Exercise and resting heart rate during pregnancy

[Womble999]

Hello all!

I’m 13 weeks pregnant after IVF (Hurrah!). Initially IVF nurse advice was no exercise as the lining was thin and they were very cautious due to IVF. MW has now said gentle exercise should be ok. Pre-pregnancy I did HIIT boot camp 3 times a week and ran 3-5 miles regularly.
I haven’t started exercising yet as the nurses advice made me nervous, and I’ve also been totally exhausted... but am keen to get back to it. I’ve noticed my resting heart-rate on Fitbit has gone up from c50 to c65.

Does anyone know if resting heart-rate increase is typical?
And what exercise did you do after IVF?
And any advice on where to get maternity exercise clothes when I’m bigger - I’m already putting on weight for less exercise and more carbs 😉

Resting heart rate increase is normal. Some women use it to spot pregnancy.

I don’t want to risk running and feel too tired to do anything more than a gentle walk, so am in awe of those who can manage.

No advice on the IVF part but resting HR does go up in pregnancy. Mine was about 52 before and is currently 65ish at 29 weeks - it's partly due to increased blood volume as your heart will have to work harder to pump it round.

I wouldn't have thought exercise would be that different now for IVF pregnancy given you've had a break, just build the level up again gently. The advice is to use RPE rather than HR to see how hard you're pushing yourself.

I bought myself a couple of baggy tops from Decathlon for going to the gym (I've been walking on the treadmill and using the elliptical machine instead of running as my bladder wasn't liking it!). I've found my lycra shorts have been ok so far just sitting under the bump. For cycling, I've sized up to a size 16 pair of padded shorts as you can't get maternity cycling kit...

There are a few bloggers I found who talk about exercise in pregnancy. Diary of a Fit Mommy had some reasonable tips - I took her advice and got myself a Belly Bandit Upsie Belly to wear which has been great.

Testing heart rate increases during pregnancy as your blood volume increases so support the baby

I wouldn't risk the exercise - 9 months of putting feet up is better than a lifetime of regret

Thanks all! Understanding the heart rate puts my mind at ease on that front.
I think I’ll have a go at some short, slow runs and see how it goes... just taking it slowly.

@Weathergirl1 thanks for the blog and clothing tips - really helpful!

Some science on exercise in pregnancy for anyone interested:
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170904093621.html

Normal resting heartrate would be about 65-80.

It is totally normal for there to be an increase during pregnancy, so to go from elite to low typical is really nothing to worry about.

Running (or anything else high impact) is not something to take up from scratch during pregnancy, but a steadier version of what you did before should be fine. Key thing is to listen to your body

@womble999 you might also find this book a good read (seems to be out of stock on Amazon at the moment but I'm sure someone will have a copy somewhere!): www.amazon.co.uk/Pregnant-Athlete-Ever-Before-During-Pregnancy/dp/0738217263?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I haven't managed to keep training to the level I was hoping to, but it was reassuring to read the information in that book - also includes safe exercises to do each month and afterwards for recovery.

My resting heart rate has gone up too, I did notice this as one of the early symptoms.

I've done a couple of slow runs/jogs since becoming pregnant (currently 10+2) and a bit of swimming as and when I've felt well enough and really helped to give me some energy.

If anyone finds any other good fitness clothing places let me know, struggling to fit into some of my old gym leggings.

Will definitely check out the blogs/books too thanks for posting.

www.runnersworld.com/uk/gear/clothes/g27479285/best-maternity-running-kit/

Gap online do maternity gym wear. I had some last time and have just ordered this time, not arrived yet. Though I do find tops I can wear the same as before, did until the end last time so as long as I’m not massively bigger this time it should be okay.

RHR has increased a touch for me but I don’t find it overly concerning. We have two large high energy dogs which we walk daily, plus I spin 4-5x a week and managed to keep this up last time until I was 41+ weeks. I certainly think it helped me recover well, and fairly rapidly

@Weathergirl1 just bought a copy of that book. Sounds perfect for me as I want to know which of my previous exercise is ok and what to stop. Thank you! And best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy!

@AuntieStella thank you, I haven’t read RW for years so hadn’t thought of checking what they have to say. Useful to pick up some brands to explore... I feel a shop coming on!

@Sweetooth92 I’m impressed you were spinning at 41+ weeks! My ambitions are more modest right now but that’s really inspiring and gives me confidence to get out there and keep moving!
I love the idea of Gap too as I’d rather keep costs down where possible. Thanks 👍

@womble999 I took it a week at a time and felt okay to still keep at it so I did. Hoping the same again. But obviously will go on how it feels. I did avoid a break though-not sure if I’d have managed to get back into it after 3 months off. Though I totally understand why you had too! It definitely made a huge difference to me and I always felt so much better for going-even right at the end when I was going absolutely full on as I was hoping it would get things going 😂😂 (it didn’t)

My resting heart rate rose a bit as well, then settled down again in the second trimester. Good to hear that Gap maternity activewear rates well, ordered a pair of leggings a few days ago as even my stretchiest, widest-waistband leggings are starting to cut into the bump now! (20+5)

Congratulations OP & I hope you do manage to keep up the exercise. I am trying my best to keep at it as it’s so good for mental health as well as physical, if you’ve exercised regularly pre-pregnancy. My running has slowed down tremendously, I still keep a note of time & distance but no point in looking at my stats any more I have also noticed I am getting more tired after a regular run/workout, which is my cue to bring the intensity down for the next time. Just take it week by week & see how you feel each time.

Im 21 weeks and my heart rate has gone up 9-12 bpm (it changes daily). I was at the gym and running regularly prior to pregnancy but had to take a break with the nausea. Now I go to the gym with frequent loo visits 😂 and I ran park run last Saturday and got my worst time ever due to needing to stop for a wee (thankfully there’s a loo on route) and a bit of belly pain (I think baby was having a stretch) so had to walk for a bit.
Something I noticed after though was my heart rate took hours to get back to normal and my Fitbit thought I was still active so it recorded activity minutes!! I’ll see how it is after the gym tomorrow but I might ask the midwife for advice.

@OccasionalNachos and @Sleepyhead19 thanks for sharing. It’s so helpful to understand what other people do. Fortunately the park where I run has toilets so regular loo breaks won’t be a problem,
I am definitely going to have to learn to ignore my stats as previously that was what motivated me... time to find a different source of motivation I think.