Strollerderby

I ran until my third trimester, stopping 2.5 months before the birth of my full-term son.  I was 38 years old, it was my first pregnancy, and I listened to my body and knew when I'd had enough (and switched to an elliptical).  I had a long, nasty labour that ended in a C-section, but I bounced back incredibly quickly, which I feel is a testament to the fact that I was in good shape.

Pregnancy is NOT an illness--it's a sign of good health...with a normal, healthy pregnancy (and your doc's OK) there's no need to stay on the sofa like some fragile flower.

BTW, for any other would-be running mamas, the Prenatal Cradle is a great product to help minimize the feeling that you might be bouncing the unborn too much...kind of like a sports bra for your bump.  

Quit running when the hemmorhoids popped out due to the weight of the baby pressing on the pelvic floor.  Nice souvenir.  I also worried about bieng out of breath and depriving the baby of oxygen.  I figured staying in shape was a distant second to the health of the baby.  I think those women are putting themselves first.  There is no way you can run a marathon, pregnant or not, and get breathless.  Priorities.

The women aren't running a full 26.2 marathon, they're running a relay, so maybe 6-7 miles tops each.  No biggie.  If they're not feeling good on that given day they could walk/run.  Their babies will be fine.  Good for them staying active and building friendships.

Damn, I thought getting pregnant was my way out of doing things, like being active & exercising. What did I know?

I spent the last four months of my pregnancy on bed rest, and was so miserable that the very idea of running makes me queasy even now.  I hated all the books that lectured about how important it is for pregnant women to be hitting the gym; all of that information just added to my miserable and worries that I was somehow harming my unborn child.

I feel it's more about being healthy for you and your baby.  Some women can be out there running marathons the day before they give birth and be fine, but I hate it when just because they did it they think every woman can and the rest of us are lazy and using pregnancy as an excuse.

Keep up your exercise program if you can and want, go for it!  Take it easy if it makes you feel better.  Whatever you decide, keep yourself (and your baby) healthy and happy.

Oh, man, I ran an 8K while 13 weeks pregnant, but soon after that, I felt like my baby was jiggling too much. Good for these ladies, although definitely not for me.

Hi ladies! I am actually the organizer of our relay.  I just wanted to pop in and assure you we're all running between 3.1 and 7.6 mile legs of the relay, not a full marathon!  All of us were avid runners before we became pregnant and all of us have the full support of our doctors or midwives.  None of us are out there to break any land speed records! We will all be taking it easy, just running for fun.  Of course during this weekends run and any run for that matter, we listen to our bodies and if something feels off we stop.  Fortunately, we all have had no complications or any reason to stop thus far.

Thanks again for your interest in us!