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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To play sport when pregnant - just been banned from yoga!

124 replies

squirrelish · 03/04/2017 20:34

I am only 4 and a half weeks pregnant. This is my first, so I am new to all this. I find exercise really important for reducing stress. Everything I have read says that you can carry on with your usual exercise at first.

I have already been asked not to come back to my gymnastics class (ok, maybe I was expecting that one) and my yoga(!) studio. Other sports I have enjoyed in the past are horse riding, watersports and martial arts. I don't think I'd be allowed to go back to these either.

I know swimming is going to be suggested, but A) swimming laps is boring B) I have a serious skin condition which gets worse when I swim.

So, am I being unreasonable to want to do something more engaging than walking and running for the next 8 months? As I said, I am new to all this, so maybe I am.

OP posts:
KatharinaRosalie · 03/04/2017 21:02

Of course you're not unreasonable. Exercise during preganancy is beneficial for both you and the baby. And it's fine to continue with most exercise you're already used to.
It could be just that your particular instructor is not qualified/insured to teach pregnant women.

ithakabythesea · 03/04/2017 21:04

You can continue to do the exercise you were doing before, as long as it is comfortable. I rode my horse until it no longer felt comfortable, but I continued all the yard duties including on the day I went into labour. I also continued with yoga.

I think it is important to continue to exercise sensible through pregnancy, being a coach potato is unwise at any stage of your life.

Original poster
squirrelish · 03/04/2017 21:07

You are right chickenjalfrezi a bit of walking/swimming isn't the end of the world. I was just surprised to get kicked out of both my current activities already. I thought - if I'm not even allowed to do yoga, then maybe I have completely misunderstood this exercise in pregnancy thing.

It sounds like I just need to call round a few places to find some instructors that are ok with pregnant women. Or maybe I should just keep my mouth shut until my second trimester.

OP posts:
Original poster
squirrelish · 03/04/2017 21:09

And thanks MargaretCavendish, that is exactly why I mentioned it!

OP posts:
Cyclingforcake · 03/04/2017 21:10

I ran until 16 weeks, cycled until 26 (when I fell off my bike and DH banned me) and swam until the end. But got told I couldn't do yoga or Pilates which was really frustrating as I had horrible sciatica. Luckily I found a fab Physio who helped and gave me some exercises.

ArriettyClock1 · 03/04/2017 21:10

4 and a half weeks pregnant?! That's barely past conception - why would you even mention at this stage?

I went to the gym, did yoga, spinning, went horse riding and ran when I was pregnant. I was super fit before hand, so I knew I could continue quite happily with exercise.

I continued to have pt until I was 39 weeks and gave up running at about 25 weeks. I did yoga all the way through.

Ta1kinPeace · 03/04/2017 21:11

I did pilates and weightlifting till I was overdue
friends at the gym carried on doing ALL their classes right up to due date
I did not tell anybody I was preg first time until I looked fat

second time I was a gym bunny and saw no reason to change my habits just because I was preg.

ClaireH26 · 03/04/2017 21:11

You can do anything that you're already doing, until you feel it's sensible to stop. Exceptions are high impact or something where injury is likely. With yoga some of the core stuff you might need to adapt, and as others have said it's not good to let you're body temp get too high so no hot yoga. I hate this infantilisation of pregnant women. Women compete in the olympics pregnant!

I used to pole dance and my instructor (former world champion) kept teaching and competing until she was 6 months pregnant. If your body is used to it and you're sensible, it's absolutely fine.

HowamIgoingtocope · 03/04/2017 21:12

I did spin and boxfit up until 37 weeks. If your fit and have always done it. Unless you have underlying conditions it will be recommended you carry on till you feel.comfortable. with me it was 37 as there was no way I could sit on a saddle with my babies head in my foof all the time.

ThatsALovelyBush · 03/04/2017 21:14

Squirrel - just to add, I told my yoga teacher, PT, hairdressers and the beauticians that I was pregnant at such an early stage too. I didn't want to put myself at risk of doing exercises/treatments that could have an adverse affect on the baby or put them in a position where I was putting them in an uncomfortable position with regards to their insurance. Plus, I regularly felt ill and cancelled classes and appointments and didn't want them to think I was being slack or they were at risk of losing business!

Manupprincess · 03/04/2017 21:20

I used to teach yoga and wouldn't take new students who were pregnant. Relaxin in joints helps the body prepare for birth but it can be really easy to overstretch and injure the body. I also had quite mixed classes so it meant it was hard to focus on giving alternative postures every times as other students didn't get the best from me. I took existing students if I felt they were body aware enough to not injure themselves by overstretching. It may be their choice but it would have been my responsibility (and insurance) if they hurt themselves.

Pregnancy yoga is great for preparing the body for birth but just go into it with the expectation of a very gentle class.

todayshey · 03/04/2017 21:25

Oh for goodness sake, you're pregnant not ill and you're only 4 weeks gone, you really shouldn't be telling people, there's a reason people don't!

ClaryBeanHorshAndMe · 03/04/2017 21:34

I still do martial arts and jogging, tbh...

