Running Pregnant

Any doctor's concern is overheating in the first trimester. I would seek out a doctor that actually works with active women and get a second opinion. You should be able to remain active but maybe slow down to nothing that makes you not be able to hold a conversation. Best wishes and stay strong.

Get a second opinion! My friend, who ran regularly, ran a 1/2 marathon at 38 weeks. I was told it was fine to keep exercising how one normally exercised - one just doesn't want to try to get in shape while pregnant. I had a lot of 'relaxin' hormone and pulled a muscle playing tennis - but there was never any concern about the baby.

This is going to sound cold, but it is truly not intended that way- welcome to the first phase of mommyhood- giving up things that are important to you for your child. Clearly you will want to cut back or stop drinking. I always think- why chance it. In terms of the running. I had started running when I got pregnant this time and I seriously would overheat and have to quit running. I am not sure if it had anything to do with body temps, because that can cause problems. You should ask your doctor why.

i ran 5 miles daily through all my pregnancies up until the day i delivered. i missed here and there for weather (too slippery) but otherwise i think it helped me feel better and i had the easiest labor and delivery all 3 times. enjoy!

Hi there,
If you are fit and healthy, I don't believe that the Dr's recommendation is medically based. There used to be a lot of unfounded beliefs about exercise and pregnacy (including recommendations to keep heart rate below a certain number). My understanding is that, if there isn't a special circumstance (concerning medical/pregnancy history) and you are fit, you should be encouraged to continue to work out. People who don't exercise are encouraged to start exercising moderately in order to increase the chance of having a healthy pregnancy. Listen to your body, stay hydrated, and exercise in a well-ventilated area. Your body will tell you when it's time to slow down. I ran/exercised 5 days/week in my first and second trimesters and then transitioned to walking and using the eliptical trainer in the third trimester. As the pregnancy progressed, I was instructed to change my weight lifting protocol b/c of lax joints (the bodies way of preparing you for labor and delivery), body positioning, and risk of injury. Due to joint laxity and risk for difficulty keeping balance, the second/third trimester might not be best for stair climbing (if you mean something like racing up stairs in a tall building with a bunch of other people jostling you). I was 38 during my pregnancy and had the full support of my OBs. I believe that working out helped a lot with having stamina during labor and delivery. I was lucky enough to feel well enough to exercise up until the night before I delivered. Now, if I could only figure out how to fit in time to work out while being a single mom of an almost 3 year old and working full time! I wish you the best of luck and continued good health!

You should be able to do what you did before you were pregnant, although I believe you are not supposed to let your pulse go above 130 or 140, which may be hard if you are running quickly. You technically are "high risk" because of your "advanced maternal age" (don't be offended... over 35 is AMA). Are there any other complications you have, such as taking blood thinner or low progesterone? Talk to your doctor and find out why he/she told you that. Maybe there is a medical reason in your case.

yeah I'm not sure why he told you not to run right now. Usually it's fine but if your doc told you not to I would listen or call back and ask why he feels it's not good for you to run. I did have complications with my first pregnancy really early on like around 9 weeks and wasn't aloud to do any exercise or lift anything over 25 pounds my whole pregnancy. So there are reasons. But find out more info from your doc.

I have been an avid runner up to getting preggers, and now i am 8 mos along. I did 5K's and all that fun stuff before. When I found out, my doc said I could continue as long as I don't tire myself out and hydrate myself enough. Throughout the months I had to slow down considerably, of course and just listened to my body and did what I could. That would mean jogging some days, brisk walk other days, and mixing it up with the elliptical machine.

According to ACOG they recommend exercise during pregnancy, as long as you don't have risk of pre term labor or have had miscarriages in the past. They also advise that one can continue running as long as they have been doing it before pregnancy. There are pregnant women who have run 5K's and 10K's. I'm not one of them, because I just didnt' want to push myself.
But if one has never run/jog before, than pregnancy is not the time to start. U can go on their official website (ACOG stands for american college of obstetrics and gynecologists) to read up more on exercise.

Those are the current recommendations. Why your doctor prohibits you from running completely, is a bit confusing.. unless you've had preterm labor and pregnancy complications before.

If he says it's unsafe, go with his reccomendations but I'd ask why. U can do alternative things like aerobics, swimming, bike, elliptical, etc. I sometimes do kickboxing DVD's when I can't get to the gym.

Good luck! And congrats!

