Pregnant runners' club

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  • Go Martini - First of all: congratulations!

    Am sure you will get lots of good advice here - I didn't manage to run much during my pregnancy due to high blood pressure, but there are lots of other ladies on here who have and continue to run right through their pregnancies.

    Best of luck
    Hegs x
  • First of all congrats Go Martini, if you look through this thread you will see its all very individual, some of us managed to run till 37 weeks !!!!!! (amazing) and some of us gave up after about 3 months, just depends on your pregnancy. I am 14 weeks at the moment and have not been running that much, had a bad cold early on in pregnancy so that knackered my running for alomst a month (as cold went into my chest so no running). Now i am managing 2 or 3 times a week but just about 30 mins and am noticeabley slower already but not sure if thats just due to tiredness i suffered up until now, maybe i will get some more energy back now i'm moving into second trimester.

    And for everyone else, my scan went fine on friday afternoon, the doc who did the scan was happy that everything looked fine and looked to be developing normally and the expected size it should be etc etc. They reckonned my edd was 2 days later than the clinic so we're not far out with dates. It was amazing to see how much he/she was moving about and kicking her/his wee legs, quite an expereince, hubby was pretty amazed as well !!!
  • mrs o that is FANTASTIC news!! Congratulations and so glad that all went well for you on Friday - as you know, we were all thinking of you (our positive vibes must have helped ;o))

    My little fella has just found his feet and is DESPERATE to walk - keeps pulling up on everything and whinges if we won't be on hand 24/7 to lend a hand (literally - he holds our hands to stand up and try to walk). Time goes so fast! He'll be 1
    next month - time for number 2 perhaps???

    Hegs x
  • mrs o - that's great news. you must be relieved and ecstatic! are you telling everyone at work and all your friends now??

    go martini - congratulations! if you are feeling fine, then just carry on running as normal. make sure that you don't overheat and that you don't overdo it, but your body will soon let you know if you are doing either of those things (or mine does!). marijke (one of the ladies who posts on here) ran a half at 30 weeks and was still running at 37, as mrs o said. i am now 27 weeks and was running until last week (maximum of about 6 miles, 3 or 4 times a week) but started getting really excrutiating stomach pains (and associated bottom problems!) on every run, so i have now reluctantly abandoned my running shoes and swapped them for my swimming costume. it would be a good idea to try to keep up some form of cross-training, either in the gym or in the pool, so that if you do have to stop running for any reason, you have another type of exercise which your body is used to.

    the thing to do is just to keep an open mind about your running. you are obviously doing fine and haven't been feeling TOO bad if you have managed a half at 10 weeks, as most of us were corpsed with morning (all-day!) sickness at that point. this should stand you in good stead for keeping going during the second trimester, but do expect it to be very uncomfortable on your bladder, to feel the baby bouncing around (which a lot of people don't like the feel of) and to feel very sluggish.

    i hope you will join us permanently - we chat most days about things (mostly NOT to do with running, actually!), and we've got a great mixture of people who have had their babies and are back running again, some of us who are pregnant (and some still running, but not all of us), and a few ladies who are trying to conceive...
  • hegs - how is your FLM preparation going? are you enjoying the taper now?
  • Mrs O - I am so pleased your scan went well. It is amazing to see your baby for the first time at the 12 weeks scan.

    Martini - Congrtulations!!! How great that you have breezed through the 1st 10 weeks and completed your half marathon. As all have said, there is a real mix. I was unable to run during my 1st pregnancy (Sadie now 2) and due to some complications, I stopped running at 12 weeks this time (now 20).

    Mac is right, the most important thing is to stay hydrated, don't over heat and to listen to your body. My pace automatically slowed and I just went with it. Since I have not made it passed the 12 week stage running, there is not much I can add, but am happy to share my experiences about getting back into running post birth.

