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psychoherper
Jun 27, 2009, 2:42 AM
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Hi everyone. . .
I am new here. I have been climbing for 7 years, My husband for 11 years. And now we are on our first child. I was wondering what everyone thinks about climbing while pregnant, how long into the pregnancy it is safe to climb, what difficulty level it would be safe to climb at. . .and any other general advice. Thanks
Rachel
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macherry
Jun 27, 2009, 3:22 AM
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do a search, there have been previous threads regarding pregnancy and climbing
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clee03m
Jun 29, 2009, 3:53 PM
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Welcome to LR a congrats on your baby. I am trying for a baby, and plan to climb as long as I want to during the pregnancy.
(This post was edited by clee03m on Jul 29, 2009, 9:52 PM)
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boadman
Jun 29, 2009, 7:03 PM
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My wife quit climbing during the pregnancy. The doctor (very conservative, I know) recommended against riding bikes, or anything where there's a risk of impact. She didn't want to push it. Additionally, your connective tissues get really loose when your pregnant, and it's easy to get injured if you're not careful.
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crackrn
Jul 5, 2009, 9:29 PM
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I climbed until we started having pre-term labor (not related at all!) around 20 weeks. After things eased off I tried climbing easy gym routes and found that 30 extra pounds does not an easy 5.8 make! I didn't lead, not because of any specific recommendation, more because if something would have happened I would have always wondered 'what if'. I'm not the most confident leader though so if I were better at it I might have made a different decision.
As I've gotten bigger, approaches have become more of an issue; talus fields are flipping scary when you can't see your feet and are off balance! We've played it pretty conservatively when it comes to choosing where my husband climbs. If it's a walk up or minimal scramble we're good, if not he finds another partner. Good luck!
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lhwang
Jul 9, 2009, 4:22 PM
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I think it's a personal decision that you have to make in conjunction with your doctor's advice.
I've been climbing since 2003. I'm not pregnant, and not sure what I'll decided if I do become pregnant.
The thing that I would worry about would be the chance of causing an abruption. That's when the placenta detaches from the wall of the uterus. Often this is fatal for the baby, and can be fatal for the mother as well.
I think people are not aware that it's not just the chance of a direct impact to the abdomen that's worrisome, it's also the shearing caused by acceleration/deceleration. And sufficient forces can be generated by something as trivial as slipping and landing on your bum at home. So I imagine you could get similar forces from taking a lead fall and coming to a stop at the end of the rope.
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carabiner96
Jul 10, 2009, 3:14 AM
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I plan on using being pregnant as an excuse to sit on my ass and eat ice cream and pickles all day.
Can't wait. Oh, and I'll be smug as shit.
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psychoherper
Jul 21, 2009, 12:23 AM
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Thanks guys. I have decided to keep climbing until I can't anymore, but keep it to a lower key. I will keep you all updated.
Thanks Again :)
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lostparrot
Jul 22, 2009, 3:39 AM
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with her last baby, a friend climbed until she was about 8.5 months along. she stopped leading around 5 or 6 months. she's about 3 months pregnant again, and still leading and climbing high 11's and low 12's. so, climb as long as you are comfortable doing so.
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degaine
Jul 26, 2009, 2:23 PM
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Hi,
My wife swam 3 times per week up until a week prior to our kid's birth (showed up 10 days early), and really only stopped due to fatigue. She was closely followed by her doctor and encouraged to swim.
I have a good fried who climbed until she was 8 months pregnant - again, carefully followed by her doctor. As the pregnancy moved along she climb eased off on the difficulty and leading.
Hope that helps! Congratulations!
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karmiclimber
Jul 26, 2009, 3:48 PM
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Ask your Doc...I asked mine about climbing when I was pregnant. He said he didn't like the idea of the force of a fall in a harness and what effect that might have. I did boulder though up until my second trimester...but I was spotted carefully.
I dunno...while it is fun to think "baby had its first climb before being born" its best to ask your doctor (explain what climbing entails) and follow your best judgement.
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rockie
Jul 27, 2009, 2:57 AM
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I'll be honest. Since I found out I was pregnant I was not comfortable with the idea of climbing or taking the risk while pregnant.
I say I never, I did very early on before I found out I was pregnant so the first month of pregnancy I did.
I am happy with my decision not to climb since I found out however, and am 34 weeks tomorrow.
Instead, I regularly walk, swim, and do prenatal DVD workouts at home.
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happiegrrrl
Jul 29, 2009, 1:45 PM
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One of my climbing friends stopped climbing the moment she learned she was pregnant. But for her, it was that she was 45, and this truly WAS her last chance for a child.
She had always wanted motherhood and, for her, the sacrifice was one she gladly made. She was very careful in other ways during her pregnancy too; she had an extremely low risk tolerance level during her pregnancy. Se simply wanted to do everything possible to bring her child into the world.(And she succeeded, with a beautiful daughter.)
She was/is a very active person - running/gym exercise along with the climbing, and yes - she did miss the climbing.
Her age very likely played a big part in her decision. It wasn't like she thought "climbing/a fall WILL make me lose the baby" but more that it was her only chance for a baby, and she needed to safeguard it as best she could.
