Trying for a baby - should I run?

We are trying for our third baby and I am *hoping* to have conceived at the weekend.  Question is, would running in these very early stages have any impact on a would-be pregnancy?

I usually run home from work three times a week - five miles or so, 40 mins - and would like to tonight.  But might all the jolting etc have any effect on a fertilised egg implanting itself?

If there are any other mothers/would be mothers out there who have an opinion on this (I know I might sound mad, but I am very keen to have another baby!) I would be v grateful to hear it.

Thanks!

Comments

  • I think the general consensus of opinion is that if it's going to be fine, it will be fine regardless of whether you continue running, and it it isn't, it won't - IYSWIM. However, my feelings at the time (and sorry if this sounds needlessly pessimistic, but please take it in the context that I had a hell of a lot of difficulty conceiving in the first place and also had one early miscarriage) were that I didn't want to feel that, if anything did go wrong, that I hadn't done everything possible to avoid that. However I know that is a product of my own anxiety and insecurity - I spent the whole pregnancy in a state of barely suppressed panic that something would go wrong - and it is not necessarily an approach I would recommend!

    If you don't have a history of difficulties in conception or pregnancy, then chances are you will be absolutely fine. I suppose the only question is, in the unlikely event that something did go wrong, would you be tempted to blame yourself and think "oh, I shouldn't have carried on running"? - even though probably it would have made no difference at all.

    Anyway I hope everything goes smoothly for you, good luck!

  • SP13SP13 ✭✭✭

    Assuming that you have no medical issues, I don't see that running will have an adverse effect on conceiving or pregnancy. If you are accustomed to running, then continuing your normal running routine shouldn't make any difference. My doctor laughed heartily at me when I asked him if my running could have had an adverse effect on the pregnancy and said the embryo was nicely protected inside me and that humans were built to be on the move.

    I had no idea I was pregnant first time round and assumed that queasiness and chest soreness were due to poor diet and the wrong running bra. The pregnancy went absolutely fine though I did stop when I got enormous. The only time my midwife had an issue with running was second time round when I was expecting twins.

    I hope this helps put your mind at rest. If you are worried though then talk to your GP. (But I am sure it will be fine. Good luck!)

  • Thanks for the replies.  Such a good point - not wanting to think that if something DID go wrong it was my fault...  Still undecided, but I have until 6pm to make my mind up!

     I was slightly thinking of avoiding running for the first five days or so, to give the egg (if there is one...) a chance to implant, and then running after that, for the first few months or so.  But we shall see - I shall probably get a negative test in a couple of weeks and hit the bottle bigtime.

     Harriet

  • As someone who has just had a sleepover for five little girls and has had no bloody sleep at all, if you are trying for a baby I suggest you DO run - very far! imageimage

    Two kids was quite enough for me, but I wish you every success with your third. Shortly after conceiving my first I downed 3 double whiskys and climbed a mountain the next day. I would add I had NO IDEA I was pregnant, but she's fine now, except that she hates mountains and has rung Jeremy Kyle about her alcoholism at the age of 10.....image

    Paula Radcliffe ran all through her pregnancy and look how gorgeous Isla is....image

    Happy running!

  • I didn't find out that I was pregnant until about 4 weeks, during which time I'd trained hard and done a particularly lethal fell race in -5 degrees where I'd gone flat on my face in icy bogs a couple of time and run to exhasution.  It was Christmas so I'd had far too many drinks during those four weeks as well.   Think if it's meant to be, it will be.   I stopped racing when I found out I was pregnant (and drinking) but otherwise carried on as normal.  Now have a lovely healthy one-year-old!
  • Never EVER let them have a sleepover with their friends Lizzy! image
  • SP13SP13 ✭✭✭
    I'm so glad I have boys and not girls. They think sleep overs are really sissy. thank God!
  • I put it down to the number of knees I have.

    I (still) need a knee for each child or they fight - God knows where you have to put a third......image

  • SP13SP13 ✭✭✭
    Well, it's not always by choice. My number two pregnancy turned out to be twins. I cried for ages and they had to stop the scan! Knees are a problem when you have 3 babies under 2 years old (at the time).
  • I would love twins!  But I think my husband would divorce me!
  • My little boy is hitting the terrible two's big time so I'm feeling one is enough image

    I also found out I was pregnant in the afternoon of doing a 10k in the morning. 

  • ~Cinders my son is DEEP in the terrible twos so you have my sympathy!  It's astonishing the strength of their fury - it makes me laugh most of the time as it's so silly - thank God for running and all those endorphins!
  • My little girl is also very two at the moment. There's no other way of describing it. She's just.... two.
  • Lol.  Mini C only 20 months so guess I'll be having this for a lonnnnng while!  Just had a paddy as I put the lid on his sippy cup for some milk, lid HAD to be off!
  • SP13SP13 ✭✭✭

    It gets easier, thank goodness. And there are some days when it all seems worth while. Like one day when my eldest was talking to his friend. His friend was saying that his Mum was going to run a marathon and mine replied proudly "that's nice. My Mum has run 5 of them". Aaaahhhh Children are great really. Even if at the start there are 3 in nappies to change, you never sleep, you have decided that no matter what you are going to breast feed the twins, so no sleep ever ever ever. Even when your house looks like Toys R Us without the cash desk........

    ....no wonder I started running!!!

  • I think I'd quite like to have the cash desk.....image
  • Me and my hubby are trying for a baby too and i think i'm gonna carry on running. But not gonna increase my mileage too much or do hard speedy sessions. I wanna keep as fit as possible but i am a little concerned about jeopordising my chances of concieving.........

    I'm told that it shouldn't affect the chances of concieving though so we'll see. Like other people have said it didn't harm paula and numerous other women who have had children.

    Any tips/suggestions an avice would still be welcome though.

  • Jenni B if you carry on running you might have problems conceiving.  Stop running for a while or at least slow down so that your hubby can catch you.  image 

    I was learning to horse ride while I was pregnant with my youngest, my midwife told me I had as much chance of shaking one of my kidneys out as I had of dislodging the baby.  As long as I didn't fall off. I stopped lessons at 24 weeks cos it got uncomfortable trying to get off the horse.

  • I was learning to ride (and doing high-impact step aerobics) when I got pregnant with my first one - I reckon if he could cling on through my incompetent, bone-jarring attempts at trotting, running would be a breeze!

    I advise my runners that, if you're already doing a form of exercise when you fall pregnant, it should be fine to carry on, but I wouldn't take up any new exercise (we have a lot of pregnancies and babies in my group).  I think it's a question of listening to your body - if you feel ok to run, then do it.  Pregnancies aren't that prone to miscarry if they're healthy; look at the women around the world who do heavy physical work throughout the nine months and deliver healthy babies.

  • Thank you.  Maybe I will run home tonight - I decided not to last night but am now thinking I will run tonight - nice slow jog...

    Fascinating reading everyone else's input - thanks!

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