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Snowboarding while pregnant?
My husband and I are avid snowboarders and are even chaperones for my son's ski bus. I recently found out we are expecting and I'm 6w2d. Has anyone else gone skiing or snowboarding while prego? I've found conflicting information online and I don't go in for my first appt for 3 1/2 more weeks. I don't want to sit in the lodge every Saturday but I'd hate for something to happen on the slopes.
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Re: Snowboarding while pregnant?
I am still snowboarding lightly. Ya, falls happen, but if you aren't going down double blacks, being stupid and hitting jumps, if you are good at it, at this point, your baby is extremely well protected. I don't think it's a big deal as long as you are cautious. I wouldn't take it up if you didn't know how to do it before, but since you do, just be careful and smart.
Walking has a risk of falling. Walking up stairs has a risk of falling. Running, zumba, etc. You risk getting into a head on collision in a car. You can't completely avoid risk. Enjoy a few runs while you still can. When you get further along, I'd cut it out, but while the baby is tiny and protected? You're okay.
I went with DD2 around 14 weeks and with this one around 16 weeks. I just took it easy and didn't try anything that would put me at risk of falling hard. It was really fun and I'm glad I got out while my pants still fit
The biggest thing that got me actually was the altitude, I completely underestimated how that would make me feel!
Honestly lots of doctors say no running too, but there are plenty of women on this board who run until they are about to give birth! If our are an avid snowboarder, just take it easy and have fun before you are too prego to go.
No. Avoid anything that could involve a crash. No matter how skilled you are, freak things can happen.
PICK was an avid cyclist and I quit riding outside while I was pregnant. Just too much risk beyond my control.
Most doctors say running is fine. With things like snowboarding, crashes happen and can happen often. Walking, running, driving a car, not so much. There are elements out of your control when you partake in snowboarding,cycling, etc. they include out of control newbies that run into you, cars not paying attention, etc.
It's not worth it. Think about how awful you would feel if something happened. The slopes will be there after you have LO.
Sorry, I have to quote you on this, because it makes no sense. Are you saying that crashes don't happen in cars and that you are in control of everything? You must never have been in an accident before. Last I checked, I have far more control of my condition on a snowboard than I do in a car. For one thing, it's easy to look around and stay in a less populated area. It's also easy to look around and see if there are possibly dangerous skiers/boarders in the vicinity. In the 24 years I've been on the hill (I live in a ski town, so it's not a once in a while thing) I have never once been hit by a newbie.
However, I'm also a horse back rider and have taken far worse crashes from the top of my horse than from my snowboard and I'm not running away from my horse either at this stage of my pregnancy and most horse back riders don't stop in the early stages either.
Life doesn't stop and you shouldn't stop what makes you happy (within reason of course). You just have to be smart and cautious and know your limits.
I have to agree with this. I had my first appointment yesterday and my doctor told me one of the biggest risks is a car accident. obviously I'm not going to stop driving. Use common sense and be more cautious but you can't live your life in a bubble.
DH and I spend Christmas breaks in Whistler, where my parents live, and did the same 2 week trip this year. I was 11-13w while I was there and I went skiing. I've been skiing since I was 3 and although I am very confident in my abilities, I know that there's a risk with others on the hill.
I suppose it was selfish but I just couldn't NOT ski while in Whistler for 2 weeks. I went up 5 days total, and mostly went on powder days when I knew it'd be soft, I'd have space to myself in the off-piste areas and I'd generally be going slower. I'm glad I went and had a great time, and was still safe.
I'm also the kind of person that's continued to work out, including running and Insanity (though modified), as well as playing in my beach volleyball league (which I'm stopping in 2 weeks until after delivery). I weigh the risks vs. benefits and try and ensure I'm not in huge danger of a hit or fall.
One thing about snowboarding is that there's a lot more bending and up and down and risk of falling vs. skiing - so it depends on how far you are along and how comfortable that would be.
Kristina - 34
My health/fitness blog
funny. I'm a horseback rider, too. I didn't ride while I was pregnant, either. I ride at the prelim eventing level and still don't entirely trust that something freak won't happen. I call complete bs on your statement that most riders don't stop when they're in the early stages. Most every rider I've known that has been pregnant has stopped riding as soon as they found out. A lot of those riders ride at the pro level.
The fact of the matter is that you have to drive your car. You don't have to snowboard or ride or cycle.
Im also pretty sure I've crashed less in my car (never) than I have snowboarding (numerous) and horseback riding (also numerous). You can't mitigate all risk, but you mitigate risk that isn't worth taking.
I also competed at the intermediate/prelim level until recently, maybe I have run into you before. Are you in COTH? Search riding while pregnant there. You may be quite surprised. Obviously, there are limits, but you need to know your body and how you are feeling and trust your instincts. Life doesn't shut down when you pee on a stick. The baby is so well protected down there at this stage. Would I go out and gallop around a xc course right now? No. But hoping on my retired guy and going for a hack and doing some flat work at this stage is pretty low risk to me, because I know him.
Oh, and my OB agrees.
I was on COTH ages ago. Maybe 6-7 years ago. I used to do most of my riding in Kentucky, but I now live in Colorado. I was schooling some intermediate/advanced stuff and getting ready to move to CCI* level, but then my event horse had a bout of colic requiring surgery. She passed away later that year due to complications from the surgery. She was only 8 and an amazing horse. I'm bringing up a Hano/TB right now. He's three and was just started under saddle this fall. He's fun, but a kind of a warmblood dolt.
I've just seen too many freak things happen, especially around horses. One of my worst injuries was falling from a "safe" horse. I cracked (not a full break) my femur after he spooked at absolutely nothing. I was just loose rein hacking with one of my friends and, all of a sudden, there was no horse under me. I landed the wrong way on a rock.
It's just not worth the risk, for me. If something happened because I just had to ride or snowboard, I would be devestated.
Sorry about your pone, that is sad. I retired my guy so I don't compete anymore, but we may have crossed paths somewhere on the east coast back in the day. I was most competitive between 2005 and 2010 and was doing the whole florida in the winter thing and then up and down the whole year (I'm Canadian though) but if you go to some of the bigger ones, we probably did.