Running in pregnancy - how do I know baby is safe

[MRSTIGERTOES]

I'm 14 weeks tomorrow and wanted some advice from any runners in the same position.
Pre pregnancy I was taking part in longer distance events and even a half marathon in April. I am part of a running club so was also attending a weekly club session of around 5 miles. Since becoming pregnant, I have slowed things down a bit and have tried to go out on my own or with my husband for 3-4 miles, run/walk.
I went back to a club session last night as everyone is now aware of the pregnancy and we did 5 miles. Pace was just over 12 minutes per mile so by no means fast (pace before pregnancy was only around 11.30 pace) and had to stop a few times to walk and catch my breath.
I'm very aware that I shouldn't be getting out of breath as it can affect baby.
Does anyone have any tips on how I can check if I am doing too much or putting the baby at risk? I have a Garmin watch so is it worth checking my heart rate? What would be the point where I would need to slow my heart rate down?
Any advice appreciated as I'm a bit panicky today thinking that I shouldn't have gone!
Thank you

If you ran before, I wouldn't worry at all. Baby is very safe and snug and if you feel ok - that's the main thing. I've been running (& gym) the whole way through and I'm 25 wks now.
My MIL would moan I'm harming the baby but at my 20wk scan I had to move around so much for the sonographer to get measurements I'm more than certain a little running won't be harming baby!

Do what feels good for you, some days I have zero stamina so walk or cross train, if I feel up to it I go for it. I just make sure I stop if I find myself short of breath. Enjoy!

Baby will be fine, exercise is good for you/it, don't worry about getting a bit breathless doing it. Many get breathless just going up stairs/moving later on, during running it's understandable! I never heard that getting breathless is bad for baby..?

My midwife told me that me getting out of breath could affect oxygen supply to baby?

I'm no runner (pregnant or otherwise) but I went to aquanatal aerobics when I was pregnant and the rule was if you couldn't talk in sentences you were working too hard.

If you get breathless and then slow down to catch your breath ((and you don't get too hot) I think you should be fine.

Just do what you feel comfortable with and don't worry about pushing yourself or pace. I carried on jogging (very slowing in the end!) until 35 weeks with dd. I don't think there's ANY chance I'll be able to go as long with current pregnancy but I felt happy and good during the first one so we'll see. My body told me when it was time to stop!

I'm sure getting out of breath long-term or frequently (as in multiple times a day from minor or major activity) isn't ideal, but exercising until you are just breathing heavily/stopping before it gets to badly out of breath is surely fine. I've swam and walked fast (cant run, knee issue) until I really had to catch my breath and my gp is happy for me to exercise as before rather than not.

Keep going. Exercise is good in pregnancy. Getting out of breath does not affect baby. Athletes don't just stop exercising, they continue and adjust as appropriate. If it hurts they stop. Remember to keep well hydrated

I'm a prenatal Exercise qualified personal trainer, as you've been running so much before then you will be fine to keep going. Just listen to your body if you need to slow down & catch your breathe do so and stay hydrated so you don't overheat. As your pregnancy progresses baby will tell you if it was too strenuous as you should feel a few movements after a workout & you probably won't if it was a bit too intense. I'm 31 weeks & have been lifting weights all the way through. I get a little out of breathe and may need to rest longer than usual sometimes, if I feel any twinges or anything doesn't feel quite right I modify it. Baby & I are doing well, and midwife is happy with what I'm still doing. Xxxx

Your garmin could help you if you know your rough heart rate zones? For instance I know my max is 168 bpm and easy pace is anything below 140 bpm, so I would prefer to keep to that. Having said that, easy pace is also conversational pace so you could just use that as an easier guide.

I've found since I have been pregnant that I feel so terrible and sluggish when running, went from 8 min/mile to about 10 and still felt awful, so I have decided to take a bit of a break. I just do walking instead now and still get really tired from that!

I think, as others have said, it's really down to you and how you feel. As long as you aren't feeling fatigued to the point you feel unwell or unable to recover, or aren't pushing yourself to exhaustion, I think the most recent advice is to keep going as you are.

Thanks everyone. That has put my mind at rest and will pay attention to any signs of discomfort. I really wasn't hungry at all when I got back last night so didn't have any tea, all I had was a bowl of cereal which I'm guessing is not ideal

It's fine, if you just want cereal eat cereal! Try not to worry so much about everything, it'll be a looong pregnancy if you feel bad about exercise, cereal, etc!

Agree with foggy. Baby will take all it needs from your body. I eat cereal for dinner or lunch (or both) because it's what I like! Baby will soon let you know if it needs more as your appetite will increase.

You will be fine. I'm sure you have also heard the 'don't let your heart rate go over whatever number in pregnancy'? That's a myth, has no schentific basis and the guy who first came out with it has since said it should be scrapped. Listen to your body.

Getting sweaty is also fine, they have done studies and even intensive exercise didn't raise the core temperature of pregnant women to levels that are considered potentially dangerous.

