To want to swim

[sleepingwiththelighton]

Maybe not an aibu but still would like advice !
I used to be able to swim well as a kid / teenager but haven’t been for many years . I just go in the toddler pool with my toddlers and so don’t really swim . But I’m pregnant and really suffering with SPD and all I can think about is going for a proper swim but I’m worried that I’ll have forgotten how ! Or that I’ll look ridiculous/slow . Do people generally forget how ?

No but pregnancy really changes the way your body floats. I half drowned once trying to swim while pregnant in a toddler pool in front of a full baby swim class. V embarrassing.

You will not have forgotten how but you will be rusty. Don't expect to do loads of lengths, make sure you stop and take a rest at the end of the pool if you need to. Most pools do adult only or women's only sessions. My experience as an overweight out of shape bad swimmer is that you'll have a mix, a few proper good swimmers, a few middling ability plodders, a few elderly or out of shape folk who stick to the slow lanes.

No one will be interested in you and you will do just fine. Take it slow, its easy to overdo it and not realise just how much work you are giving your muscles. You don't want to wake up achy the next day.

If you get into it and want to block out the other swimmers then speedo sell waterproof MP3 players so you can swim to your favourite music.

Best exercise in my opinion. I swim 4-5 times a week and did whilst pregnant. Take it slow whilst pregnant and whilst you get back into it. The technique....it will come back or there are some helpful YouTube things on it.

I found breaststroke made my SPD much worse, but other than that swimming was wonderful when pregnant.

Your centre of gravity/buoyancy will be affected so be careful - stuff what anyone thinks though, I swam throughout my pregnancy and had spd it helped a lot.

I didn't notice any difference to my centre of gravity of buoyancy. Tumble turns went out if the window though! When I snorkelled on holiday I found myself getting very breathless and uncomfortable but normal swimming was fine.

Ps the baby used to go nuts when I got out. I think she was trying to figure out which way was up!

You won't have forgotten OP! I learnt to swim as a child and then due to teenage body anxiety I didn't go swimming in public for over a decade and only really got back into it through aquanatal when pregnant with DS- might not have been the speediest but didn't drown and my body knew how to keep me afloat!

As a swimming teacher, my eyes have been really opened about the amount of women who are worried about what other people think about them. Please believe no one cares if you are fast or slow. (As long as you swim and in the right lane!)