    In the meantime stay in touch, as Mac says we are often chatting about all sorts here!
  • Mrs O - congratulations - hope all continues to go well for you.
    Martini - congratulations to you as well, especially for running that half!
  • Oh I forgot to mention, I bought one of those swiss ball chairs at the weekend.

    I am working from home a lot at the moment and was finding my usual office chair uncomfortable and my posture suffering and even more so since pregnant.

    So at the weekend, I tried a pallosit chair, a swiss ball mounted in a chair frame. You can only sit on it for limited periods and build it up over time.

    It is so comfy and really makes you think about your posture when sitting. Also I find when pregnant, my coccyx or bum goes really numb. Sitting on a soft ball has certainly helped :-)

    Any way sales pitch over!- have a great day :-)

  • I used a swiss ball a lot in the later stages of pregnancy so can reiterate Clare's comments above!

    Caramel - thanks for asking - marathon training has gone OK - not done as many long runs as I would have liked, but under the circumstances I think i'm in OK shape (no major injuries anyway which is a significant thing for me!). Am on the taper now, but getting that horrible panic that comes with it - why does the taper always feel like your losing your race-fitness??

    Hegs x
  • Thank you ladies - your support here is wonderful. I am reading through and will reply properly later. I've not told work yet - or my family.
    Thanks again - so much
    GMx
  • clare - how are you feeling now? when is your 20wk scan? it must be soon?

    i bought a swiss ball (not a chair, but just a swiss ball) to sit and drape myself on at home, and i have been sitting on it at my desk, and have been amazed at how comfy it is! i've always had a slightly tight lower back (even when not pregnant) and, amazingly, that's gone since i've been sitting on it! so it's obviously all to do with posture at desk.

    hegs - i take inspiration from the fact that you have even managed to train for FLM with your full-time working, commuting, and child raising schedule. i've deferred my place for this year, so i hope to be doing the same next year, although i'm only planning to go back to work part-time due to the fact i work away from home a lot.
  • Hi CM, I what with easter and a few client committments, I do not have my 20 weeks scan until 24th April. They will also assess the bleeding then and I will have a follow up with the Obs on Friday.

    I have been feeling more positive, the bleeding has stopped for again and I have been feeling the baby moving fairly regularly. I just want the scan over with so I can see how much better or worse things are!

    I have a swiss ball too, but found it too low for my desk - I am quite tall. So my swiss ball as been relegated to the sitting room for lounging.

    Sorry to hear about your troubles below - I hope the swimming keeps you going!
  • GM - we are a lovely bunch (even if i do say so myself), and you will always get support and advice whatever your question (and however stupid it is).

    if you read back through the thread, you will find we talk about all topics, including boobs, sex, poo-ing, peeing and even, occasionally, running.

    have you been to the GP yet? you should get a booking in appointment with a midwife and, possibly - depending on the policy in your area - a 12 week dating scan. (not every area does those though).

    also - not sure how much research you have done yet or how old you are, but if you are worried about the risk of downs and other chromosomal disorders, you can get a scan done at about 11weeks (i think they can do it up to 14 weeks, but in my area they prefer to do it as close as poss to 11) called the nuchal translucency scan. in my area you have to pay for this (it costs about 140 quid for the scan and the blood test), and it gives you a risk factor for having a baby with downs or 2 other disorders by looking at the amount of fluid at the back of the baby's neck, and also by looking at the level of certain hormones in your blood.

    you will be offered a blood test for downs etc on the NHS at about 16 weeks or so, and lots of people just opt for that, but it's generally thought to be quite unreliable and give lots of false positives, and several of my friends have had high risk readings from these blood tests and have ended up having to have an amniocentesis (which carries a 1% risk of miscarriage). in all cases, the result was negative, but there was a whole lot of stress and worry and waiting involved to find out. with the nuchal scan, they give you a rating there and then, and confirm it more accurately when the bloods come back about a week later. and it's much earlier in pregnancy (ie 11 weeks rather than 16-17 or so for the NHS tests).

