Cycling while pregnant
baudman
Posts: 757
My partner went to a talk on women's specific bikes when we were at our local bike show. (And we ended up getting her a great WS road bike).
Anyway, if my memory serves me correctly, she was set to pop and had only just decided to stop cycling. So I think, at about 8 months.
From another thread - what do you think about women cycling while they are pregnant? This is likely to be a passionate topic, so state your case and don't attack people personally.
Anyway, if my memory serves me correctly, she was set to pop and had only just decided to stop cycling. So I think, at about 8 months.
From another thread - what do you think about women cycling while they are pregnant? This is likely to be a passionate topic, so state your case and don't attack people personally.
Commute - MASI Souville3 | Road/CX - MASI Speciale CX | Family - 80s ugly | Utility - Cargobike
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Don't see the problem with it personally. If it was mountain biking or something similarly high risk, then there may be an issue, but on road, I think it's fine.0
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I don't have a problem with it per se, but it does depend very much on the individual and, particularly, their physical condition. BabyCentre recommends that you:...most doctors and midwives recommend giving up cycling after the second trimester, even if you're an experienced cyclist, because of the potential for falls. You can, however, use an exercise bike for as long as you like.0
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Why should we have an opinion on it, unless it is our baby and possibly even only if we were the mother?0
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We may be wise or have preggo friends?
I have a friend who was preggo, didn't stop doing the shop by bike til she was practically crowning. Apart from some super-graceless dismounts, no worries.Wanted: Penny farthing. Please PM me!
Advice for kilted riders: top-tubes are cold.0 -
I had to put other, because pregnancy lasts for a long time, and for much of it I wouldn't have a problem at all with women continuing to cycle, in fact it probably benefits the child by keeping the mother healthy and happy.
But I think a line should be drawn on risk grounds when the baby starts to become pretty well developed. If a fall from standing is cause for concern, what about a fall at 10-15mph which involves a hard strike and then a roll or two?
I dunno, I guess its very difficult to say really. When are pregnant women supposed to stop going on rollercoasters? Maybe they should consider stopping cycling at that point (or some other highly scientific measure like that
) Sweat saves blood.
Erwin Rommel0 -
Jacomus, we don't all fall off of our bikes as often as you do though. If you were pregnant, I would agree with you totally. How many times have you came off this year so far????? 0
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Pregnant women are not meant to go on rollercoasters at all, because the G force is not good for the baby apparently, it can push it about into the wrong position, or so I read once!0
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People don't fall off bikes much. Bloody victim-blaming. :evil:Wanted: Penny farthing. Please PM me!
Advice for kilted riders: top-tubes are cold.0 -
HAHAHA
Eat My Dust, I think you have just hit the nail on the head, I guess I'm skewed because of my apparent affinity for the black stuff.
For the record last night brought it to 5 bicycle related crashes this year.
1) Bad handling skills
2) Bizzare stationary fall whilst clinging onto fainted pedestrian
3) Utterly random wipeout whilst riding on a flat road in a straight line
4) Slipping on a patch of GT-85 in my garage after cleaning the bike, and braining myself on my motorbike
5) Incident at the traffic lights last nightSweat saves blood.
Erwin Rommel0 -
Bear in mind that when women get pregnant (and with a 19 week old, I can still remember my wife going through it) their bodies go through a lot of changes, both physical and chemical, and should err on the side of caution.
Do they sell maternity lycra?0 -
sad but true is that i know a girl who lost a baby from a cycling fall in central london. not very pleasant. she was virtually unharmed thankfully. the baby was about 7 months i think0
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Whilst this is a tragic case, it cannot really be attributed to cycling, as a fall whilst waking, getting off a bus, or on a set of stairs could have had the same effect.
MY personal opinion is that the individual should make an informed decision for themselves, and not be persuaded by "old wives tales " and hysterical anecdotes.
Exercise is important, and if this method suits you - then do it!<b><i>He that buys land buys many stones.
He that buys flesh buys many bones.
