Moms here (Read 818 times)

Any moms here with experience running while preggers? When Steph and I have kids, I'll be the one carrying, so I'm curious about your experiences.

I ran to I think 34 or 36 weeks with my second.  There is a great book called Exercising through your pregnancy.   that is a really good resource

I did not use a HR monitor, I just ran by feel.  By the 3rd trimester I planned my routes by where I could find bathrooms every mile, but other than that really enjoyed it and it made recovery MUCH faster.

I also found with both pregnancies that if you can make it past the first 5 minutes without puking, running really helps with morning sickness.  Its that first 5 minutes thing.  But I had it bad and if I could get through it and get my HR up a bit for 20 minutes or so I could get HOURS of relief. 

I ran through 5/6 pregnancies. My OB's were very supportive and I stopped in my thrid trimester when napping with my younger child was more attractive than running. 

Good luck.

Slice ran through her pregnancy recently.  You could PM her if she doesn't pick up on this thread.

 I wondered why I got the PM!

I agree with everything that the other ladies said. I had forgotten about ditching the HRM and needing snacks. There was a time or two I seriously debated the merits of eating some honeysuckle. Or dandelions. Having car food became a must. The HR thing is pretty BS because your HR is naturally higher due to all the extra blood your body makes. My biggest discomfort was my tailbone. My hips got out of alignment and I had wicked pain in my tailbone. Visits to my chiro helped until I ran again. I also biked some but ended up deciding it wasn't worth the risk after I nearly took out a fence. I only gained 22 lbs and still ate as I wished (within reason). I was back out running a tiny bit about 2 weeks post partum and lost nearly all my weight within a few months.

(I know I put this in my PM, but I simply can't resist)

Beware the consequences of too many miles while pregnant:

One other thing, it's hard as hell to find cheap maternity running clothes. I wore cotton wife beaters until I reached a point of seclusion and just ran in a sports bra and shorts. I figured if people wanted to stare at my basketball, more power to 'em.

Hi Mandy - 

Just another perspective here.  I was not able to run during my recent pregnancy.  Running was basically excruciatingly painful.  I had really bad lower abdominal pain that would persist even after I stopped running.  Eventually (not soon enough) I decided to listen to my body and stop.  I tried all manner of pregnancy support belts, massage and physical therapy; nothing helped.  I even minimized walking as much as possible during the third trimester.  Biking caused the same type of pain.  This can't be too uncommon as a girl I ran cross country with in high school experienced the exact same thing with her pregnancy.

I ended up getting in the pool and  doing water aerobics or swimming three times a week.  I swam half a mile the day my daughter was born.  I'm now ten months postpartum, and I feel great.  I'm 90% back to my original fitness and running is going very well, pushing my daughter in the jogging stroller.

In summary, if you're not able to run during pregnancy, don't be too discouraged.  It really didn't take me that long to get my fitness back.  Just listen to your body.  Even if you are able to run, I suggest getting in the pool as well.  It feels so great to weightless late in pregnancy.  

I am also nursing, and other than needing a more supportive sports bra, it's not having any negative effects on my running.  

Good luck!

Jennifer

Before my first pregnancy, I ran a lot, but I had complications during pregnancy (spotting and bleeding, which turned out to be caused by placenta praevia), so I had to stop. I did not take that very well, I was on bedrest for weeks again and again, and I felt like I missed out on life and on the pregnancy completely.

I hope you'll have a great, uncomplicated pregnancy. Unless there are complications, running is actually good for you, as long as you take it easy and are ready to skip a day or two if you aren't feeling up to it.

I picked up running again after I had stopped breastfeeding. It was a bit hard to get back into the groove, but it worked.

The other two pregnancies, I did not run, I slowly tapered down (which felt much better than stopping dead and going on bedrest), and walked a lot. Again, I started up again after I had stopped breastfeeding, mainly because I was worried I would not have enough milk supply (I did not have enough milk to feed my first baby longer than 4 months, but I had enough with the second baby, and actually too much with the third).

From my personal experience, I think fairly easy, recreational running won't affect the milk supply significantly. There are many, many factors that affect milk production, and with a good lactation consultant, most problems can be resolved. And if you have a low milk supply despite all efforts (like I had with my first), then running won't make it any worse. It might be a hormonal problem, or stress, and then some gentle running, if anything, will rather improve things than make it worse (assuming you don't go way overboard).

Only thing you might experience is pain in the breasts when they are full, so it is probably best to run right after feeding or pumping. And you'll need a good bra for maximum support, and pads to catch any milk that might be released while you run (the nipples rubbing against the bra might cause the milk to flow).

You might need running bras in different sizes, and don't get them yet. Wait until you're ready to run again, then get the right size. It is difficult to know how your breasts will change during and after pregnancy.

Mandy: we have a Preggo's forum over on the women's group if you want to join, most of us are still running! unless you've been told to keep it to a fast waddle like me..