I was a runner before I found out I was pregnant with my son. I am not a marathon runner or anything like that but I do enjoy running in the morning as part of my routine. I wanted so bad to continue running because it was my passion and really enjoy it. I also ask my doctor to see if I can continue to run because I also heard that as long as you've always be a runner it would be okay to continue to run during your pregnancy. My doc advised me to not run as many miles as I used to and slow it down more like jogging. As much as I like to run during my pregnancy I just couldn't because I couldn't last more than a block and I used to run up to six miles a day. So I stopped running and now my son is already one year old and I still haven't picked up running again yet. I still walk alot but it's hard to get started on the running again once I stopped :(

Dear Holycow, congrats on your pregnancy. I don't think the drs orders have to do with your age. The first trimester is the most deilcate. The baby is new in your body. Running and pounding the pavement can not be good for this situation. My best wishes, Grandma Mary (mom of 5)

I ran throughout both of my pregnancies. With the first pregnancy I was very sick and dizzy in the first trimester so I couldn't run for those reasons, but picked it back up in the 2nd trimester, although it was more of a slow jog and less frequently and for a shorter distance.

With my second pregnancy I was even more sick the first trimester, but kept up with working out at a very low intensity. I was able to pick up running again in the 2nd trimester and ran a few days a week, for 2-3 miles, until the very end.

No matter what, I was always very careful about hydration and not overexerting myself (be able to carry on a conversation, never go "anaerobic"). I think the exercising helped tremendously with sleeping better, no muscle aches, and no bloating/water retention.

Good luck and stay safe!

The general rule of thumb is that you can keep doing what you were doing before as long as it's comfortable. Don't push yourself too hard, though -- if your body is telling you to stop, listen to it.

However -- and I suspect this is why your Dr. advises against running -- one should not raise their core body temperature too much when pregnant as it increases the risk of neural tube defects. This is the reason we're not supposed to go in hot tubs when pregnant. It's not a good idea to overheat at any point in pregnancy, but the neural tube closes by the end of the first trimester, so the risk of birth defects from overheating is pretty much gone by the second trimester.

If it were me, I'd clarify with the doctor, but I'd feel okay continuing to exercise. I wouldn't do the 5ks, however I would keep running/jogging as long as it was comfortable. I'd scale back somewhat, probably, and be extra careful not to get too hot. Realistically, though, I find I'm completely exhausted and useless in the first trimester, so I don't exercise at all. :) I pick it up again in the second trimester!

I don't run anymore (knee trouble), but I do know lots of women who ran/raced throughout their pregnancy with no problems. My HS x-country coach even trained for and ran a marathon during her pregnancy.

As long as you aren't at risk, then your doctor may just be being overly cautious. If you have miscarried or are having other problems, then I would say cut back on the runs, but otherwise if you are in good health and you aren't having any pregnancy related trouble then as long as you don't over tax yourself (ie listen when your body tells you to slow down, even if your run-time suffers).

Definitely communicate with your doctor to find out what his concerns are with your running and especially if there is something specific that he is seeing (in blood work, or other health checks he's done so far), but in the end you know your body the best. Take your training easy for a while to gauge where you are and as others have mentioned keep hydration and overheating in the forefront of your mind when you work out.

I had to give up high impact aerobics during my first trimester and the way my doctor explained it was balance. Because your body is changing you may end up losing your balance and falling, thus doing damage to the baby. I thought it was overly cautious during the first trimester when I wasn't showing, but there you have it!

I wish I was a runner but I'm not so I can't tell you for sure. I know Dr's are more cautious when you are over a certain age (I think it's over 35 is considered high risk). I would speak to your Dr to have him clarify why you cannot run and see what exercises he does approve you to do.

I also wanted to mention I do not think you were saying you were going to continue to drink as one mom may have taken it. I applaud you for your honesty. Most moms wouldn't mention the amount they drink on a site where there are very opinionated women. I also drink almost daily like you, not a lot but a couple drinks after our kids are in bed but always stopped drinking as soon as I found out I was pregnant.

Congrats to you on your pregnancy.

My mum ran marathons while preggers with her first 3 of us in both of the first trimesters. Myself, I'm prone to the placenta ripping away from the side of my uterine wall, & even brisk walking through the park on a glorious day would trigger a miscarriage. ((I have a very irregular period, and I'm very active, so 1) I can't even count the number of babies I lost in the first trimester, and 2) being on modified bedrest for 10,000 years (wait, 8 months), was pure hell for me. Not to mention the sheer number o)) So there you have it, 2 women, similar genetics... and totally different outcomes.

I'd schedule a talk with your doc to get specifics and more details. While better safe than sorry, sanity is also preferable against going bonkers from inactivity. Finding the right balance for YOU will be key.