He that buys eggs buys many shells,
But he that buys good beer buys nothing else.</b></i>
(Unattributed Trad.)0 -
Never tried it my self (for genetic reasons, I am XY), but had a friend who was cycling to work everyday until she took maternity leave. A midwife friend has also told me that woman who keep fit during pregnancy generally have a lot less problems giving birth.**************
Best advice I ever got was "better get a bike then"
Cycle commuting since 1994. Blog with cycle bits.
Also with the old C+ crowd at Cycle Chat.0 -
misterben wrote:Bear in mind that when women get pregnant (and with a 19 week old, I can still remember my wife going through it) their bodies go through a lot of changes, both physical and chemical, and should err on the side of caution.
My partner loves her exercise, and cycling is a big part of that. We discovered we were expecting while we were on a trip (in London actually!) Once we got back to Australia, we tried to go for a ride. She'd been training for Melbourne's Around the bay in a Day 210km. She did not feel confident, so we called it a day and she didn't get back on until a few months after the birth. Our obstetrician is a cyclist - he was fine with her riding, provided she didn't get above 140 BPM. That means she'd taken about 3 days for the 210km anyway
The key thing, I reckon, is if the individual is comfortable doing it, and they're not going to overdo it (high BPM, high temp or dehydration aren't good) then all is cool. My partner was actually annoyed she didn't feel confident any more, but with this, and a few other things, she was naturally erring on the side of caution.
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/51/18.cfm is one of many articles which google will find you.Commute - MASI Souville3 | Road/CX - MASI Speciale CX | Family - 80s ugly | Utility - Cargobike0 -
a friend of mine was still doing the DH route at cannock chase while pregnant,
she didnt have a bulge at the time tho, her husband is a GP so i've few worries.
she's still biking despite being about 6 months, but just on a road hybrid bike.
i guess it depends on the bike, you'd not want to be on a racing bike if you were pregnant, the possition cant be that good...My signature was stolen by a moose
that will be all
trying to get GT James banned since tuesday0 -
Cunobelin wrote:Whilst this is a tragic case, it cannot really be attributed to cycling, as a fall whilst waking, getting off a bus, or on a set of stairs could have had the same effect.
MY personal opinion is that the individual should make an informed decision for themselves, and not be persuaded by "old wives tales " and hysterical anecdotes.
Exercise is important, and if this method suits you - then do it!
agree that another fall could have had the same effect.
IMO cycling around London increases your risk of a fall relative to walking or taking public transport ... though some of the buses can be pretty hairy due to the lousy driving.0 -
Yes another fall could have the same horrible effect, but that fast you are travelling when you fall, the higher the chance of seeing that effect.Sweat saves blood.
Erwin Rommel0 -
My wife and I went skiing a few years ago whilst she was 3 months pregnant.
We felt that the risk of falling over was minimal as we’re experienced and had decided to only ski well within out abilities and stick to greens and blues.
Everything was fine for the first few days but then some idiot on a snowboard hit her whilst she was queuing for a lift. Roll on doctor appointment and loads of worry, and I doubt we’d do it again.
Anyway whilst I think the risk is minimal when you’re a parent you have a duty to protect your children whether they’ve been born or not.
I suppose you could argue against kid’s seats on bikes, but I think your allot more “sensitive” when pregnant.15 * 2 * 5
* 46 = Happiness0 -
Let's phrase this very carefully..............................
Or on second thoughts - just say it!
Pregnancy is not the time when women's minds are at their most rational, or equally - nor are expectant fathers.
That is why I stated at the start - make a personal informed decision.
If you are happy cycling then do so as the exercise will outweigh the possible disbenefits.<b><i>He that buys land buys many stones.
He that buys flesh buys many bones.