    it's probably a bit much to think about at this stage (and you will be overwhelmed with everything else if you have only just found out you are pregnant!), but if you DO think you will worry about the risk of downs, i would heartily recommend the nuchal scan if you can afford it... your midwife should be able to tell you if/where you can have it down, and in some areas it's offered routinely on the NHS (although not in mine).
  • Hi there...another newbie here..I've just found this forum recently and have been silently reading away...its a great forum I have to say !
    I'm 20wks at mo..(same as Clare I think)and my running days are defo over..my bladder didnt seem to like beeing jigged about anymore..so I have started walking 3 miles 4 times a week so it feels good to be moving..but it obviously doesnt compare to running :-(

    Does anyone else experience really really sharp pains in their side(alternates between left and right) when they go to the lo? or is it just me..also feeling really really exhausted..dizzy..etc Just wondering is this normal/not..worth mentioning to m-wife ?
    I was one of the lucky ones who didnt really suffer morning sickness...so maybe my time is coming now? :-(

    Any suggestions would be helpful..Thanks
  • hello mrs t! and welcome and congratulations!

    i can't help re: the sharp pains when going to the loo. but i do know that it's very very common to get pains as the uterus grows, so it may be down to that. but probably best to mention it to your midwife when you see her next. if the pains are when you wee, it *could* be an infection (although probably not if it's not getting any worse), so it's a good idea to get it checked out.

    as for feeling exhausted and dizzy - it *could* be your iron levels. these take quite a hammering from the middle of your pregnancy onwards, and can cause the symptoms you describe. worth getting your iron levels checked if you think it might be that. the other thing it could be is low blood pressure, particularly if you feel dizzy when standing up after sitting or lying for a while. this is also very common in the middle of your pregnancy, because you suddenly get a LOT more blood for your heart to pump round your body, and it takes a while for your blood pressure to stabilise.

    it's great to keep active and moving - so even though you've stopped running (as have I now), it's good to keep walking or doing other less strenuous and jolting activities! i have been for ANOTHER swim - that's 120 lengths in the last 2 days! - and it's absolutely NOT the same as running, but it'll just have to do!

    i'm hoping to stave off the dreaded swollen ankles etc by staying mobile!
  • Thanks CM..fantastic advice..will mention pains, iron level to m-w when I see her next. I suppose I can try to get some spinach into me in the meantime..and a nice juicy steak..
    Yeah I miss running so much too..the walking just isnt the same is it
  • MinksMinks ✭✭✭
    Whew! Lots to catch up with here since the last time I dropped in!

    Firstly, BIG congratulations to Mitchie Moo - must have been a helluva shock though! No wonder you have been feeling so poorly. In some ways I'd love to have twins - it would get it all over with in one hit - but they don't run in either of our families so probably fairly unlikely unless we end up having to have fertility treatment.

    Hegs, had to laugh at your account of a maternity pad in a thong! Reminded me of one of my friends who's just had a baby. She had to have an emergency c-section and only had a couple of pairs of knickers with her. She sent hubby home to get her some more and he arrived at the hospital with one of her strings - typical man! Really made me laugh though.

    Is this really mean? Hubby and I have only had sex once since my last period, and that was about 2 days after it when I was unlikely to be ovulating. I really didn't want to risk getting pregnant with less than a month to go before the marathon - told hubby we could take precautions but he wasn't impressed, so it seems to have been abstinence. A couple of times he's said (half-jokingly - I think) that he's "not allowed" near me this month, but I do feel really cruel! Trouble is cycle can be anything up to 40 days so I've had to factor in a big "off limits" period to make sure I've covered all possible fertile days. I don't actually think it's that much to ask given that I've spent 4 months training for this and would have been prepared to give up at any point if I got pregnant, but to have to give up when I can almost smell the Deep Heat is just a bridge too far. Am I being selfish?