I think the decision has to be a personal one, made between the mother and baby's father. Heaven knows there are as many (adamant) opinions about climbing while pregnant as there are as to what the baby's name should be...... A person could go wonkers listening to it all,
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lena_chita
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Jul 29, 2009, 3:18 PM
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happiegrrrl wrote: One of my climbing friends stopped climbing the moment she learned she was pregnant. But for her, it was that she was 45, and this truly WAS her last chance for a child. She had always wanted motherhood and, for her, the sacrifice was one she gladly made. She was very careful in other ways during her pregnancy too; she had an extremely low risk tolerance level during her pregnancy. Se simply wanted to do everything possible to bring her child into the world.(And she succeeded, with a beautiful daughter.),
I doubt that many women who want to have a baby and intentionally become pregnant, think of their pregnancy as "expendable". Oh, well, I'll lose this one and start over, no big deal... show me that kind of woman!
happiegrrrl wrote: Her age very likely played a big part in her decision. It wasn't like she thought "climbing/a fall WILL make me lose the baby" but more that it was her only chance for a baby, and she needed to safeguard it as best she could.
Yes, I am sure her age played a big role, but not quite in a way you are suggesting. I think she probably had a better understanding of her priorities and sacrifices she was willing to make for the child she conceived b/c she waited for a long time to have a child.
happiegrrrl wrote: I think the decision has to be a personal one, made between the mother and baby's father. Heaven knows there are as many (adamant) opinions about climbing while pregnant as there are as to what the baby's name should be...... A person could go wonkers listening to it all,
Of course! But if that is the case, people should stop asking these sort of questions on the internet, where the question does invite precisely the sort of adamant opinions of the strangers that so many pregnant women profess to hate.
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happiegrrrl
Jul 29, 2009, 5:12 PM
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Read whatever into my post you like, Lena. Not a problem, and it was actually anticipated.
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lena_chita
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Jul 29, 2009, 6:03 PM
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happiegrrrl wrote: Read whatever into my post you like, Lena. Not a problem, and it was actually anticipated.
I wasn't actually trying to argue with you...
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clee03m
Jul 29, 2009, 9:51 PM
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happiegrrrl wrote: Heaven knows there are as many (adamant) opinions about climbing while pregnant as there are as to what the baby's name should be...... A person could go wonkers listening to it all,
Amen, sister. Ain't this the truth.
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clausti
Jul 29, 2009, 10:07 PM
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happiegrrrl wrote: as to what the baby's name should be......
oh, we know but we're not telling.
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klopik
Aug 2, 2009, 5:10 PM
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So...
Kind of a related question :)
Where does one buy a chest harness? And how soon into the pregnancy did you ladies that climbed started wearing it?
I'm a little bit pregnant now ;) (we are naming a kid Oops once its born on April 1...) and starting to wonder about all this. I've known for a couple of weeks now, and I have gone climbing as usual these two weeks, but I was toproping only and refused to boulder.
And another question for all of you experienced ladies - did you actually get morning sickness, and if you did - when? From what I understood I should have it by now, however, I feel absolutely nothing except for occasional slight nausea after I take the vitamins which I am sure is caused by vitamins...
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happiegrrrl
Aug 4, 2009, 12:53 PM
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Congratulations!
I don't know about the chest harness other than one of the online places. Maybe a store geared toward mountaineering more than rock climbing might carry in shop, but I'd try Gear Express online, and speak with someone.
You can make an inpromptu chest harness in the interim, with two two-footers girth hitched, used as arm loops, and biner'd to the rope.
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clee03m
Aug 4, 2009, 2:38 PM
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Congrats! Wow, it seems like all the ladies from LR are having babies. From what I can gather, you are suppose to wear a chest harness starting your second trimester.
http://www.bodyresults.com/e2pregnancyexercise.asp
Climbing can continue just as before during the first trimester, if the mom-to-be is comfortable doing so through bouts of morning sickness. After the first trimester when the abdomen starts to protrude, there is increased risk of trauma to the fetus in terms of 1) harness pressure, 2) rock (or object) fall, or 3) leader fall. The easiest solutions: 1) wear a full-body or specially designed harness that will ride lower across the abdomen rather than directly across the belly button; 2) climb in areas with solid rock and avoid more questionable crags or alpine routes that are notorious for rock fall, slab avalanches, or climbers dropping gear from above; 3) follow rather than lead; 4) climb familiar routes; 5) boulder or traverse low to the ground; or 6) focus on less technical climbs well within your ability, in order to remain safe but still have fun.
I also read the Exercising Through Your Pregnancy by Clapp is a good book for women athletes.
Congrats again!
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lena_chita
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Aug 4, 2009, 2:42 PM
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Congratulations! I missed this earlier. :)
Not everyone gets morning sickness. For what it was worth, other than getting queasy at the smell of donuts the first time around, I did not feel anything different at all in the first three months of either pregnancy.
As far as chest harnesses go, I have not seen a commercial one, but I have seen people rig it out of the webbing. I don't think you need a chest harness at this point though, b/c your weight and gravity center aren't any different now than they were two weeks ago. By the time they DI get quite significanlty different though, your regular harness won't fit you anyway, and any otehr harness with a belt across your midway would be very uncomfortable, too, so I would think that your best bet would be to look for a full-body harness, instead of looking for a chest harness, and switch to a full-body harness after ~3-4 months or so.
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clausti
Aug 4, 2009, 3:55 PM
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misty makes a commercial chest harness, though it might be a bit overkill?
there's also industrial full body harnesses like riggers and window washers wear. the "fall safe" harness down the page a bit has no belly strap.
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clausti
Aug 4, 2009, 3:57 PM
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clausti wrote: misty makes a commercial chest harness, though it might be a bit overkill? there's also industrial full body harnesses like riggers and window washers wear. the "fall safe" harness down the page a bit has no belly strap.
misty's chest harness, comes in small or large
rigger's harness. also comes in black. XL only, theoretically fully adustable
(This post was edited by clausti on Aug 4, 2009, 6:40 PM)
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