I do enjoy hearing peoples' own experiences, I guess I've always been curiously inclined that way.

This is such a specific question I wasn't sure if I would have received any responses, so thanks all for taking the time to read and respond.

[meggarz]

Just curious, are you charting/taking your temps while trying to conceive? Do you know when you're ovulating? If you were concerned about actually getting pregnant you could take it easy for a week or so after ovulating. Just speaking from experience, I was working out 4 times a week when I got pregnant, continued till I actually found out that I was and I didn't have any problems. Each person is different but my doc was always on me to stay active and not let myself go like some women do when they're pregnant.

[Curious cat]

Hi meggarz, I only started charting my temp a couple of weeks ago but I am also using ovulation predictor sticks. I am still bf our 14 month old son ... Slowly cutting back and weaning.

I think it is great that you maintained some level of fitness during pregnancy it's really admirable. Unfortunately with my first pregnancy I went overboard with nom noms and did not lift a finger! I gained 25kg and it was tough lugging that much weight around so i really want to do things differently the next time around.

[aelle]

Woman gives birth after running Chicago Marathon - Yahoo! News

In pregnancy even more than at other times of life, everyone is different. Get a professional opinion, listen to your body and take outsiders' opinions with a grain of salt.
Women go through massive physiological changes even in early pregnancy - the shortness of breath alone might just fold your plans. And when your baby starts moving, s/he's the one who may not agree with your exercise regimen. That said, staying fit does apparently help having a pleasant pregnancy and preparing for the marathon that is birth. A lot of my preggo friends suffered from joint pains and other aches, and say that exercise focusing on stretching (like pregnancy yoga) does wonders.

[nzmegs]

I can only give you my experiences - always do what your doctor advises.

However: I kept going to the gym throughout my pregnancies and ran/jogged on the treadmill until I was too uncomfortable. then i just walked. This happened about about 6-7 months.

I read that the baby really doesn't mind the movement and it isn't harmful (but again take advice on this).

You need to listen to your body and do what feels right for you. exercise while preganant is certainly normal and good for you. it is just a case of getting the right type of exercise. swimming is also highly recommended.

[nzmegs]

Oh and I gave birth both times with no pain relief other than a water birth. I swear that being active and fit really helped in that respect.

[tgold]

I agree with Aelle and others - everyone is different, a professional opinion is a must, as is listening to your own body. If you exercise regularly now and are in good shape you should be able to continue. If you've never run before, now may not be the best time to start!

In my experience, I was unable to run early on in my first pregnancy because for some reason my ligaments in my right hip loosened! Then in my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies I had no problems, but walked and used elliptical around 5/6 months (up until the very end) as it was just more comfortable. I also took prenatal yoga which was absolutely lovely!

HTH!