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My girlfriend is pregnant... Need your advice about racing...

2K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  Impy 
#1 ·
Hi girls, it my (our) first baby and it's only 5-ve weeks :thumbsup: But!!
She's Specialized Ukraine Team racer and she needs to race for about two or three races more... during this month :madman:

And i really don't know should i allow her to race or... :nono:

Need you help in this...

PS Who could say something about bicycle riding during pregnancy? any experience?

Thanks, Yevgen
 
#3 ·
Sadlebred said:
There have been plenty of women that have raced early in their pregnancy. A good friend of mine did some NRC road crits during her first trimester, which was very recently. Another one did some beginner mountain bike races until she was almost 5 and a half months. Having said that, your girlfriend is best off talking to her doctor about her situation.
Wow you certainly emphasized the point.

My sister in law hiked/climed up Borah peak with me and my wife when she was 5 months pregnant. The key she said was not to get out of breath b/c the body starves the fetus of oxygen first. So racing would w/o a doubt cut down on oxygen getting to the fetus. If that would be a problem at a given time I don't know and that is what the doctor is for.
 
#4 ·
Talk to your doctor as they are saying. The lack of oxygen can be a concern in later months of pregnancy. The thing that my wife's doctor was concerned about was, what happens when you crash. That sort of impact on the body isn't good for a pregnant woman.

Chupakabra said:
Hi girls, it my (our) first baby and it's only 5-ve weeks :thumbsup: But!!
She's Specialized Ukraine Team racer and she needs to race for about two or three races more... during this month :madman:

And i really don't know should i allow her to race or... :nono:

Need you help in this...

PS Who could say something about bicycle riding during pregnancy? any experience?

Thanks, Yevgen
 
#5 ·
A net forum is no place to be seeking medical information on pregnancy. That being said, there are some great threads based on various personal experiences that are linked in the FAQ at the top of this forum. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about pregnancy and exercise, in addition to a lot of new medical information that negates some of the old school thinking about heart rate, impacts and pregnancy. Find an OB/GYN who is familiar with the most up to date sports thinking in addition to pregnancy.

old threads:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=102361&highlight=pregnancy
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=216772&highlight=pregnancy
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=90596&highlight=pregnancy
 
#6 ·
Chupakabra said:
Hi girls, it my (our) first baby and it's only 5-ve weeks :thumbsup: But!!
She's Specialized Ukraine Team racer and she needs to race for about two or three races more... during this month :madman:

And i really don't know should i allow her to race or... :nono:

Need you help in this...

PS Who could say something about bicycle riding during pregnancy? any experience?

Thanks, Yevgen
My 2 cents is...I wouldnt want my wife to race. 1st reason being the extra stress...heart rate being at the top of that list.
Secondly, when racing there is a better chance of crashing.
Riding is a different story.
 
#7 ·
I rode until I was about 4 months pregnant, then my OB said only on the trainer or around the neighborhood. He said a fall could be harmful, rupturing something, etc. After about 4 months I really didn't care because I started to smack my stomach with the tops of my legs when I pedaled. Two weeks (honest) after my son was born I was back on the bike and racing again when he was 5 months old.
 
#8 ·
Eh, don't know much about racing and pregnancy, but I do have two questions:

1) How is it you are asking whether you should "allow" her to do anything? Is it not something you would discuss and come to an agreement about?
2) If you are so concerned about the baby's welfare, how is it that she is your girlfriend and not your fiancee or wife?

Just my 2 cents and perhaps these are issues that are more (or just as) important to consider as whether she should race a bike.
 
#9 ·
MtbRN said:
Eh, don't know much about racing and pregnancy, but I do have two questions:

1) How is it you are asking whether you should "allow" her to do anything? Is it not something you would discuss and come to an agreement about?
2) If you are so concerned about the baby's welfare, how is it that she is your girlfriend and not your fiancee or wife?

Just my 2 cents and perhaps these are issues that are more (or just as) important to consider as whether she should race a bike.
I knew someone was going to pipe up with relationship advice. All he asked for was our thoughts on whether his gf should race or not. I am pretty sure he lets her use her own mind, and why they are not married or engaged is none of our business, is it? Geez.
 
#10 ·
Guys, thanks for you help... we surely go to the doctor... and ask him about all this restrictions.

2grungePoodle, thanks for your reply... Could you please describe how you keep your body in active form during that time without any biking? I mean what type of physical activity should we do?

2MtbRN She is my fiancée.

2stingray_coach, Thanks :)
 
#11 ·
Chupakabra said:
2grungePoodle, thanks for your reply... Could you please describe how you keep your body in active form during that time without any biking? I mean what type of physical activity should we do?
I rode the trainer until my legs couldn't make a full pedal stroke. Then I just waited (and complained ;) ) until my baby came. Really, when you're towards the end of pregnancy (8-9 mos), you don't want to do anything, at least I didn't. But as soon as he was born, I was ready to go!

P.S. Congratulations!
 
#13 ·
Ok, I'm not going to be anywhere near your girlfriend's levels of fitness but I am reasonably fit, 9 weeks pregnant and still riding so here's my twopennorth.

1. Get her to speak to a doctor about this. Mine told me it's less about the intensity of the exercise and more about whether your body is used to it so she reckoned I could take my heart rate up to the usual levels. What she did stress was to make sure I built up gradually and took it down the same way. I would guess this wouldn't be ideal for a competitive ride but at least it doesn't preclude her from getting out on her bike and thereby staying sane.

2. "Don't get out of breath" is easy to say but I find I get a lot more out of breath doing a lot less when you're pregnant. The usual level at which I train is around160bpm and on the last ride I felt fine and not out of breath so I just carried on. The ride before I was gasping for air about about 140bpm. So she should listen to her body, some days you've got more in you than others. Some days you feel too ill to get out of bed...

3. She should beware "morning" ie all day sickness. It can lay you seriously low, like having a very bad sick hangover but all day, every day without a let up. Riding helps but it's like going out with a cold or recovering from flu... you're nowhere near peak and you have to take it easy - if you don't you get the bonk or worse, like a friend of mine did, pass out! I guess that's not great for competitive riding but it may be something she could mitigate with her race preparation.

4. As other people have suggested, it's probably wise to avoid the risk of wiping out... it's not so much a problem in early pregnancy but it's still not a good idea.

5. Ultimately, it's up to her, if it was me, and I wasn't experiencing any ill effects while training I know I'd at least try the first race and take it from there, depending how I got on. That said I've been as sick as a dog and I've had to really take it easy! Might it be worth her discussing it with the other members of her team or maybe her trainer, if she has one, as well as her doctor?

6. She should follow her heart. The way I decide is simple. If anything went wrong or the child had problems as a result of something I'd done during pregnancy could I look it in the eye and say yep, this is why it happened. If I could I do it, if I couldn't I don't.

I hope this helps. In the end, number six is the only one that really counts.

Cheers

Sweary
 
#14 ·
Sweary said:
6. She should follow her heart. The way I decide is simple. If anything went wrong or the child had problems as a result of something I'd done during pregnancy could I look it in the eye and say yep, this is why it happened. If I could I do it, if I couldn't I don't.
I think that this is the key. This is the first of many many hard parental decisions you will have to make for the rest of your lives. Good luck.
 
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