Did you go to the gym while pregnant? Can you answer my questions please?

[shouldabeenwashedinajug]

I have recently lost weight and got back into regular gym sessions after a chub holiday hiatus of a few years while I had my DDs.

There's not quite 2 years between my DDs and I never really got back in shape after DD1 before falling pregnant with DD2.

Anyway, DH and I are talking about having third, but I'm absolutely determined that I won't waste the hard work I've put in over the last 6 months and that if I do get pregnant again I'll carry on going to the gym 3 x a week.

I just wondered if any of you went regularly when pregnant and can answer some question please?

• Did you stick with your regular training programme to begin with and how long did it last?

• What did you do exercise-wise in the final trimester?

• Did you tell the gym staff that you were pregnant and was there anything they said you should no longer do?

• Do you reckon keeping up exercise stopped you piling on extra pounds?

Currently I do one boxercise class, one session of cardio and free weight and one long cardio session (so probs a 5k run followed by 20 mins on bike or rowing marchine).

Thank you!!

My friend went all the way through her pregnancy right up to 37 weeks she spoke to the staff there and had a gentler programme set for her and she stayed off the heavy weights

Thank you suzi, that's very helpful

I didn't go for the first three months of 3rd pregnancy because was knackered and sick, used to go in the evening but could barely manage to get the kids to bed before collapsing with the extreme tiredness unique to pregnancy! But did after that eased off, but just to yoga and pilates classes, swimming, with some bike/rowing/walking machine exercise occasionally, not a full gym programme.

I was a regular gym goer (5 times a week pre pregnancy and was training for a 10km) really gutted I haven't been able to keep it up as intended due to sheer knackeredness. I have a very active job in the NHS and a very demanding active dog. The gym has kinda wained but I've done plenty of walking and swimming and once my mat leave starts next week I'm going to go back to it.

You could go speak to an instructor however just Cos your an instructor OR a personal trainer doesn't make them qualified in pre or post natal exercise prescription. So anything they say would be common sense info.

As part of classes the instructor should be able to give alternatives adaptations. Go easy as ligaments are more lax so joints less stable. Stay hydrated and listen to your body. There's no real reason why if your active now you can't carry on. However any workout programme should be based on maintaining what you've allready achieved not pushing further. In regards to resistance rather than aiming for a certain amount of reps and sets a circuit approach should be adopted. So using a light weight an doing the exercise rhythmically for 45 secs or a minute as this avoids the increase in blood pressure.

Thanks roughshooting.

Hmm, forgot about the bone aching tiredness of the first trimester. I have a masterplan to get DD2 in pre school for 2 sessions a week so that I can exercise while she's there. Wonder if I'd feel up to it..

Would you say the exercise helped to manage your pregnancy weight gain?

Thanks for that melliebobs, really good advice.

I wonder if I should swap my boxercise class for circuit training, which the gym also run, or maybe exercise to music..

I am not mad keen on resistance work, though I know it has to be done, but really would miss not keeping up some cardio.

I swam about 4 times a week with DS2. Couldn't face the gym somehow. Was the same weight right before and right after giving birth! No skinny minny here, but very pleased not to have gained 3 stone like with DS1!

I've never liked the gym much but did a lot of swimming, running and cycling. I've stopped cycling other than on the turbo but still swimming and running twice a week. I'm 21 weeks now. I hardly exercised at all during the first trimester, once a week if anything, I felt too tired and was quite sick. I have managed to get back into it though, the swimming and running I do now is much less intense and twice a week is next to nothing for me. I'm thinking of it more as damage limitation because if I don't stop completely then I won't have so far to go to get back to fitness afterwards.

I used to be a fairly regular gym goes before pregnancy (2 or 3 times a week). Despite my good intentions, I was so exhausted in the first trimester that fell straight into bed after work. From the start of the second trimester I went back, and got one of the qualified instructors to put together a little program (she was pregnant herself). Now I do 30 mins cardio once a week (try not to let my hb get to more that 140), one prenatal pilates a week, one prenatal yoga and one resistance training which focuses on working abs on the ball, and working upper body/back with resistance bands, as well as squats. I highly recommend finding an instructor that understands pregnancy requirements - mine went through every exercise and told me do's and don't. Not sure what it's done for my weight gain - but I definitely feel better with the exercise

-Did you stick with your regular training programme to begin with and how long did it last? No. There was actually an NCT lady who worked at the gym and did my pregnancy routine from about 8 weeks. I also did pilates and body balance throughout. And kickboxing until 20 weeks, took the level right down though. My gym instructor scribbled the word 'MAINTENANCE' at the top of my gym card so I didn't over do it.

