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AIBU?

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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:
Glitteryunicorn · 03/04/2017 22:07

Of course it's ok to tell people at 4 weeks especially if you are doing things like yoga!
My yoga teacher was one of the first people I told.

I did Hatha yoga until 12 weeks but I was very careful to pull back and to not push into poses my yoga teacher would also point out poses where I needed to modify.

At 12 weeks I switched to pregnancy yoga but found it a bit boring as it's very very gentle

AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered · 03/04/2017 22:08

you really shouldn't be telling people

ODFOD. Hmm

She can tell whoever the fuck she wants, who are you to dictate what info another woman shares about herself? If she wanted to plaster it on billboards all over the country she can do that if she wants. It's none of your concern, wind your neck in.

TheGrumpySquirrel · 03/04/2017 22:11

Hedgehog 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

MargaretCavendish · 03/04/2017 22:13

Yes, yes, yes hedgehog! Those few comments telling her off for telling people demonstrate perfectly the weird, contradictory things people expect from women. 'You can't tell anyone because you might have a miscarriage! But if you worry that an activity might cause miscarriage then you're a weird, neurotic freak! Be both cooler and more uptight about this pregnancy, all at once!'

SomewhatIdiosyncratic · 03/04/2017 22:17

I did yoga all the way through my first pregnancy. It was 1:1 as our class had folded a little while before. Had the class been running, she'd have just adapted my moves as she had with a previous member of the class. She was the first person after DH to know although that was for another potential need to know situation.

Second time I continued buggy fit in the first half. I knew it was time to stop when the hill got too wearing and I began to feel tell tale twinges in my pelvis (I'd had SPD before)

To advertise a class at a specific demographic (pregnancy, postnatal, old age etc) you do need a specific qualification/ training. That shouldn't exclude those groups from a general class unless there are specific contraindications e.g. bikram yoga for the heat. A teacher should be aware of conditions that may require adaption or caution.

A lady in my circuits class kept going until around 7 months. She was very fit and knew her body and took reasonable adaptions. She finished at the point that her adaptations had little in common with the rest of the class. I stopped going when I knew I was pregnant as I found it more strenuous, and went to the gym equipment instead.

Yoga teachers can be reluctant to gain new pregnant clients because of the change in flexibility from relaxin. On a new client, it's harder to judge if they are over stretching beyond their usual level risking injury.

It's great to keep active as long as you can. I'm always jealous that my body was held back by exhaustion and SPD.

donadumaurier · 03/04/2017 22:24

You have been given terrible advice about yoga. My yoga teacher was teaching right up until her due date, she did everything the class did with some minor adjustments. Find a new yoga teacher!

ifyoulikepinacolada · 03/04/2017 23:05

I know of two cases where women continued to attend open group yoga classes in the early stages of pregnancy, miscarried (not necessarily yoga related - there's a lot we don't know about what causes miscarriage!), and sued the teacher. It's career ending, and awful on both sides.

I have pregnant students in my class all the time. It's an amazing practice and perfectly safe if it's taken with care and understanding. But unless it's a pregnancy class they need to have a strong, well established practice (I can tell within minutes if they don't), and in both cases I want them to have had their 12 week scan and an all clear from their midwife. It's to protect both parties.

AntiHop · 03/04/2017 23:12

I carried on doing my usual yoga class when I was pregnant. I told my instructor as soon as I knew I was pregnant. She gave me alternatives for some of the moves.

I also enjoyed aqua aerobics when pregnant, and after!

RabidLimboMum · 03/04/2017 23:17

Pre pregnancy I did pilates, Brazilian jiu jitsu and lifted weights. I also found it important for stress relief and actually although I did have to stop Pilates I was able to continue lifting weights for the majority of my pregnancy and Bjj until I was about 20+ weeks and too big to do the majority of the drills. I modified a lot of things up to 20 weeks and ensured I was only training with my coach and husband so didn't do anything I wasn't comfortable with or that could put my baby at risk but I had been training for years prior to pregnancy so was confident in what I was doing.
For the rest of my pregnancy I did a lot of walking and still joined classes to watch etc. Luckily I was able to resume training 6 weeks after my c-section and my midwife was supportive about my wish to remain active.
Good luck with everything and I hope you find a way to still enjoy an active lifestyle.

beingsunny · 03/04/2017 23:23

I did body pump, spin Pilates and yoga right up to 38 weeks.

Your yoga instructor should be simply offering alternative poses when it comes to inversions, no reason to stop you coming along unless it's a Bikram class in which case the heat would be an issue, you shouldn't be raising your body temp so high.

