BFP and yoga - When to tell? Don't want to stop, help!

[MrsHandles]

I got a BFP this morning, my first, but now I'm concerned my yoga teacher will ask me to leave the class. Obviously I'm only a couple of weeks so don't want to tell people yet. Am I safe to not say anything until the 12 week scan?

[ToastyToasty]

No, you absolutely need to tell your teacher in confidence. They may not have had any pregnancy related training and may not be sufficiently knowledgeable/ insured to teach you.

[MrsHandles]

Thank you Toasty not what I want to hear, but I thought as much. FX she lets me stay

[ememem84]

Agree you have to tell them. There are certain moves (though can't remember which) which may be more difficult during pregnancy.

I had a similar dilemma. I ride horses and one of the first people I told was my instructor. I figured she needed to know in case anything went wrong. So far so good and we're 21 weeks now and still riding.

[GoodLuckTime]

It's up to you whether you tell. But as others have said, you may want their advance on alternatives for any pose that is uncomfortable.

Some recommend not practicing before 12 weeks. My teachers view this that is just because it's the window for miscarriage. Yoga or any other activity doesn't cause one, but if someone's been to a class before it kicks in they might associate it.

[GoodLuckTime]

FWIW I found practising in the first trimester really helped my morning sickness

[MrsHandles]

I really hope she'll let me stay and just adapt postures. Also, I hope she lets me stay as I've paid in advance for my classes. Obviously I wouldn't ever blame her if anything happened, but I totally understand why teachers refuse in order to cover their backs. Interesting about morning sickness relief. Why do some recommend not practising before 12 weeks?

[JenTeale]

I was advised by a previous teacher to stop between weeks 10 and 14. His view was this was the windows in which the placenta takes over hormone production so minimising activity at this time was a good idea. I don't know how mainstream a view this is.

My current instructor was happy for me to carry on until I was unable to get up from the floor, at about 36 weeks. She was happy to offer variations for me, I just did what I was comfortable with. Other advice I found helpful was to ease off by 30% in all poses, you're extra flexible because of all the relaxin flying about and it's easy to over extend a ligament.

I suffered from really crappy pregnancy insomnia and found the nights I slept best were after yoga! Being practised in breathing control was very useful during labour too and I found hypnobirthing easy to pick up.

If your current teacher doesn't feel able to work with you then find another class, it will do you so much good. Specialist pregnancy yoga is good later on too.

Congratulations on your Bfp!!

[GoodLuckTime]

As I understand it, the 'not before 12 weeks / in the first trimester' is to cover the teacher in case of miscarriage. But not because there's any sense that yoga or any other activity would cause a miscarriage.

To give you an example, I've had a miscarriage. Was an ivf pregnancy so closely monitored and I knew the embryo had stopped developing at around 6 weeks, confirmed by a blood test. I stopped taking the drugs which support the pregnancy (extra progesterone). But for a few days nothing happened. No bleed. I then went and did a fairly dynamic yoga class and the bleed started with gusto as I left the class.

I KNOW that class didn't cause the miscarriage, the pregnancy was over days before and that had been confirmed by a doctor. But if it's been a less supervised pregnancy and I'd not know all that, it would have been easy to assume the yoga caused it. What the yoga did do, I think, was get my body moving and processing and enabling what needed to happen, to actually happen.

That's why some say don't practice for the first trimester. Risk of miscarriage is highest and the teacher would rather not get the blame, even if, as it very likely, the yoga has nothing to do with it.

The no1 reason for miscarriage is an abnormal embryo. No type of exercise will change that. It's either normal or it's not.

That said, though I practiced happily throughout my first, natural, pregnancy I may not during the first trimester with the next.

Multiple chemical pregnancies, a miscarriage and nearly a year of fertility treatment have taken their toll. I'll se how I feel but may avoid classes in my first trimester, just for peace of mind.

[MrsHandles]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I'll go to class to Thursday and speak to her. I suppose I feel a bit silly saying, "I'm three weeks pregnant, should I continue yoga?" But I understand that her decision will be what's best for everyone involved.
There's a pregnancy yoga class with another teacher at the same venue; when would be sensible to look into that?

Thanks again everyone, you've been really helpful

[MrsHandles]

I've just text my toga teacher and she's happy for me to stay and will discuss modifications to my practice on Thursday. She's also said it's at my own risk to continue in class before 12 weeks.

[AngelicaSchuylerChurch]

The main issue in the first trimester is absolutely no inversions. Later on I believe that closed twists are not advised, although open twists are ok.

You will find that you become more flexible as the relaxin begins to affect your ligaments and you need to be careful not to over extend. You also need to look after your pelvis, so be wary of wide-legged balances.

It's great that your teacher is supportive, though. My teacher was the third person to know about my pregnancy after DH and the GP and with her support I was practising up to 38 weeks.

[MrsHandles]

Well I ended up not going last week as I had a few days of 'all day' morning sickness, that was fun. Wow, Angelica 38 weeks is awesome.
I'm going to follow any advice she gives me to the letter. Thanks for making me tell her, it was definitely the right thing to do.

[ZebedeesJeans]

I hope all is going well with the pregnancy and the yoga, and I'm pleased your teacher has been helpful.

Another idea could be to have a couple of one-to-one classes. In my second pregnancy I had spd and also struggled to get to her pregnancy yoga classes often as dh worked away and I couldn't get a babysitter for dc1, so my teacher came to my house and I paid her for a couple of private lessons. It was so helpful as the spd meant that I needed even more modifications, and also I was able to write stuff down, take photos and ask silly questions and didn't hold up the class in doing so, making the classes I could get to and my home practice better and perfect for me and my needs at the time.

All the best

[MrsHandles]

Thanks, she does do 1-2-1 sessions at the studio. It could be worth looking into

[Okite]

I continued yoga throughout my second pregnancy with no issues at all.
It was a while back but I think the advice was no inversions after about 12 weeks and no lying flat after 20 weeks. The yoga teacher just gave me alternatives for each position. It was the only pregnancy I sailed through!

[Going4It]

Yoga is safe but don't do inversions (where your heart is above your head) that's no good for pregnant or menstruating ladies

[Chickydoo]

Go to British Wheel Of Yoga website
www.BWY.org.uk
They have yoga in pregnancy guidelines.
There is a great document on it.
If it's not available to download, email them & they will send you all the info.

[MrsHandles]

Thanks Chickydoo, I'll look into that