• What did you do exercise-wise in the final trimester? Cycling, gentle weights, short 2 min runs on the treadmill. And pilates.

• Did you tell the gym staff that you were pregnant and was there anything they said you should no longer do? Yes, see above. I told them before I told pretty much anyone else.

• Do you reckon keeping up exercise stopped you piling on extra pounds? No, I gained almost 3 stone each time. But I was underweight to start with. However once I'd recovered from my c-sections I was back at the gym at 12 weeks and had lost suprisingly little fitness / stamina / muscle.

I remember working out with a huge bump and an older lady came up to me and said it was the best thing I could do and I'd feel the benefit of it once I had kids. She was right. While the weight took about 9 months to come off I was still active and the gym (and still is) was the best place to get away from the kids

I carried on as normal for first trimester, body conditioning with aerobics once a week, plus advanced high impact dance step twice a week, plus a lot of walking - to and from work fast walk, an hour each way.

IN second timester I was told not to do any sit ups and also asked to wear heart rate monitor. Instructor was very strict that my rate was not to above 140 bpm. So slowed the step and areobics quite significantly, and as I got bigger lowered the step height and avoided jumps and twists. Kept on walking and took up pregnancy yoga and pilates. Quit step and areobics at about 28 weeks - bump was massive, no energy by then and centre if grvaity had shifted.

After that just kept on walking plus preg yoga or pilates oncea week. Had baby 3 weeks early.

Put onm about 3 stone which seems like a lot but I am v tall (5ft11) and normally weigh 10.5 stone anyway, not small then. So I didn't 'look' big particularly. Lost all the weight through breast feeding and buggy fit classes and walking with buggy.

oh, and I missed about a month of gym at the start of each pregnancy due to sickness / tiredness.

• Did you stick with your regular training programme to begin with and how long did it last?

I modified it. I used to do quite hard interval sessions on the x-trainer, so I took it much more easily (intensity and time). It helped to take the view that I was trying to maintain a reasonable level of fitness rather than get fitter IYSWIM. I stopped the gym machines at about 7-8 months and then just swam (front crawl - not breaststroke due to pelvis issues). I also danced until about 32 weeks, and rode my bike until 26 weeks (we live at the top of a hill - it got too hard!). Mostly I just listened to my body, erred on the side of caution and stopped or went easier if I felt the slightest discomfort.

• What did you do exercise-wise in the final trimester?

Swimming (s-l-o-w front crawl) and pregnancy yoga which I'd done since 4 months.

• Did you tell the gym staff that you were pregnant and was there anything they said you should no longer do?

No - they figured it out though!

• Do you reckon keeping up exercise stopped you piling on extra pounds?

Yes - I put on an extra 2 stone and it came off easily with BF. I also had a straightforward labour. Not sure if being fit had anything to do with it (probably mostly luck), but I think there is some evidence it can help.

I don't exercise half as much now I have DS though - no time!

Some really inspiring stories here, thank you!

My gym is a 30 second wak from my house, so hoping I'll be able to keep up the motiviation to go - esp if I can get DD2 into pre school and carve out some time in the day to go.

It doesn't have a pool though :( Does do pilates classes, however, so I may have a look at those (never been).

Really good to hear that people were able to maintain their fitness levels. It's likely that I'd have a c-s again so obv would need to factor in recovery time. Plus, the whole issue of a demanding newborn...

Determined not to make the same mistake I did last two times though and end up slumped on the sofa for a year after the birth!

Ah that's a shame about no pool... I'd highly recommend swimming - swam my normal 50 lengths right up until day before going into labour, when I was just starting to think perhaps I should start cutting back :P I was a little slower though, and my goal was never to overly push myself, I just loved it. Couldn't keep up my usual running though... had to stop about 20 weeks - just felt so heavy and exhausted!

The weight fell off initially after birth, so I think initially it helped, but my main issue was I couldn't keep up the exercise with a newborn keeping me busy, and being at home meant I ate more! BF did help lose weight though, got back into some exercise and I'm back to where I was before now, 18 months on (now just pregnant again).

THanks capecath.

I put on two stone in each of my previous pregnancies - despite being different starting weights for each.