Well, no sparring etc... But being pregnant doesn't mean you can't kick or hit a boxing bag etc (especially at the early spages and if you've been doing it before... I mean, starting something new now if it's high intensity may be a bad idea, that's at least what I'm trying to say. gosh, my English is failing me.) But there are things I wouldn't do, tbh.

anotherdayanothersquabble · 03/04/2017 21:34

There are yoga positions to avoid during pregnancy (inversions, some back bends and twists) and you need to be careful about over extending ligaments that have softened due to pregnancy. Have a look at some of the advice on here but do find someone who has a clue!! Loads of people do yoga throughout their pregnancies. It would be best to find a yoga teacher who has been through pregnancy herself as well as someone with professing experience.

There are loads of people who also do things that are not advised during pregnancy like horse riding (not picking on posters above), skiing, snowboarding (me) and many more things I am sure! !

ememem84 · 03/04/2017 21:35

I'm still riding (14 weeks) I told my instructor as soon as I found out at 5 weeks in case she didn't want to teach me. But she rode until 7 months with her kids and is happy for me to continue until then or to stop at an earlier point. Midwife said it's great exercise but to be careful. Advice I was given was not to start it while pregnant. But if it's something I do already (it is- 4 years in now) to carry on until I don't want to any more.

I'm still gymming and spinning. I may look for a pregnancy yoga class.

museumum · 03/04/2017 21:38

Ah yes. Forgot to say I skied at 12 weeks. Honestly don't see the problem, I'm pretty good and skied conservatively - I could have easily fallen but it would have been on my arse or side. Not sure it's even possible to land on your stomach on skis.

megletthesecond · 03/04/2017 21:39

I told my gym instructors straight away too. They were fine about it and gave me the heads up when I needed to adjust an exercise.

I was at non - contact kickboxing until week 20 and pilates, gym until 37 weeks.

You just need to find a better teacher who knows about exercise in pregnancy.

MargaretCavendish · 03/04/2017 21:41

Oh for goodness sake, you're pregnant not ill and you're only 4 weeks gone, you really shouldn't be telling people, there's a reason people don't!

Again, she said because she was worried. This 'it's too early to worry!' stuff is a bit odd - very early is the most frequent time to lose a pregnancy, so it makes sense that a woman who is anxious about this would be cautious.

And in any case, you're fucking rude.

arbrighton · 03/04/2017 21:47

I told some people at about 5 weeks e.g. my chiropractor as I had an appointment but he clearly needed to know in order to alter how he treated me
And my rowing partner (since we were just starting a weights programme again and she is a personal trainer, trained in suitable exercise for pregnancy)

I kept rowing til about 16 weeks, when I'd got a bit too heavy for my boat, stopped being able to bend in the middle and got too frustrated with not being able to do things at the intensity I was used to.

I ran a couple of times in the first few weeks, until my existing sports bras were too uncomfortable as I massively increased in the boob area very quickly.

But generally, through the first trimester, I was too exhausted to do much beyond walking the dog anyway. Now, at 27 weeks, I definitely don't do much beyond walk the dogs (yep, just got another one), or walks with family on holiday (including toddler and MIL in wheelchair so SLOW!) and a weekly swim/ bit of gardening.

TriJo · 03/04/2017 21:49

I did an Olympic distance triathlon at 8 weeks, ran until 25 weeks, did gym cardio and strength work until 36 weeks and swam (not just floating around, swimming at least 1km at a time) up to 40+5. A lot of people underestimate what their pregnant bodies can actually do.

TheGrumpySquirrel · 03/04/2017 21:51

Jeez, I told my yoga studio on Sunday (at 4wks) because it's hot yoga and I wanted to make sure the instructor knew in case I felt faint. But they banned me until 12wks! Because you aren't meant to be exposed to excessive heat in first tri.

We are keeping the pregnancy private from everyone until 20 weeks if we can, including family. I told the studio because I wanted to make sure it was ok. I can do the cool classes no problem. I'll certainly be doing other exercise as well, including HIIT spin classes, which I'm used to.

Not sure why people are giving OP a hard time for telling her yoga teacher. And it isn't that good to advise people to "just keep quiet" either as there could be risks you are not aware of (I didn't know about the heat thing).

TheGrumpySquirrel · 03/04/2017 21:52

Also 🤛🏼 fist bump to a fellow squirrel OP

TheGrumpySquirrel · 03/04/2017 21:55

oh and one more thing - I've done hot yoga several times a week for the last seven years - so if I was going by the "it's ok if you're used to it" exercise rule I would have been doing something potentially risky unknowingly.

arbrighton · 03/04/2017 21:57

And not telling people or telling people will not affect how the pregnancy progresses.
Some people choose to tell others early on (I told my parents that early too, partly as mum is used to me chucking bags of garden compost etc around and then also I'd have needed mum's support if things had gone wrong)

It is surely more sensible to check in these contexts than continue and risk the pregnancy?

DorothyParker111 · 03/04/2017 22:01

I cycled till I was 38 weeks. Love this advert: www.camcycle.org.uk/newsletters/131/article17.html