He that buys eggs buys many shells,
But he that buys good beer buys nothing else.</b></i>
(Unattributed Trad.)0 -
From an exercise point of view, i think the general rule is, if you already cycle then fine, carry on, but don't suddenly take it up. i think that goes with any exercise for preggy women.
as for the morality of it... i'm not sure i would cycle on the road with a bump.. too many nutty drivers around. fine to risk my own life, but if i had a bump i would feel a tad more responsible (the same reason why i hate to see people riding down the road with a child strapped in). if i was to do it i would wear a big sign on my back "baby on board".
have to admit tho, it would kill me not to do it._____________________________________________
To infinity... and beyond!
my epic adventure: www.action.org.uk/~Antonia0 -
Slightly OT.....
The "Baby on Board" is the most misused safety system on the roads today - so much so that it has totally devalued and undermined it' s usefulness!!
The story goes that a US Police Officer attended a vehicle accident where the occupants were unconscious or dead. He was traumatised by missing a baby at the site, with fatal consequences.
He then designed a sign that would be placed in the window so that the emergency services would know there was a baby to be accounted for, but only WHEN THE CHILD IS IN THE CAR
Now that they are permanently on display their purpose is destroyed and they are meaningless.<b><i>He that buys land buys many stones.
He that buys flesh buys many bones.
He that buys eggs buys many shells,
But he that buys good beer buys nothing else.</b></i>
(Unattributed Trad.)0 -
how about "bun in the oven" then?_____________________________________________
To infinity... and beyond!
my epic adventure: www.action.org.uk/~Antonia0 -
I think it's up to the lady, and if she feels comfortable herself. We don't think twice about pregnant women being in cars, that travel much faster than bikes. With a seatbelt on, I would imagine the slowest of bumps in a car could prove to be disastrous.
"on your bike" Norman Tebbit.0 -
Wynne G Oldman wrote:We don't think twice about pregnant women being in cars, that travel much faster than bikes. With a seatbelt on, I would imagine the slowest of bumps in a car could prove to be disastrous.
Actually - some women do. There is a particular way to wear the seatbelt when pregnant, in order to minimise any trauma to the baby in the event of an accident. And they recommend not driving at all after a certain point, IIRC. One of my friends is pregnant, and a diabetic, and she almost had a bad accident due to a combination of the 2 causing her to partially black-out while driving, so she has stopped, even though she's only in her 2nd trimester.
As I've said before - the huge number of changes happening to a woman while pregnant _can_ make it unsafe to cycle (or drive, FWIW), but it's very much a personal thing, based on the way a particular woman is being effected.0 -
Definitely down to personal choice but for mrs woolfie she decided that once the bump started to show she would stop. She replaced her occasional rides with swimming (which she loves anyway) and static cycling in the gym. Now she is heavily pregnant I don't think she would manage cycling very easily - the bump has obviously now affected her lung capacity and has moved her ribcage (she gets a bit short of breath) and also her balance has been affected considerably by the baby and its movements something i don't think anyone has picked up so far in this thread.
She has said she will return to her bike in due course and hopefully we will soon be cycling as a family
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so long as it doesn't restrict movement I can't see why not but it will have other effects on the body which I don't really know much about (and will never know first hand)
my sister had far more grace dancing when she had a large bump then I ever will be<center>
<font size="1"><font color="green">Only the truth hurts, but thats more than enough.</font id="green"> </font id="size1">
<font size="2"> Andy</font id="size2">
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Cunobelin wrote:Let's phrase this very carefully..............................
Or on second thoughts - just say it!
Pregnancy is not the time when women's minds are at their most rational, or equally - nor are expectant fathers.
That is why I stated at the start - make a personal informed decision.
If you are happy cycling then do so as the exercise will outweigh the possible disbenefits.
the problem with your view cunobelin is that an informed decision is presumably one based on the facts (which are limited and unreliable), but secondly based on reason (at least to some extent!), and you've just said that when they're pregnant women's minds are not at their most rational!!
If you believe that last point, then presumably their capacity for taking an informed decision (whatever that is) is limited?0 -
i am 4 months pregnant and screw the babycentre advice im cycling all the way through on my identiti no street or trails though i think dropping off stuff etc is a bit dodgy myself 0
