So lately a lot of people when they realize I’m pregnant say “oh so you’ve stopped running” or “can you run now??”. I try not to get too defensive and assume anything. And accept that some people genuinely still adapt that old school thought of ‘pregnant women shouldn’t exercise, and nonsense like the exercise will harm the baby and cause a miscarriage’ etc which is just the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. And then some people just want to learn more which is great:)
But the other group of Busy bodies: if these people read even one medical journal article or a book on staying healthy and being the best for your baby, they would quickly see there’s not a single doctor nurse or person who would attribute a miscarriage to someone staying fit and healthy during their pregnancy.
Now everyone’s pregnancy will be different and I’m not a doctor so I’m not saying if you have a high risk pregnancy to get out and run a marathon etc but I am just trying to highlight and diminish the negativity still attached with fitness when pregnant.
Everyone’s fitness level is different and activities vary, I listen to my body, I am not trying to prove anything . I love to run I worked very hard to become a marathoner and ultra runner, and now I’m embarking on the most important ultra event to date-my pregnancy journey. I have always applied myself taken care of my body and been dedicated and this pregnancy is no different.
I am committed to staying fit, and running through my pregnancy (all be it lower mileage, more toilet breaks, slower pace, downsizing to half marathons). I am embracing all the changes and listening to my body and the baby. My doctor said I’m one of the healthiest pregnant women she had seen in a long long time!!!and to keep exercising and maintaining my routine because that’s what my bodies always done. Resting heart rate was so slow it blew her mind, on account of being so fit!!
Here’s 2 examples of what pregnant runners have to deal with sometimes: and feel free to have a laugh I did!!
-I was around a lady recently who congratulated me on being pregnant(she knew I was a big runner) and then offered me a cocktail I politely said “thanks but I’m ok”, she proceeded then to regale me with laments of how one drink won’t harm the baby this early and she knows people who drank their whole pregnancy and had perfect babies. I just said “oh ok but still no thanks.” Then in the next breathe she says “oh and you want to stop running and be very careful all that running will harm the baby “!!!!wtf!!
It’s this crazy double standard that makes this issue so controversial.
Secondly at the hospital- “do you smoke, drink, do drugs, get out of breath or lift heavy weights” it’s like how are weight lifting and getting out of breath same as drugs!!!!haha I’m sure someone will say there asking about work related weight etc but there really should be a second section for exercise related questions!!!
Everyone will always have an opinion so I want people to take from this-a more open mind about pregnancy and fitness and to women “run your own race and find “your”happy pace.
And to the nay Sayers I direct you this article from the Canadian medical journal published in the NY times:
“If a woman is physically active during pregnancy, she may boost the development of her unborn child’s brain, according to a heart-tugging new study of expectant mothers and their newborns.
The findings bolster a growing scientific consensus that the benefits of exercise can begin to accumulate even before someone is born.
It has long been suspected that a mother-to-be’s activity — or lack of it — affects her unborn offspring, which is not surprising, given how their physiologies intertwine.
Past studies have shown, for example, that a baby’s heart rate typically rises in unison with his or her exercising mother’s, as if the child were also working out. As a result, scientists believe, babies born to active mothers tend to have more robust cardiovascular systems from an early age than babies born to mothers who are more sedentary.”
My baby and I will see you at the finish line!!!
seejaneyrunfast 