    Caramel, had to laugh too at your 'poo stories'. God help me when it's my turn - I could write a book of my own 'toilet tales' and that's without being pregnant. In fact, last occasion was Sunday, fortunately in the middle of rural Wales, but ended up bunny-hopping round the field I'd stopped in with my running tights round my ankles to find a handful of grass long enough to clean up afterwards! Got some odd looks from curious sheep but fortunately nothing worse. I have personally had one 'accident' so know how horrible it can be - had had a stomach upset and was about 500 metres from home but just couldn't hang on. Not a pleasant experience!
  • Hey Minks - good to hear from you again. I must admit that when I found out I was pregnant it was the day after a fantastic 18 mile training run for NYC Marathon and I was totally GUTTED! My GP said that I could try and do the marathon, but to be honest I was so riddled with morning sickness etc it would have been impossible and actually as it turned out I already had problems with my BP so wouldn't have been able to fly (I would have been 11 weeks pregnant on the day of the marathon). Having said that, clearly the first week or so of pregnancy really improved my performance (the 18 mile run) and I have heard that elsewhere too - but I am with you on not wanting to try this month, as I have invested such a lot of time in my training too.

    Mrs T - hate to be basic about things but are your pains due to constipation?? I honestly thought that I was having a miscarriage once due to the sharp pains in my stomach but actually it was down to the old pregnant women's curse of constipation ;o) Still worth checking with the m/wife or GP though. Also, a lot of the pregnancy vitamin supplements contain iron if it does turn out that you are a bit anaemic - I took pregnacare from 18 weeks (I had fainted on the train) at the advice of my midwife.

    Hegs x
  • MrsT - yes, i hadn't thought about constipation (i haven't had it - yet - fortunately), but i know that a lot of people are PLAGUED with it during pregnancy, and one of my friends ended up in hospital with a suspected ectopic pregnancy due to intense pain, and it ended up being constipation!

    one word of caution on iron - if you *are* anaemic, you need to be careful when you take iron supplements. you will get advice from your doctor/midwife anyway, but you must make sure that you don't take the supplement with any dairy products or with caffeine - and a lot of people take their tablets with a cup of tea which is no good. this is because dairy and caffeine are thought to inhibit the absorption of iron. it's best to take the tablet with vitamin c - eg a glass of orange juice or a glass of water and a piece of fruit - as this helps it be absorbed.

    oh - and if you do take iron supplements, they can also cause constipation (!), so if you GP prescribes you iron, you can ask for a prescription for some gel type stuff (can't remember the name of it, sorry!), which you can take to prevent you getting constipation.
  • i feel like a great big crock at the moment.

    i had a cold of one type or another for about 8 weeks.

    finally got rid of it last week.

    this morning, i wake up with a blocked nose and... a huge big swelling in my throat just above my adam's apple, which is REALLY painful.

    ARGH!!!!

    i assume this means some form of throat thing is on its way!

    (had a bit of a panic that it might be thyroid as my mum has really bad thyroid probs and i know you can get more prone to thyroid probs during pregnancy - but that's below the adam's apple, not above it... phew...)

    off to the GP tonight to get a certificate to say i am fit to fly (off to newcastle on easyjet to see hubby's parents for easter and they don't let you fly without a certificate after 27 weeks), so i just hope that the GP doesn't look down my throat ;-)
  • Thanks Hegs.
    Have been quite "regular" lately so dont think down to constipation.. Suffered from constipation in my first 10 wks but my system seems to have settled down now. phew!
    Talked to my m-w and she seems to think the pain is from ligaments being stretched due to the expansion of the uterus. She said if I wanted I could bring in a sample to test for urine infection..which I might just do anyway..no harm to have it checked I suppose.
    CM thats terrible catching another cold ! Its just SO easy to catch them and takes forever to get rid of them.
  • mrst

    oo, perhaps i should change profession - i suggested stretching of uterus or maybe check for urine infection, just like your midwife ;-)

