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Health & Exercise
Jams1002
member
Doctor has said no exercise?!
Jams1002
member
Hi all,
I'm new to these boards (and pregnancy as well!) My husband and I just got back from our first prenatal checkup. Doctor was giving out her "10 Commandments" for pregnancy and her 4th one was "no exercise in the first trimester - the only form of exercise you can do is walking." I proceeded to tell her that I do weight training, jogging, spinning, aerobics, and most importantly, kickboxing. I thought that would make a difference since my body is used to a lot of activity. She still said no way - only walking. Her exact words: "We don't want you to have a miscarriage!"
Question: is my doc just really old school or have others had the same experience with their doctors? I am really upset about this, I love exercising and I thought it would be good for the baby!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Doctor has said no exercise?!
Your doc is a moron. As long as you are having an uncomplicated pregnancy, there's no reason not to continue exercising. I always felt better after exercising (I usually felt like puking on the way to workout). You'll have a speedier recovery if you continue to exercise during pregnancy. Listen to your body and modify exercises as needed.
ETA: I never had a doc say anything to me about not exercising, but I did have a nurse tell me the baby might fall out if I jumped too much
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Thank you!! That's what I thought too. My gut has been telling me to try and find a new doctor (easier said than done in Ontario) but this is the push I needed.
I appreciate everyone's input!
Your dr is not very bright if she thinks that exercise causes m/c.
I am not one to say to go against a dr's orders, but unless she told YOU specifically not to exercise for specific reasons related to YOUR condition, I would go ahead with the regular routine. Since one of her commandements, she advises all of her patients to not exercise, which is dumb. I would at least get a second opinion.
ETA: I hit post too fast. I was also going to say that it's extremely important that you listen to your body more than ever when exercising while pg.
Yeah I don't buy it. I did zumba throughout the first trimester. Still going strong 3 days a week! The only thing I adapted in the first tri is the bouncing. My boobs were so sore, and even wearing 2 sports bras didn't help.
My doc said it was ok for me to play soccer! I ran two 5K's in the first trimester (the first one I didn't know I was pregnant) and exercised my entire pregnancy. I stopped running the beginning of the third trimester. I also didn't run nearly as much as I would've if I weren't pregnant.
Some doctors have ketp the old school of thought that you are supposed to rest and stay off your feet. I don't think it means you have to change doctors necessarily.
I agree that your doctor sounds like an idiot. I don't understand how a heath care provider would not support a patient about having a fit pregnancy. I am currently 34 weeks and have been working out hard since the very beginning. I played competitive soccer during the first trimester and did bootcamp classes until I felt uncomfortable and needed to modify my workouts. I have been lucky enough to have been able to afford a personal trainer through out my whole pregnancy and still workout 3-4 days a week. We do weight training, intervals, kettlebell training (which I love by the way) and anything else that keeps me moving. Before my pregnancy I became frustrated at the lack of support and information out there on having a fit pregnancy. If your pregnancy is normal, with no underlying health concerns, there is no reason you need to give up fitness if it is something you love. If you are conditioned to what you are doing and you are trained enough to listen to your body's cues, then you will know enough to stop when you are overdoing it. This is my second pregnancy. With my first I had gained 60 pounds, didn't exercise, had heartburn, bloating, water retention and overall my mood and self-esteem was in the dumps. This time I have only gained 19 pounds so far and I feel like a million bucks. I could go on and on about my opinions on the benefits of exercise and pregancy!! If you want a reliable source, check out Cassandra Forsythe's blog, a certified nutrionist and personal trainer. I am obsessed with her blog as she does 'fit pregancy interviews' about real woman that stay fit during their pregancies. I am inspired by her as she had her own fit pregnancy and is incredibly passionate about exercise during pregnancy. Another source would be James F. Clapp III who wrote the book 'exercising throughout your pregnancy'
Good Luck with your own fit pregnancy!!!
CHANGE YOUR OB! Ok, maybe that is harsh, but my Dr said the same thing. I've exercised since I was 14 years old. I'm 32 now, and was running 5 x's per week and getting my weight training in 6 x's per week. My Dr told me at my 8 week appointment to stop exercising bc I couldn't get my heart rate to 140 no matter how much I would slow it down. My heart rate when I ran pre-pregnancy was 160-165 and when slowing the run down I could get it to 150 when 8 weeks pregnant. I had no shortness of breath... no issues.
Apparently, after going to a second OB office by 26 weeks (because of other things they had recommended that I thought was very old school tradition thinking), I was told that I should never have just suddenly stopped. The old school thinking is anything over 140 heart rate is detrimental, but this may not be so depending on what your body is used to. I've had no blood pressure, heart rate, or health issues to cause old OB to think this way. My new OB didn't understand their advice regarding exercise OR calorie intake. (They told me to bump my calories up about 800. (I now know this is not what should have be done!)
Unfortunately, I followed her advice and stopped exercising all together. I gained 40 pounds in 6 months!!!! .... Get a second opinion, PLEASE. I wish I had much sooner!!