Perhaps the solution is to lose two stone before I get pregnant then I won't have to do it afterwards with a newborn

I went on a major, and I mean major fitness freak out about 6 months to a year after I had ds3. Properly properly ridiculous, five times a week, military fitness twice to three times a week, running, biking, training at home, you name it, I did it and for a good hour if not two a day! I also wasn't eating a lot, and only healthy stuff! Then, completely by accident I got pregnant with whatever it is I am still pregnant with. I continued the crazy routine although dampened very slightly, amazingly didn't get tired at all during any trimesters - I did with first pregnancies! However, the military training I was forced to stop and was so stop start and fast moving etc, at 12 weeks (I pushed it to 13 before I told them!). I then continued running happily, but was forced to realise that it wasn't clever when my pelvic floor got much worse quickly. This was the only reason I had to stop! I now walk the dogs for a good hour every day, if not more if I can, and do pilates once a week - which is hard core pilates. Its so hard being pregnant and doing exercise as you can't do sit ups or push ups or plank, or anything particularly hard core. You can only maintain, not progress. What I will say though, is that having been very obsessive, verging on the ridiculous, it was heaven to stop, and I was forced to realise that I can do it all again after this one if thats what I really want. Also let me tell you that 2 stone is NOTHING to put on per pregnancy, i am quite slim as a person - fighting weight when not obsessively behaving is about 62kgs at 5ft8in, and got down to 58kgs which for my height and build isn't ideal especially as there was nothing of me - now there is a lot more of me, as I get very hungry instead of sick in the first trimester which sadly has hit again at 22 weeks! I try to avoid mirrors, and really put effort into walking etc. You must remember, that you can do it all over again, and whilst it is soul destroying to have wasted all that time before getting pregnant, its not a waste as your body should remember - plus you have a new baby! Good luck x

Yes you def can and should keep exercising and its a really good idea to do so because it will make you stronger and happier which is all good for the baby!

I play tennis regularly and go to the gym/swim and would have gone mad if I could not have continued to do so whilst preg. I must say I had varying degrees of advice from Doc/MW about whether to keep up activity levels or not, but ultimately did as much as I felt was ok for me on any given day. (Clearly playing tennis when you are seven months preg was a little unmanageable and I admitted defeat in the end!)

I really believe that being very fit meant that I was really prepared for, and coped with labour really well, because, lets face it, its a marathon!!...was also back in normal clothes and exercising regularly again within 4 weeks of the birth (complete madness but I can't cope without exercise in my life!)

:o

I went to the gym throughout most of my first pregnancy. I had a much gentler workout, though and no weights. I did lots of yoga and pilates, but had to take a break for a few weeks as I kept getting light-headed around 10 -14 weeks, but my instructor reassured me that it was common and unlikely to stay for long. She was trained in antenatal yoga (which was important as it meant she could always give me appropriate alternatives rather than just telling me to stop) and would remind me as I got bigger how even though I was doing 'less', I was doing it with more weight, so it wasn't just an easy option.

You really do need to talk to the instructors at the gym about being pregnant - they will be able to help advise you on what to avoid doing (e.g. twisting, working stomach muscles, raising heart rate too much) and support you.

On a final note, a few years before I became pregnant (before I was even thinking about it!) I noticed a pregnant woman working out in the gym and seeing her carry on made me think that it was okay for me to. So, your being there may help to inspire other women who see you to keep fit and active during their pregnancy.

PS I didn't gain much weight and was lost the bump quickly afterwards, but I always thought that was due to breastfeeding?

I went throughout my last pregnancy, and had a pt session at 39 weeks.

I stopped running at about 18 weeks (switched to fast walking on an incline) as I felt uncomfortable and quick to get out of breath, but I kept up everything else - spinning, body pump and an attack type class.

I put on minimal weight, had the easiest birth and pinged back into shape. I am sure keeping fit & toned was the reason!

The hardest thing was the 6 weeks post birth before I could get back!

Not a gym person, but I'm swimming twice a week (having stopped during the first trimester due to sickness). I've given up cycling though, but that's mostly due to not being able to twist to check behind me. Still doing lost of walking and feeling reasonably fit.

Halfway through, I've not gained any weight at all yet, but that's mostly due to losing so much in the first trimester!

I'm only 8 weeks and kept up my cycle commute up to a week ago when I was so bogeyed with exhaustion after work that I didn't think cycling home 5 miles from central London was the best idea!

I've decided I'm going to swap cycling for walking as soon as I feel better and will walk in to work and get the bus home.

Also plan on starting pilates post 12 weeks.

I'm a curvy size 12/14 already and am determined not to resemble a planet by month 9!