    only joking! being a midwife is a very responsible job. i was thinking that at the weekend when we went to visit the birthing centre in caerphilly where i hope to deliver (assuming the baby doesn't stay breech!). the unit is run by midwives, and the amount of stuff they have to do and kit they have to know how to use is amazing. they have a resuscitator there (just in case) and it looks really really complicated. in today's litigious society, i think anyone wanting to be a midwife is very brave! just imagine all of the things you could ultimately get sued for if something went wrong... somehow, because it's delivering babies, it seems even more risky on that front than other medical professions.
  • Agreed - it is a majorly responsible job - I was thinking the other day about how badly NHS staff get paid and yet other people's lives are in their hands, versus people like me (no comments please!) with a cushy City office job getting paid pretty well for helping a bank make money..... doesn't seem fair really.

    Having said that, the wife of a guy I work with had her baby declared stillborn when in fact she was perfectly OK - just didn't cry and scream at point of birth like most babies do. They didn't take it any further, but frankly the amount of distress that was caused in those first few minutes had a really bad effect on his wife who suffered PND (not saying it caused the PND, but it can't have helped!). On the otherhand, my friend who had a homebirth couldn't speak more highly of her midwives - they were amazing apparently. It does seem to be a bit of a lottery!

    Mrs T - glad you got it sorted anyway, hopefully it won't be an infection - I had one of those after I had my baby (c-sections mean that everything gets a bit bashed about and my bladder got quite badly bruised resulting in an infection) and it wasn't too pleasant.

  • Another silly question about putting weight on. Am 14 weeks at the moment and am sure my running trousers are a bit tighter on my thighs than normal and my bum is expanding a bit as well, is this normal or am i being a fat bloater and eating too much (you can tell me i'm being a fat bloater, won't take offence if that is the case)?? Or is my body just laying down a bit extra fat in preparation for breastfeeding ??

    Just worry a bit when theres a few runners on here worrying about not putting enough weight on and i'm the opposite.

    How do you know how much you should be eating ? I'm hungry a lot of the time but feel like maybe i'm eating too much sometime and don't want to end up a fat bloater.

    Have finally got out running regularly again after having colds and going on holiday, maybe i put on extra weight through lack of exercise as well. So far i reckon i've put on about half to three quarters of a stone in the first 3 months, is this ok or a bit too much or is every woman different ??
  • Mrs o - I put on 8lbs in the first 12 weeks - I think everyone is different!
    If you are really concerned you ought to chat with the m/wife, but my view is that a lot depends on your natural body shape too.

    I am pear-shaped and put on all my pregnancy weight around my hips and thighs and sure enough that's where it all stayed once my baby was born! But normal diet and exercise has got rid of it and the simple fact is that I ate more and exercised a lot less whilst pregnant, so what did I expect?? ;o) I have also always struggled with my weight and largely manage it through exercise, so I put on a few extra pounds through losing the battle with my willpower (I do remember one day eating an entire box of mini-chocolate victoria sponges from Waitrose - bloody delicious!)

    Having said that, I put on 2.5 stones over my pregnancy (quite respectable, I was led to believe) but I know a couple of my friends who were real skinny minnies before, put on up to 4 stone! And they have also lost it now too.

    I think the main thing that they look for wrt weight gain in pregnancy is diabetes - excessive weight gain is a key sign and also a contributing factor, so try not to binge on the cakes, biscuits, sweet drinks and not too much fruit either apparently.

    Does that help any?? Of course I am not a professional so don't know if any of this is wrong or right, but just my opinion which as ever I am happy to share!

    hegs x
  • mrs o - don't worry about weight gain! it's as normal to put on weight in your first trimester as it is to lose it, and some people put on or lose about a stone in the first 12-13 weeks!

    you can expect to put on over half a stone of pure fat (lovely!) as supplies for breastfeeding throughout your pregnancy. and a common place for this to end up is on your bum and thighs! the rest of your weight gain will be the baby, extra blood, extra fluid, bigger boobs (yes, really!), and the weight of your uterus.

