I’m so glad I stayed active

[jmldn2]

I just wanted to share my birth story in hopes of helping out any expecting mamas out there that might be anxious or worried about working out during pregnancy.

I delivered my baby girl 3.5 weeks ago via a non-complicated vaginal delivery with zero tearing. The worst part of labor were the contractions before I received my epidural. The pushing part was a breeze and I honestly think me staying active during my whole pregnancy (was going to the gym up until 3 days before going into labor) played a huge role!

After delivery I felt pretty good to walk around myself that same day. All the nurses that came in to check on us would make remarks on shocked they were at how quickly I was recovering for it being my first baby.

Since being home from the hospital I’ve had zero complications and my bleeding has pretty much stopped, I’ve graduated from adult diapers to panty liners! God it feels good to wear regular underwear again haha

I feel like I can get back into the gym now but I know internally my body is still doing lots of healing. I started doing walks around the neighborhood 1 week pp and at 2 weeks pp I started to incorporate light core work and breathing exercises to rebuild core strength. I have my 4 week pp appointment with my OB next week and I’m hoping to be cleared for light exercise then!

Long story short: if you’re nervous about working out during pregnancy, don’t be! Staying active during pregnancy will only benefit your labor and recovery. Just listen to your body and do what feels best for you

 

[cdbpilot]

@jmldn2 I had a similar experience to op. I stayed active by walking a whole lot. No running or serious workouts, just 3-7 miles walking per day.

 

[michael_92]

@cdbpilot Wow that’s amazing! Did it help moderate pregnancy weight gain as well?

 

[cdbpilot]

@michael_92 I would like to think so. I stayed in the recommended range. At some point exercise alone wasn't enough and I paid attention to what I was eating. It is so easy to eat endlessly because your "I'm full" signals have taken a vacation.

 

[babyl]

@jmldn2 Congrats! So glad for you. What kind of workouts did you do during your pregnancy?

 

[jmldn2]

@babyl I did the big three lifts squat, bench, and deadlift along with accessory work for the big lifts that mainly consisted of dumbbell work!

 

[ipray]

@jmldn2 Love hearing stories like this!!! So happy for you that it’s been a breeze

 

[acgonzalez09]

@jmldn2 Were you able to workout during the first trimester? I went from 5 days a week of CrossFit (and at a competitive level), plus hockey and baseball, to just baseball because I’m exhausted and nauseas all of the time. I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to get back into the gym now that I’m in the second trimester.

 

[gracecottage]

@acgonzalez09 Write off the first trimester if you are nauseous, it’s okay! Just pick it back up when you can, and treat the nausea if possible (a multivitamin should help if you aren’t already).

 

[jmldn2]

@acgonzalez09 I didn’t work out at all first trimester due to fatigue, my energy levels came back around week 15 for me.

 

[remydewild]

@jmldn2 This definitely gives me hope too! Pre-pregnancy, i’d work out 5-6 times a week. But at 8 weeks right now and week 6-8 so far have been SO rough with the nausea and fatigue. Honestly all I’ve been able to do are walks. But I’m dying to get back to working out regularly again!

 

[daivakumar]

@remydewild I absolutely did not have the energy weeks 8-14 but my body definitely bounced back around week 14! It’s not the same as pre pregnancy but I’m getting ~5 workouts a week (strength & cycle) along with way more walking. It’s amazing to feel that soreness after a great workout. Confident you will bounce back too!!!

 

[ce2015]

@jmldn2 Hope

 

[acgonzalez09]

@jmldn2 Thanks! That gives me hope. I’ll be 15 weeks on Sunday

 

[katrina2017]

@acgonzalez09 You can definitely have these benefits without working out a lot in the first trimester. It's more beneficial to listen to your body than to work out if you feel too tired, and your energy will come back in the second trimester

 

[lionsheart]

@acgonzalez09 Every one of my 3 pregnancies, I've pretty much stopped workouts more intense than a walk during the 1st trimester. I've always been able to get back into the swing of things (though definitely not at prepregnancy levels) in 2nd trimester and been very satisfied with my activity levels throughout.

 

[weirdo]

@jmldn2 Totally agree! I stayed active the whole time and it helped so much. Minus the last two pushes where I decided to take up the offer of the vacuum, I did most of the pushing myself, and while I did have tearing, having the upper body strength to help me move up and down was so helpful afterwards. 3 weeks postpartum now - able to go on longer walks and generally feeling good.

 

[prita]

@jmldn2 What was your routine before pregnancy and then during pregnancy? Did you switch it up at the end for those more hip opening exercises?

 

[jmldn2]

@prita My routine before and during pregnancy was the same, the only thing I changed was the weight I would do. I powerlift so my workouts consist a lot of squat, bench and deadlift. During pregnancy I decreased the weight I did to about 75% of the pre pregnancy weight.

I kept everything the same throughout my pregnancy but in third trimester I did add stretching and breathe-work as a nightly routine before bed and part of that routine did help with my hip mobility

 

[prita]

@jmldn2 Nice. I just weight lift (PPL and now do gentle dynamic stretching of the muscle group between sets) but found with the first trimester I wasn't eating enough to have any energy at the gym. Now that I have more appetite doing my regular stuff just feels very off, like I'm renting someone else's body, so my routine is just an absolute mess right now.

Do you have any favourite YouTubers or routines/sets you like to do that you wouldn't mind sharing?