my clock has started ticking and my husband and i are starting to think we are ready for kids.

i have finally reached a lot of my fitness goals, and while i am overjoyed at the prospect of being a new mom, i am not willing to completely undo my years of training for 9 months!

i know it is possible to continue training, within reason, while pregnant and post pregnancy. does any one have personal experiences or advice they are willing to share to help me feel better?!

krisbd

Fitdoc will tell you to stay fit, eat right, mainly organic AND, gain some weight. Don't trim back on a contest diet. Eat plenty, only keep it good and within reason. Don't go for the crave foods, pizza and so forth. Most doctors will tell you to keep your normal routine.

Lara may just give an update.

Frank

Call or write to IFBB pro and bev nutrition expert Julie Lohre. She is a mom and can give you tons of useful advice on ways to proceed.

Thanks for catching this one. We got'em l'il bodybuilders moving up in the world. The learn the natural route from the beginning.

Frank

Krisbd-
Congratulations on your willingness to enter the realm of Parenthood! I am a Mom of 2 boys (8 and 5) and remained fit throughout both pregnancies (gaining 20 and 25 lbs). I firmly believe that staying in shape during the pregnancies helped with an easier pregnancy, delivery, healing and getting your "figure" back. (just make sure that your OB okays your fitness plan).

I ate healthy (added the recommended amt. of calories), and was at the gym up until the day I delivered!

There are so many resources out there to help you! I would say the best thing is to eat well, take your vitamins, continue to exercise (within your limits...these will change as your pregnancy progresses) and most importantly...get lots of rest! (get it now while you can )

Staying in shape is totally possible while pregnant!

Tricia

Hi Krisbd!

I have to echo Tee and Frank. There is no reason that you have to permanently give up the physique you have worked so hard to build. The changes you go through during pregnancy are amazing but temporary - God has graced us women with the ability to grow life and lets our bodies 'gracefully' adapt to the growing fetus.

Since you are in good shape now, you are much more likely to have a healthy pregnancy, an easier labor and delivery and to get back to you pre-pregnancy conditioning quickly. Just eat moderately (doctors say that you need only an extra 300 calories a day during pregnancy), gain a reasonable amount of weight (I gained just under 20 lbs), get plenty of rest, and stay as active as possible. My doctor once told me that pregnancy should not be treated like an illness as far as your activity level is concerned. There will be certain restrictions, but continuing with your training program (albeit modified) will help you feel good, keep your energy up and make your entire pregnancy easier.

I am here if you need anything! It may seem crazy, but seeing your waistline vanish will be an incredible experience and if you stay active and eat healthy, you will have your old body back in no time!

Julie Lohre

PS - If you gain your baby weight slowly, you maybe able to avoid stretch marks. I also 'lubed' up my belly everyday with lotion. Just a thought!

Krisbd,
If you have been training before prgnancy you should still pretty much maintain the same exercise program you were on... although you should avoid exercises in the supine postion.
here is what the ASCM recommends. Good luck making baby builders

Rob,
www.flpt.net


Pregnancy and exercise
Guidelines
Abdominal Exercise
Disclaimer

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Guidelines
Below is the revised set of guidelines from the American College of Gynecologists as of 1994, from the ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 5th Edition (1995):

During pregnancy, women can continue to exercise and derive health benefits even from mild to moderate exercise routines. Regular exercise (at least 3 times per week) is preferable to intermittent activity.

Women should avoid exercise in the supine position after the first trimester. Such a position is associated with decreased cardiac output in most pregnant women. Because the remaining cardiac output will be preferentially distributed away from splanchic beds (including the uterus) during vigorous exercise, such regimes are best avoided during pregnancy. Prolonged periods of motionless standing should also be avoided.

Women should be made aware of the decreased oxygen available for aerobic exercise during pregnancy. They should be encouraged to modify the intensity of their exercise according to maternal symptoms. Pregnant women should stop exercising when fatigued and not exercise to exhaustion. Weightbearing exercises may under some circumstances be continued at intensities similar to those prior to pregnancy throughout pregnancy. Non-weightbearing exercises, such as cycling or swimming, will minimize the risk of injury and facilitate the continuation of exercise during pregnancy.

Morphologic changes in pregnancy should serve as a relative contraindication to types of exercise in which loss of balance could be detrimental to maternal or fetal well-being, especially in the third trimester. Further, any type of exercise involving the potential for even mild abdominal trauma should be avoided.

Pregnancy requires an additional 300 kcal/day in order to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Thus, women who exercise during pregnancy should be particularly careful to ensure an adequate diet.

Pregnant women who exercise in the first trimester should augment heat dissipation by ensuring adequate hydration, appropriate clothing, and optimal environmental surroundings during exercise.

Many of the physiological and morphological changes of pregnancy persist four to six weeks postpartum. Thus, prepregnancy exercise routines should be resumed gradually based upon a woman's physical capability.
The changes in the 1994 guidelines largely are the removal of somewhat arbitrary restrictions on exercise session duration and maternal heart rate, as studies have demonstrated that earlier cautions were unwarranted, and that women tended to naturally adjust their exercise intensity with respect to the developing pregnancy.

The concerns about the 140 BPM maternal heart rate, exercise duration, and body core temperature were due to concerns that excessive maternal core temperature during exercise (especially in first-trimester women) might impair fetal development, as problems such as spinal bifida had been backtracked to excessive maternal core temperatures in some instances (such as when the mother was ill).

