Bikes, Bellies and Beyond

Dominos

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Guessing it's news to most except for Team MTBNJ but I am officially pregnant, due with our third child sometime in February. This being my third pregnancy, I thought I would start a blog about riding bikes & doing other training WHILE PREGNANT. Not claiming that I'm any sort of superhero here, but its hard to find real-life role models for fitness during pregnancy.

I'm sure this content won't be relevant for many (most) folks on the site, but I'm hoping there are women out there (existing moms and future moms and non-moms) that may find it interesting.

No doubt the following will be covered:
* Physiological effects of being pregnant on exercise
* Emotional struggle with being slow and large, and on the sidelines this CX season.
* Weight gain & subsequent loss after baby
* Wardrobe issues as they relate to training & bike fit
* Work/life/training juggling
* Training with a newborn

Some background:
My first two pregnancies (2011 and 2013) both had late August due dates. Even though I had warm weather for the 2nd half of my pregnancy, I only trained on my bike until about 21 weeks with both of them. After 21 weeks, running and yoga became my go-to fitness means, and kept my weight gain pretty much in check to 30lbs each time. (Fun fact : regular me + 30lbs > @Delish on a fat day).
This time around I'm hoping to ride a bike 2 hours/week (probably on a trainer) up until my due date.
Running and yoga will definitely be in the mix, and if there's a lot of snow then maybe some XC skiing too.

To start, did you or your babymama ride bikes through pregnancy? For how long? Why did you (or your babymama) stop? @2Julianas @sarcaro @Dominique @muddybike @pedals
 

Stef

❤ Brownie Biatch ❤
JORBA.ORG
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I rode my bike until I was 5 months prego with Cory and for both I was at the gym doing cardio and weights until my due date :) The rule of thumb from my doctor was, if I was already doing it, continue :) How are you feeling?!?!?
 

rlb

Well-Known Member
Congrats! I am not (and will not be) a mom-to-be but I fidn this interesting so I'll definitely be reading!
 

Dominique

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Cool blog!

Baby number one was in March (2006) and baby number two was in December (2009). This was all before my "bike life" so my overall fitness was just walking the dog every day in the neighborhoood... I probably swam during my first pregnancy but honestly I can't remember. I don't think I gained more than 30 lbs in either pregnancies.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I have never been pregnant but I can tell you all about how much more difficult it is to ride a bike uphill after you put on 30 pounds. Yeah, so it sucks.

Buy yourself a downhill bike because you're going to be setting all sorts of PRs with gravity on your side.
 

Dominos

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
The rule of thumb from my doctor was, if I was already doing it, continue :) How are you feeling?!?!?
Yes, totally!
I've been feeling pretty good recently. First trimester was the usual tiredness, some nausea but nothing really significant.
 

Juggernaut

Master of the Metaphor
Congrats! Wishing for a safe and easy, well I guess it's never easy, let's say uneventful pregnancy.

No swimming? All the cardio of riding w/out the kid feeling like a paint can in the color mixing machine. :)

Best of luck to you both!
 

Dominos

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
No swimming?
I am considering taking up a swimming routine, but I've never done swimming for fitness... so as @sarcaro said, and my Doc has said to me
The rule of thumb from my doctor was, if I was already doing it, continue

I did actually go so far as to buy a swim cap, but then I start looking at maternity swimsuits and get discouraged. Shopping for swimwear is discouraging even under the best of circumstances.
 

Mitch

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Does E know about this yet? Dont want to ruin the surprise. Good lucks and ride on.
 

MissJR

not in the mood for your shenanigans
Team MTBNJ Halter's
CONGRATS!!!!! <3


i'm sticking with the aunt route myself... but i'm very interested in your updates!
 

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I would like to just point out I think it was roughly 3 weeks post birth that you let me pass you near the end of that 8k race because you felt bad for me. :)
 

Dominos

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I would like to just point out I think it was roughly 3 weeks post birth that you let me pass you near the end of that 8k race because you felt bad for me. :)
Hahahaha you're being generous. I think it was more like 3 months!
 

2Julianas

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Congrats Mama!! So during my pregnancy (Oct 2002 delivery) I excelled at EATING. And LAYING ON THE COUCH. It was horrible. I gained 50lbs. Took me a while to lose it all. The one and only time I approximated exercise was when I walked a mile on a treadmill after eating spicy meatballs to induce labor. It worked.

Full disclosure: I didn't start riding, working out, training, running etc until my daughter was 5 and I got divorced (my ex was fairly sedentary). Oh how I wish I had discovered it earlier!

Best of luck to you and I look forward to your installments!
 

mandi

Well-Known Member
Insert some really cool WWF music as I enter the forum after a year? hiatus. *Glass breaking*

I am so happy for you (and the O boys) and so excited to read about your journey with baby 3. So excited that I logged back on here. Only for you, AO!

I was all "I'm going to ride my bike, and run, and..." until I realized being pregnant means you are basically narcoleptic. I was really good at running in the early stages, but riding was super uncomfortable almost immediately. But man, I miss being able to do the things I really love. I miss feeling fit, being able to see if I'm wearing pants, having the energy after work to go for a run or a ride, feeling the burn in my chest after doing a hard interval. Well, I sort of still feel that now but it's just from walking up the stairs at work, or acid reflux haha.

I already think you are a badass supermom as it is, so I'm excited to see how this pregnancy goes for you. I'm going to now go back to riding the couch because thinking about your pregnant life with 2 kids, working full time, and staying super active is exhausting me. ;)
 
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