Walking/Exercising During Pregnancy

[AR23]

Hi there,

I've had 2 recurrent miscarriages and though they say that exercising is good for you during pregnancy I'm too scared to do anything now. I have also heard some ladies say that you shouldn't do much during the first trimester etc.

Would be really helpful if anyone can share their experiences, more specifically, what exercise they do and for how long a day? I'm just thinking of walking, I have a FitBit and normally do around 6000 steps in one go which takes about 50 mins. Is this too much or is this fine? Anyone doing/done more than this? Appreciate any feedback

Hello,
I was an active person before pregnancy and have tried to keep it that way. I had a miscarriage last year, but the doctor and midwife both reassured me that it wasn't activity related. So with this pregnancy, I've continued with my normal activity level (albeit a bit more slowly at times due to the growing bump!)

I continued running and hiking when I found out I was 3 weeks pregnant. I then had constant nausea/sickness from about 6 weeks until about 16 weeks, so wasn't able to do a lot then. Since then, I've been back to jogging and hiking up mountains. Just going a bit more slowly now!

The advice is to carry on as you were before pregnancy. I've done a couple of perineal training sessions with someone who's qualified to work with pregnant women and it's been great- basically the only thing I'm banned from in 1st trimester is getting on and off a moving treadmill.

Waking is absolutely fine, as long your physically capable (eg. Not puking on yourself!) and it's your normal level of activity. If you have any concerns you can mention it to your midwife.

If you didn’t walk before then you must take it easy when you start. Don’t overdo it, walk at a pace where you don’t lose your breath, and I’d suggest not doing more than 2-3 thousand steps in one go (at the beginning; build up to it).

But yeah walking is associated with fewer late pregnancy complications / easier births / and better insulin and blood sugar control so it’s really beneficial. You just want to take it slow.

I started walking started 15 min day now I do hour. But if I wake up aching or sore I rest. I dont do weights or lifting heavy stuff. Swimming is supposed to be good too.

Thank you! Do you walk 1 hour in one go, I.e continuously? Or do you break it up throughout the day?

The advice I had was to continue (as feasible) what you did before pregnancy. If you were active before, going on long walks should be more than okay. And actually really good to stay active.

I continued going to F45 classes (HIIT style) adapting exercises when necessary and only really stopping at 8.5months because my belly was just too big and in the way! I credit that with why my pregnancy was pretty "easy" and I recovered from an emergency c-section so quickly.

Listen to your body and don't over exert yourself, but carrying on what feels good to you is great.

Speak to your midwife as they'll have a better idea how to factor things in if you're high risk.

Everything I've read suggests if you're active before pregnancy, you can continue what you're doing. I was running 4 miles a few times a week until about week 28. I'm 30 weeks now and still walk 15k steps a day, and I try to do more at the weekend. I also do prenatal body resistance and light weights videos - there are loads on YouTube. Staying fit in pregnancy is good for you and the baby.

You hear about women doing cross fit until they pop! My midwife told me I could horse ride until it was too uncomfortable, though I stopped early because I was anxious.

I do all I can now, but with the extra weight and pressure on my bladder and back, that's not as much as I'd like!

Speak to your midwife. I used to do aquanatal class at my
local pool. It's more gentle and specially designed for pregnancy and run by a midwife.

I usually do a morning walk 30-60 mins. Luckily I live near sea so walk there. Then I do as much housework as I can. I seem to struggle with the Hoover.

I had 2 mc last year and I’m currently 23 weeks. I have given up exercise classes and gym as I hate the feeling of jumping around but I walk and regularly swim. Just be slightly cautious of lane swimming and other people kicking by accident!

I was considered high risk but continued to do as much exercise as I felt including some high intensity spinning classes. The instructors knew I was pregnant before I told them as it was clear I wasn't trying. I didn't continue with team sports due to the risk of being hit, and it was too hot for me to cycle and run outside after the middle of my second trimester as it was a hot summer.

I found the midwives absolutely useless in giving advice on anything. My advice came from ex-team mates who are fitness instructors and have had children, and my friends' who are healthcare professionals who deal with some aspects of pregnancy/ childbirth, are active themselves and exercised during their own pregnancies.

In short if you were active before continue with as much as you feel you can do. Beware your joints may be looser so be careful of sprains. If you do group activities tell the instructor/trainer who will tell you if you can continue or tell you what modifications you need to do. Also don't do anything where you are at risk of being hit by a person or object. Don't do exercise in extremes of temperature and pressure e.g. deep sea diving. There is disagreements about cycling on the road and horse riding due to perceptions of risk but generally don't do activities where there is an increased risk of falling e.g. mountain biking.

There is no link between miscarriage and exercise. You can’t, sadly, prevent a miscarriage and about 1:3 pregnancies don’t endure past first few weeks.

Exercise in pregnancy is very good. I wouldn’t suggest weightlifting in latter stages but walking, swimming, netball, hockey, riding, fencing, tennis, badminton etc are all fine. Some might feel less comfortable in last trimester but swimming continues to feel lovely.

That is really helpful, thank you! Yes, I think it's just the fear that's gotten into me after the miscarriage, my husband keeps telling me to snap out of it and said Serena Williams played tennis whilst pregnant! It's reassuring reading everyone's feedback though.