However, more recent research has demonstrated that women may exercise safely at higher intensities than previously thought, and that perceived exertion ("mild to moderate exercise") proves an effective safeguard when properly applied. Moreover, given the variation in ages of pregnant women, plus the wide variation of maximum heart rate in the general population, an arbitrary maximum heart rate specified by a single number was virtually meaningless.

More on elevated core body temperature during pregnancy

ACSM also lists several reasons to discontinue exercise and seek medical advice during pregnancy:

Any signs of bloody discharge from the ******.
Any "gush" of fluid from the ****** (premature rupture of membranes).
Sudden swelling of the ankles, face, or hands.
Persistent, severe headaches and/or visual disturbance; unexplained spell of faintness or dizziness.
Swelling, pain, and redness in the calf of one leg (phlebitis).
Elevation of pulse rate or blood pressure that persists after exercise.
Excessive fatigue, palpitations, chest pain
Persistent contractions (>6 to 8/hour) that may suggest onset of premature labor.
Unexplained abdominal pain.
Insufficient weight gain (<1.0 kg/month) during the last two trimesters.
ACOG also lists several contraindications for exercising during pregnancy:

Pregnancy induced hypertension.
Pre-term rupture of membrane
Pre-term labor during the prior or current pregnancy
Incompetent cervix
Persistent second to third trimester bleeding
Intrauterine growth retardation
ACOG also differentiates between women who are established exercisers before pregnancy vs. new exercisers. Women who exercised regularly before pregnancy can continue their exercise programs (making appropriate adjustments) during pregnancy. New exercisers are encouraged to seek physician approval, and to participate in low-impact activities, like swimming or cycling.


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Abdominal Exercise
Working your abs during pregnancy is safe as long as your rectus abdominus does not separate. You can check this by doing a sit-up half-way up and trying to stick your finger in the middle of your abs an inch or two below your belly button (this is hard to explain, but easy to do). If you can two fingers in, it's time to discontinue ab work - or at least use your hands to support the sides of your belly - check with your doctor, of course.
Given that, after your 4th month you shouldn't do any exercise in the supine position ( the extra weight could block the blood flow to the fetus). So to get around that, do your sit ups in a decline position. Using a bench with 2-3 blocks on one end and none on the other end then laying on it with your head at the high end accomplishes this very easily.

This worked very well for me, I used a decline bench to do my sit ups up until the day before I went to the hospital to have my daughter. I really believe that it made getting back in shape a lot easier afterwards.

Check out the may issue of Oxygen magazine, it is totally dedicated to "fit moms" and prenatal and post natal exercise. I even made it in the issue on page 95....yeah

thank you so much everyone! the support helps the little voice inside my head screaming "you want to do WHAT??!!" i am excited to be fit momand start my child's life off to a healthy start.

julie--i may be hounding you for advice as i go along!(in a nice way, i promise!)

i want to preserve my muscle as i go alonwiththe pregnancy. besides going to the gym and staying active, what suppiments for preservation of lean muscle are ok? BCAA's? L-carnitine?

quote:

besides going to the gym and staying active, what suppiments for preservation of lean muscle are ok? BCAA's? L-carnitine?

I didn't realize you were asking questions. The best way to preserve muscle would be to continue eating. Those are good when you're going equal or below maintenance.

Also, I tend to go with Fitdoc's recommendation of all organic, no supps.

Eat, feel good about it. Don't worry about the shakes or the rest of the suppliment list. 5 to 6 food meals. You probably would be doing good by maintaining a good oil in your system. Flax, olive or even the Udo Blend.

Frank

Hi Kris!! Well, i may not be a fitness "expert" but i can give you advice on this, it's my area of expertise!! I am 26 and a mother of 4 children, 5, 3, 2 and 5 months old, so i know a thing or two about staying fit before, during, and after pregnancy. I have gained 35 pounds each time and have stayed active and healthy throughout, and bounced back to 120 lbs pretty quickly after each.

Everyone advice is great. You can set expectations for yourself for diet and workout, but until you are pregnant, only you will be able to determine your capabilities. You may have tons of energy and feel confident working out w/o skipping a beat....however, you may have NO energy to spare. If that is the case, and you can't seem to find yourself able to get out of bed, you may want to try walking as your main workout until your energy picks up. They don't tell you that your bones get soft when you are pregnant so no matter how fit you are, you just won't have the strength and stanima you had before.

You also may be able to diet and eat the same clean diet, just more calories. I did w/ my last pregnancy, but there was one in between that the mere thought of egg whites, tuna, etc. would send me to the bathroom!! It is SO hard to tell if your pregnancy will be a breeze, or if it will take some struggles and work. All i can tell you is, plan to make healthy choices, but if an obsticle comes your way and you have to bend alittle off track (cause your body is telling you to do so) then that is best. The most important thing is your health and your baby's health.

BUT on the upside, you are obviously healthy and in great shape, so TRUST me that your body will bounce back quicker than you think!! Muscle has memory....and after carrying around 25+ lbs for 9 months, you will more than ready to get back into your healthy lifestyle as soon as the baby comes!!

best of luck to you!!!!

Don't know if you read it, but Oxygen Mags lastest issues has a lot of great advice for preg. Mommies...

Hope the baby making is going well