    i read somewhere (rather worryingly) that they reckon you don't actually need any extra calories for the first two trimesters of pregnancy, and only need an extra 200 calories a day for the final trimester - which they worked out as a glass of milk and a banana. how depressing!

    certainly, i have been a LOT less active since getting pregnant than i was before, so even though i think i'm not eating anymore, i probably end up having several hundred calories a day more than i had beforehand because i'm not burning them off through exercise (was regularly running 50 mpw before and during the first 27 weeks was averaging about 20 miles max!)

    so - there's no need to stuff your face and you don't need to consciously eat more, i don't think. you just need to make sure you eat regularly so your blood sugar doesn't dip and you don't get too hungry, and - obviously - you need to be eating healthy things (not loads of chocolate. damn!)

    one of my friends put on 4 stone during pregnancy because she was constantly hungry and just stuffed her face, but she lost it again within a year of the baby being born and is now as svelte as ever. so, as long as you are disciplined afterwards, you should be able to lose it.

    i do worry about losing it, though, principally because i HATE dieting (having been anorexic in my late teens, early 20s, i now have a fear of dieting and counting calories: i seem to have gone completely the other way!). and i can't imagine that dieting, breastfeeding and looking after a young baby is a bundle of fun!
  • Caramel - looks as if we cross-posted ;o)

    Saying pretty much the same thing though...

    I lost a lot of weight in the first 3 weeks after my baby was born - mainly down to breastfeeding and simply forgetting to eat with the excitement and exhaustion of it all! I lost 1.75 stones in that period, but then took about another 5 months to lose the remaining 3/4 of a stone.
  • Just to echo what Hegs and Caramel have said - everyone is different and you sound fine.

    Also to (depressingly) confirm that you don't need any extra calories until the third trimester (and then not that many). You need lots more if you are going to breastfeed.

    I would advise any of you to avoid the scales in the first few months post-pregnancy.....if you are breastfeeding you will be using up a lot of calories and most people do lose their weight. I have struggled but that's my fault from not being disciplined once the baby was, say, 6 months old.

    Do NOT do what one of my friends did and take a pair of pre-pregnancy trousers to the hospital to wear home - you will still be in maternity wear (well trousers) for a while afterwards until uterus etc. has returned to normal. I know no-one (including the skinniest of my friends) who immediately bounced back to their pre-pregnancy weight straight away (ignore any celebrity stories over this) - it took 9 months for your body to get to that shape, it will take time to return.

    Be KIND to yourselves (my biggest number one tip to new mums) in those early days - other things will follow later.
  • talking of food, i am STARVING!

    i go through phases of waking up in the night absolutely ravenous (must coincide with when baby is having growth spurt, i think), and it's only because i'm such a lazy cow that i don't get up and raid the fridge for a midnight snack.

    last night was one of those nights, and my breakfast this morning didn't touch the sides.

    i've spent the whole morning starving but DETERMINED to wait until midday before i eat lunch.

    this pregnancy lark sure is no excuse to eat for 2 unfortunately.

    only 2 minutes until lunchtime though.

    gurgle gurgle gurgle...
  • Thats it! I have been trying to ingnore my rumbling tummy since breakfast. All this talk of food has made me crack.

    I understand how you feel Mrs O, it is so hard to surrender your body, particulary when you are used to being fit.

    I put on loads of weight last time and surrendered to every craving. That said I did loose it all and a little more in a round 8 months. So please feel reassured that you will get back to being you, it may just take a few months.

    I did naively think I would shrink back to normal a day or two later. At least I am better prepared this time :-)

    I have made an real effort to eat better this time and fill those hunger pangs with healthy snacks. Particularly as I cannot exercise. Saying that I do crack :-).

    The recommended gain is around 25-35 lbs if you are not overweight to start, but all are different. I think I have put on about 9lbs so far & I am 20 weeks.

    You will be raring to get those running shoes on again and run normally again. Any weight will fly off I am sure!!
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