02-19-03, 02:00 PM | |
Join Date: Aug 2002
|
Fit Mother Pregnancy Success Stories?
So I saw this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/05/he...th/05BROD.html in the NY Times today, and it got me thinking. I'm a fit person, I'd like to be fit all my life, and I imagine I'll be having kids sometime in the next 5 years. But, amazingly, I don't know anyone else who is really into fitness, not who's had a baby anyway. So, I'm curious - how did being fit influence your pregnancy and delivery? Was it great? Fast? Did you have one baby when you were 'unfit' and later have another one when fit? Etc? I'm quite curious, since I think a lot of those old myths ('stay in bed all day!') are still out there! |
02-19-03, 04:14 PM | |
VF Supporter
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Santa Cruz mountains, CA
|
Thanks for giving me some reading material while I ate my lunch!
For me, I gained just about the same amount of weight with all 6 of my pregnancies, whether I worked out or not (in fact this last time, I gained 5 more pounds -- usually I gain about 25 pounds and this time 30 -- perhaps due to me doing Power Hour and such up until the end -- maybe I lost muscle mass in previous pregnancies or something because I didn't feel any bigger this time). But anyway, with my first I didn't exercise at all because I thought I was too busy when working and I hated exercise. Everything went wonderfully well with that one (but I was just 25, so I don't even know if that can compare to now). With my second, I was worried that I'd have no energy to keep up with my first while pregnant, so I started taking step classes, then switched to swimming laps later on when I was getting bigger and did that religiously until delivery. I remember making a ton of sugar cookies with little "2"s frosted on all of them on my due date (which was my first daughter's birthday) and just feeling great as can be. I've never had real long labors and have always had super short pushing stages (as in just getting down to 1 big push the last few times), but I'm thinking that may be more hereditary and have to do with the size of the pelvic bones? But I do remember the nurse coming into my Post-Partum room and showing me a big lump on the right part of my abdomen about the size of an orange. She told me that that was my uterus, that it had already contracted within just a few hours and that I must have exercised to have it contract so quickly (and that it would soon settle back into its place where I could no longer see it) -- so that was pretty fun to see. With my 3rd, I exercised at home (bought a step) and just did a free-for-all with Campbell's soup cans for weights (little did I know). That pregnancy went well too, but I got lower back pain near the end. Didn't really know anything about strength training to help out those lower body muscles. With #4 (are you bored yet? ) I did the same with the step on my own and once again had a lot of lower back pain near the end. If I did the dishes standing for a long time or vacuumed the whole house, it was enough to wear out my back for the day. After #4, I discovered exercise videos and learned that strengthening the abs would strengthen the back, so I went into my 5th all toned and ready to go -- I did Beginnerish videos (Denise Austin, Donna Richardson, a few Firms) throughout that pregnancy and felt great most of the time (had my first experience w/ tons of nausea though -- that was no fun). I still had lower back pain near the end and just attributed it to how it is the last trimester as I get older. With my last (just born before Thanksgiving) I started out at an advanced fitness level -- primarily doing Cathe, Firms, Yoga and Pilates. I had so much fatigue in the first trimester that I did hardly anything beyond walking from pillow to pillow. But at least I didn't have nausea, and once I came out of that, I worked my way back up to doing Cathe and FIRMs and some yoga with modifications as I got into my last trimester. I feared all my usual lower back and restless night symptoms of that last trimester, but this time with all my weight workouts continuing, I nipped them both in the bud. I practiced pelvic tilts throughout the day and really concentrated on the form in my workouts and was able to get rid of the lower back pain that first week of the last trimester. I had a little bit of leg twitchiness, but tried to listen to my body to do the workouts that I thought would help when needed and felt really great. I was astounded that at 38 with good solid workouts, I was able to feel like I did in the first few pregnancies of my 20s. My delivery was just as fast and "easy" (that's what the doctor and nurses call it -- it still hurts like crazy and I end up demanding an epidural ). But speaking of epidurals, my anesthesiologist told me this time that it is so much easier and it works so much better to deliver and localize the epidural on someone like me. I asked what he meant by someone like me and he said "well, you're so thin." To be called "thin" at full term was quite a delight! So, sorry to take you down memory lane, but I'd say that exercise has enabled me to be active and strong in pregnancy -- however, some women have problems in pregnancy that exercise could not chase away. It's so different for everyone. I mainly wanted to feel good enough to still be able to do what I needed to do to keep our home together. And I've never been able to just walk out of the hospital in my jeans (I tried with my 5th to wear home my "big" jeans and they hurt so bad, I could hardly breathe walking out ). So exercise doesn't guarantee an automatic bounce-back body, but I do think it helps the body to have a good place to start once your ready to work out again.
__________________
Renee Allen "I know you're tired, but jump higher!" -- Cathe DISCLOSURE: I had a professional relationship with Beachbody. For details, take a look at my profile or see my blog www.foodplusfitness.net . |
02-21-03, 07:57 AM | |
VF Supporter
Join Date: Dec 2001
|
http://205.214.68.83/vbulletin/showt...&threadid=5550
Here is a link from one of the FAQ pages of fit pregnancies vs unfit pregnancies. Lots of good stories there (including mine !). |
02-23-03, 08:14 PM | |
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
|
Currently, I am in the best cardiovascular shape I have ever been in my life (I am an avid runner) and foresee exercising as long as I am able. I exercise before and between my pregnancies, but not during - only some walking.
HOWEVER, although I think moderate exercise like walking is great, I think that our society places WAY too much importance on physcial appearance and a pregnant woman's first and foremost concern should be keeping herself and her unborn HEALTHY with PLENTY of rest, avoiding stress, proper nutrition, etc. But, when I hear about women who run into their 8th month of pregancy, I cringe. I wonder "why?" To maintain her weight/keep from getting fat? You're PREGNANT for pete's sake. To "bounce back" more quickly? All the evidence I see of this is anecdotal. I've never read about a scientific study. I really think a woman IS in a "delicate condition" when she is pregnant. Our bodies go through enormous change during pregnancy and I think it would be healthier for both mother and child if she allowed her body to just concentrate in allowing her body's resources to be tapped for nourishing the unborn baby. There is plenty of time to lose the weight after birth. This is all JM(NSH)O, of course.
__________________
"Pain is weakness leaving the body." |
Tags |
pregnancy |
|
|