Personal anecdote - I found running got uncomfortable around 7 months, but I was doing other exercise like zumba and dance aerobics and high intensity classes like tae bo and bodycombat until the end (with some modifications like climbing down for burpees instead of jumping). With my 2nd, was teaching BodyPump 5 days before her birth. Kids are fine, I was fine and recovered very fast.

OP my MW said I shouldn't do anaerobic exercise - ie like sprints - but I have kept jogging and all seems okay. With DD (first pregnancy) I got ligament pain if I tried to run, so decided that was a sign to stop and used the xtrainer at the gym instead. This time I am 10w and seems okay so far, so just doing gentle 5-6k two or three times a week.

Do not worry about cereal!!!!!

I read somewhere that when they tell pregnant women to be careful about overheating during exercise - the core temp has to get to 39.5 or something before it is considered dangerous. That seems really high!

I am pregnant and running. Have slowed a lot but same weekly distances. Just listen to your body and do what feels good.

Your midwife said what?! tiger Id like to see the science behind that.
My fab (female) Gp asked about my usual fitness routine, and I usually run every day (sub 20 minute 5 km), she said I should do exactly as I normally do. Turns out I've not been able to as I've been too sick/tired! But I've been running/walking/cycling/swimming. As others have said I've listened to my body, some days I'm just now up to it and lie on the sofa.
It's good for you and for the baby, and research shows you lower your risk of miscarriage.

Is this your first baby op?

I'm a runner and when I was pregnant with my first, my doctor told me it was good to keep on exercising but not to run further distances than I had done prior to getting pregnant and to listen to my body. At the time, thought the first piece of advice was really good but not the second as it seemed too subjective. However, in retrospect he was right once I hit about 32 weeks, i 'knew' it was time to stop running until after the baby came probs because it took me a full day to recover from a 5k. And other runner friends have said similar some earlier and some later than that, that once they knew when it was just too much for them.

I always followed a completely made up rule though with no scientific basis at all that I didn't let myself get too out of breath. So even in my first trimester my times went down a lot. I'm usually ultra competitive but I just told myself that for this short period, I was just doing it for my health rather than to strive for a pb.

Oh and my sil exercised right though pregnancy (she's an instructor). My nephew is extremely hyperactive & my sil is convinced that's because of all the exercise she did - she thinks he didn't have enough down time while he was in the womb! My kids are all pretty laid back verging on lazy though so I don't think there's any truth in that one!

about overheating www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8476487

Outcome - That made me laugh !

Good luck with the running OP. I'm the same stage as you (14 + 3) and have carried on running. I was told to keep doing what I had always been doing, but to not let myself get too hot and to make sure I drink plenty of water. I've been training for the Great North Run (which is a challenge for me as I was quite poorly before this pregnancy so had lost all fitness...even a 5k is challenging!) and unfortunately I've been pushing things a bit too much. I had a big bleed following a difficult run last weekend and thought something awful had happened as a result of my running. Thankfully everything is ok, and the midwife was lovely and reassured me that it wasn't the running that caused it. She told me they would still support me doing the GNR as long as I aimed to jog/walk it and not run it. She also suggested that I switch to other forms of exercise (swimming, cross trainer etc) which have less impact (which I find super boring!). Interestingly, she also said that many pregnant women find it slightly easier after 16 weeks, as their progesterone levels calm down (she said this was why I need the loo after 5 minutes of running!).

Good luck. I would have thought that you're absolutely fine to keep doing what you're doing, as long as you don't push yourself too much and listen to your body .

I carried on doing BodyPump classes until I was overdue.
Baby is 17 years old now

Coffee that is interesting about getting easier after 16w. With dd, I struggled to exercise in the first 20w as I felt so horrendously sick but started gymming again after about week 18.

OP I ran through 2 pregnancies only stopping when it became uncomfortable (around 20 - 25 weeks I think) - 11 and 8 years ago now. My pace naturally slowed. In any case, I remember finding that probably due to the extra work your body is doing growing a baby, I got out of breath a lot quicker and therefore didn't need to run as fast to get a decent cardio workout.

I mixed it up with low impact cardio in the gym like power walking on an incline, and cross trainer, and lots of resistance work & weights - body pump classes here too!! Also lots of safe core and pelvic floor exercises. If you are fit and active before you get pregnant, no reason not to carry on.

The only thing to watch out for is the pressure your pelvic floor comes under if you run or do a lot of high impact exercise when you're pregnant. Just something to bear in mind.

Just stopping now at 31 weeks, although was only doing 2 miles a go by the end. Really glad I kept it on, made me feel normal. Used a bump band, ignored the looks and went with what felt right each time. Enjoy!

Hi
I had a miscarriage last month and we decided we won't try for baby for another couple of months. But now I am pregnant again and it's 6 weeks now😊. What things I should keep in mind to keep baby safe and healthier....???