I have always loved exercise and how it makes me feel so becoming pregnant was a really big deal for me. How would I cope without being able to do what I do normally, especially as the weeks ticked on and my belly got bigger.
I was sensible enough to ask my midwife who said "do what you have always done". I looked online and read about scaling and monitoring my heart rate and dutifully bought a FitBit and carried on training, doing Crossfit and exercise as I had always done and my bump got bigger.
I remember doing Murphy (a big Crossfit workout) at 5 months pregnant and being really proud of finishing it. I could still do it... Should I have done it though? I kept having the urge to pee through the workout (pretty much all the way through my pregnancy if I am honest) which is one of the many signs I should have listened to. I have always been good at pushing through whenever I have heard that little voice in my head (I have carried on with concussion, broken fingers, toes, ribs, sickness) and so I was able to ignore it. I wish I could go back and talk to myself and ask why I wanted to do it? What was I trying to achieve? And more than anything I wish I knew then what I know now.
I didn't know what I should and shouldn't do and to be honest it isn't always as black and white as that. I definitely wasn't aware of the long term implications for my core and pelvic health. The guidance from my GP was to keep doing what I have always done but how can you keep doing what you have always done when everything about your body is different?
Pregnancy is not the time to push your body and postpartum is not the time to rush back. You might be able to do it now, but should you be doing it?
Make sure you work with a fitness professional who understands what you are going through and what your changing body needs and can help guide you on this journey.
We are trained to ignore that little voice in our head. If you hear it, have a listen...
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