Sick of "you shouldn't excercise while pregnant" comments (long ve

katpet

I live in a country where pregnancy is viewed as a sickness. Seriously the environment is so conservative when it comes to excercise during pregnancy that it drives me crazy sometimes. I cannot even write on a local board because people would judge me and keep telling me how I shouldn't do anything beside yoga for pregnant because I can hurt my baby.

 I have been doing sports for over 20yrs. I did swimming in highschool and XC while in college. Since then I have been running for fun 5-6 times a week 5-6 mls/day at 7:30-8:00 min/mile. So before getting pregnant I was in a pretty good shape. I got pregnant, did not run for 6 weeks because of really bad morning sickness. After that my OB said I could run again. I was really happy. I did slow down and lowered my milage and felt great when running.

Two weeks ago I got stressed at work and my cervix got smaller(not sure if that is correct expression in English). I had to take some time off from running but everything is ok now and my OB said I could run/walk again as long as I feel ok and feel no pain. My DH is really supportive because he knows I need to run to keep myself sane, but he is the only one. People around me(family and close friends) think I had problems because of running and will not listen when I tell them that my OB said something different.

Sometimes I feel like they want me to be on a bed rest for the whole pregnnacy eventhough I have great pregnancy with no troubles except this one episode. How to tell them nicely to back off and do not comment things they do not understand. Thanks for reading

SoccerMama9

I?m right with ya chick!  I?ve been work outing (modified as I?ve progressed) and coaching my DD#2 soccer team and I also ref soccer games.  Go with what your body is communicating to you.  I?m a hard core fitness nut and with each pregnancy (this is my 3^rd) I?ve modified my programs to accommodate my changing body and what my body is communicating. 

Right now I'm getting the most flack from my cloth diapering.  I dont see why b/c this is baby #3.  LOL!

mariahcade

All of those people are probably overweight and angry that you look so good while you've got a bun in the oven. Everyone has an opinion....only several of them are incorrect because they don't know what they're talking about.

Your doctor is the primary source of advice in this situation. They see a ton of pregnant women every day, and they know first hand what you can and cannot do. Standard advice from a physician is usually to keep the heart rate at 150 BPM or lower.

Studies have shown that women who continue to exercise while pregnant have easier deliveries and better recoveries than women who don't. Babies inside of active mamas benefit from increased circulation, which oxygenates the cells and removes waste more quickly. Usually, pregnant women at some point have to modify the exercise....running might be okay for the first/second trimester, but then walking, swimming, and yoga might be a much better match for the last trimester since the heart rate can still get up there without all of the bouncing and high impact.

 When it comes to telling them to back off, you really don't have to...you can just listen to what they say and discard their advice. If they press you, you can let them know what your doctor has authorized, if you want to share that information. What you do with your body is only your business and the business of your doctor.

 Have an amazing delivery, HOT MAMA!!

katpet

Thanks for the support. This board has really helped me to stay focused. I guess  I just have to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the pregnancy. I have 18weeks left so hopefully I can manage that. Both family and friends have been giving me a hardtime through the whole pregnancy because I did not gain so much weight - I am +6lbs so far and baby is in a perfect condition and health - my belly is smaller than they expected and all these other irrelevant and stupid comments. The truth is they are used to see pregnant women gain 50lbs+ so I am really off of their scale .

 I have managed to live with them 22 wks so I will see how the rest goes. I undestand that I will not be able to run till the end. I just try to listen to my body and OB.

MesmrEwe

Simple solution - One finger salute doubled!!! 

I had a meltdown a while back because I was just sick and tired of people treating me like an invalid vegetable because I'm pregnant (including DH).  Mainly it was people who don't have a clue about the sport it is that I'm in (I'm a competitive powerlifter).  The main thing in my sport is you never train like a knucklehead because injuries aren't worth it.  You train to your body and do your best on any given day. 

Just take what they say with a grain of salt and keep listening to your body as you've always done.  Also, stop talking about it around them.  One thing I do while training is not wear things that attract attention to the baby bump...  Just saves a lot of headache...I stopped training for a few weeks and the withdrawl is killing me OTOH, provided I feel better, I'm planning to go in after the 36 week mark to start doing squats and deads LOL (anything to promote the process of LO's arrival...