Good luck, exercise was my saviour through pregnancy Smile

Sisinisawa · 03/04/2017 23:27

I did full on non-pregnancy yoga during both my pregnancies up to giving birth. But not all teachers are confident teaching pregnant people.

GreyStars · 03/04/2017 23:28

When you have been TTC for what feels like forever, you certainly do tell people like yoga instructors your pregnant, just in case.

Not everyone has sex once, falls pregnant and then pops out a baby nine months later.

Even if she hadn't been TTC for so long I completely agree with hedgehog, it's entirely her choice who she tells and when.

gammaraystar · 03/04/2017 23:46

4 weeks pregnant and telling everyone? PFB by any chance?

GreyStars · 03/04/2017 23:54

4 weeks pregnant and telling everyone, PFB by any chance

Lucky to get pregnant on your first try by any chance?
Lucky to stay pregnant?
Lucky to have more than one?

What a horrible thing to say gamma to a person who has been TTC for two years.

She told her yoga teacher, just in case it may cause harm - a sensible thing to do.

You should be ashamed of yourself for being so rude

TheWalkingTiger · 04/04/2017 00:07

No decent yoga/Pilates teacher would allow someone who was pregnant to do a class, due to possibility of deep abdominal contractions, until at least 12 weeks. Then only a specialist class.

I very much doubt they would be covered by their insurance either, if anything happened to you and you sued them.

Some yoga poses are contraindicated while menstruating.

If I were you I would count myself lucky you have a teacher with knowledge and scruples.

AntiHop · 04/04/2017 01:29

Really tiger got an evidence for that? I continued to do yoga during my first trimester and I couldn't find any evidence to suggest this was harmful.

LoupGarou · 04/04/2017 02:26

Flowers Congratulation OP Smile. There are loads of good pregnancy exercise DVDs on Amazon, why not try one of those? I had several but never tried them as I had severe HG in all my pregnancies.

SpareASquare · 04/04/2017 03:05

For most people, there is no need to stop doing what you are already doing. Actually, for the majority it's ok to carry on. Exercise is important.
I played my chosen (team) sport until 26 weeks and only stopped because the season was over. I think we are clever enough to listen to our bodies and ease off if it's too taxing.
Not sure why you told anyone, not their concern, but, as you did, you could always just find another studio.

MargaretCavendish · 04/04/2017 05:56

4 weeks pregnant and telling everyone? PFB by any chance?

After two years TTC this pregnancy probably is pretty fucking precious, yes. Why are people being so awful about this? There's so much smugness about how relaxed people were in pregnancy - well, great. It's a lot easier to relax when you've conceived easily and never had a loss, though.

TheGrumpySquirrel · 04/04/2017 06:19

Don't feed the trolls Brew

ithakabythesea · 04/04/2017 06:31

Some yoga poses are contraindicated while menstruating.

Utter bollocks.

TheGrumpySquirrel · 04/04/2017 06:41

Ithaka are you a yoga teacher? If so which type? I've certainly heard this from many teachers, although they say it's not prohibited, certain poses are thought to be not optimal for the body in menstruation. Don't think they are harmful though. Totally different to pregnancy of course!

NoCryingInEngineering · 04/04/2017 06:57

What watersports squirrelish? I'm still racing dinghies at 20 weeks, though I'm more cautious about weather ranges and how hard to push myself & only doing club racing. Also limited by which pieces of kit still fit. I'm hoping to keep going for a few weeks yet, but we'll see how it goes.

I did less with DS (though came back from an end of season regatta wondering why the beer had tasted terrible - turned out to be because I was 6weeks pg) but he was due in June, the weather in March sucked that year and by April I just felt too big to be comfy in a boat.

If you can, find a local trainer or fitness instructor who is a mum & has exercised through pregnancy, they will be able to give you some practical advice and/or point you at specific classes. You shouldn't be limited to just swimming and walking, but be prepared for 1st trimester tiredness and pregnancy paranioa. Both may significantly limit your enjoyment of exercise

ithakabythesea · 04/04/2017 08:16

Grumpysquirrel I am not a yoga teacher, I am just not a sexist twat. Lots of cultures have silly, misogynistic rules about menstruating women, please do not give such controlling nonsense any credence, it really does not warrent it.

TheGrumpySquirrel · 04/04/2017 08:51

It isn't a rule though it's a recommendation and not to do with trying to control women's bodies or shaming periods. Personally I ignore it and do the same as usual with respect to inversions etc on my period.