Skiing whilst pregnant

[JennyB]

I'm planning to sit the skiing holiday out in Meribel and relax but wondered what your thoughts were on skiing whilst 20 weeks pregnant. It's very tempting to have quick a run on the nursery slopes but I think it's probably just too dangerous. What do you think?

I wouldn't do it. You are clearly a good and experienced skier but there are lots of people on the nursery slopes who are not, and they seem to spend a lot of time cannoning into others. I'd shop, have lovely facials, drink hot chocolate and take a stack of good books.
Ignorant question - if you go stir crazy, is there any cross-country skiing in Meribel? Or short, way-marked, level paths for a bit of easy rambling? I'd hate being in such a beautiful winter environment and not be out enjoying it too.
Have fun!

I know it will be hard but I think I would go for caution as well. For me it would be a twofold thing: defending yourself from over-confident under-controlled prats on the slopes; and increased risk of pranging a knee due to softer ligaments and then really messing up other sport opportunities to come.

I've just been up in Oslo for a few days where there is downhill and cross-country skiing at the end of the metro which was really difficult to forget about (I'm 10 weeks pg).

If you do go for cross country do get a lesson or two, it is different and you do work up a fair glow. I know I still try to find the edge when going round corners down gentle slopes. My husband's tip (he used to ski cross country to school but isn't otherwise sporty) is to remember that you can always sit down (works best in soft snow of course).

Hope you have a lovely time whatever you end up doing.

A friend of mine skied at 5 months as she didn't realise she was pregnant with No. 2 at the time. She has very irregular periods and didn't feel "different" (strange woman) and genuinely did not notice until she realised her abdomen was getting bigger !? So obviously she just skied away as normal.

I skied when 3 months pregnant having checked with the doctor first. He said that a fall or bump was unlikely to harm the baby in any way or cause a miscarriage but he did say to take it very easy given the high altitude: lots of fluid and lots of rest.
Last year I skied with a friend (also a GP) and she was 5 months pregnant. She only skied in the mornings and enjoyed herself.
This year I'm not ski-ing as I'll be 27 weeks and just to big and front heavy, but I'm actually really looking forward to catching up on lots of sleep, reading and long lunches - hopefully in the sunshine.
IMO, if you are really keen JennyB and a competent skier, check with your doctor first and go for it. However, if you think you will be nervous or not fit enough then just enjoy the rest.

I skied when pregnant with both my children, in spite of having had two miscarriages (unconnected to skiing I hasten to add). Both times I got conflicting opinions from docs/midwives, usually depending on whther they were skiers or not. In the end I started off taking it easy, but ended up well away from the nursery slopes which I agree are actually the worst cos full of people out of control. There were a few times when I thought - whoops, I shouldn't be here and I certainly skied more slowly and concentrated more, was aware of others and didn't ski unless conditions/ visibility was good.. actually that last bit's not true. On my first pregnancy feeling dreadful and only 10 weeks pregnant I skied in a white out. I would never ever do that again. I was only doing it in retrospect to show my husband ( a ski fanatic) that life was going to carry on the same...duhhh).
At the end of every trip I did feel as if I'd got away with it, i certainly didn't enjoy it as much as when not pregnant (you never get or want to get that freedom/on the edge of out of controlness which is a lot of the point of skiing)and I know I would've felt awful if anything had happened... sorry not that helpful but just to let you know you're not the only one who thinks of these mad things!

JennyB - If you feel like skiing, then ski. If you are competent, confident, fit and healthy and can find somewhere relatively quiet, go for it. I know it's not the same, but I line danced quite vigourously until I was about 5mths pg, at least you'll be going along nice smooth runs, not jumping up and down and shaking it all about!

I agree with Bugsy, check with your doctor/midwife first.

Enjoy yourself whatever you do - I'm so envious, DH likes his summer holidays too much to go skiing.

I'm 21 weeks pregnant and am off to Tignes next week. As with everything so far in my pregnancy I plan to trust my own instincts. I hope I'll feel up to hitting the slopes once I get there, but perhaps once I get my feet in the boots I'll feel differently. We'll see. My main tip to anyone considering skiing is to check your travel insurance before you go. You will probably find that you need to mention that you're pregnant when you buy the insurance, and that you have to be less than 20 weeks at that time (although the trip may be when you are over 20 weeks). Good luck !

Why take the risk - there are lots more winters ahead of you

I went skiing in Meribel while pregnant 2 years ago, between weeks 11 and 13. For the 2nd week I was with 2 GPs (my best friend and her dh - plus their kids). Lauren's only concern was that I might "pop a hip" (because of the extra relaxin and resultant flexibility). Mind you, it didn't worry her enough to stop me "helping" her beginner daughter to ski (first time on snow, Saturday before ski lessons started), who gave up trying and whom I had to get down the green slope (the Altiport, if you've been to Meribel before) by using MY snow plough to turn HER skis! Having said that, I coped - and that year I had the best, deepest snow plough ever! Great for demonstrating to the kids (once they had some proper lessons) - I was Mother Duck with the ducklings following down Les Creux. (Dh, although a decent skier, has never been able to snow plough!)

My ski instructor was more nervous - he had kittens when I had a minor "sit down" fall in soft snow and stopped doing that particular exercise (much to dh's disgust). However, this year the boot is on the other foot, as his wife (also a ski instructor) is pregnant with twins and is planning on continuing well into the 2nd trimester, although only with beginners. It'll be interesting to see if she is still as confident when we go out at the end of January - but I am sure she will "listen" to her body.

My GP was happy with me going - as he knew I was a confident skier and everything was going well. I skied well within myself - and has a result my skiing probably improved! I din't have a single major fall (I wish the same could be said about last year!) - and still really enjoyed myslef.

However, my experience is "first" trimester. As my GP friends said, everything at that stage is protected behind the pelvis. By 20 weeks, you will definitely be "protruding" AND your centre of gravity will have changed. You need to be careful about that - and be prepared to be flexible (not too literally!).

Although all the American web-sites will say absolutely no (but then they even say to stop doing aerobics, cycling - anything where you might get sued because something might happen which you might then blame on the advice you were given), I have read somewhere (I think it was in the book "The Complete Skier" that it's actually safer in the 2nd than the first trimester. I'm not sure why - maybe to do with having adjusted to the pregnancy?

Anyway, you have to listen to your own body and to the advice of the professionals looking after you. If you feel good, everything is going well, and you're a confident skier, I would give it a go. But you're the only one that can make that call!

I went skiing when I was about 1 month pregnant last year and had absolutely no problems. I also kept horse riding and jumping till about 21 weeks.
As long as there are no specific health reasons, I think you should just go with how you feel. As soon as I started thinking more about what COULD happen I became less confident and so I stopped riding and skiing. If your confidence goes, you're more likely to have an accident.
I think it's a very personal thing that everyone has to "feel" for themselves!