I have a good friend that is pregnant and lives in California. She sent me this link to a segment about moms-to-be doing extreme exercise.
Moms-to-be doing extreme exercise
This segment was shown on ABC's show Good Morning America. It's about 5 minutes but definitely very interesting. I don't think that I would still be rock climbing at 8 months! I agree that staying active is healthy for the mom and baby but I personally draw a line on what I think is appropriate. At one point the mom was bouldering over rocks with no ropes or support and the risk of falling and something happening to the baby seems high. Also the pressure of the harness seems like it could be uncomfortable, but I'm not a rock climber to begin with so I don't fully understand. All in all I think it is healthier for the baby when the mom is active rather than to be inactive and end up developing gestational diabetes!
What do you think of the marathon mom a few months back that gave birth right after finishing the marathon...said she started having contractions during the second half of the race?!? Only down side that I've read is that later in the pregnancy exercised muscles consume more oxygenated blood leaving less for the baby, but that seems wrong: if you've trained through pregnancy shouldn't your body be able to cope fine?
ReplyDeleteI didn't hear about that! I consulted with my husband, who has more knowledge than me about exercise physiology, and here are some of the conclusion we came up with. During exercise the blood flow is going to be directed at the active muscles and the vital organs, therefore the baby would not be included in that. BUT the body is amazing and does cope, so at low intensity the baby should be getting plenty of oxygenated blood. It depends more on the intensity of her exercise. If she has been running through her entire pregnancy and her body has adapted and the intensity is low, then I'm sure it is fine.
DeleteIt is not my choice to still run a marathon at 9 months, but maybe I'm just not that extreme! I can't imagine how bad my back would hurt!!! Now that I'm experiencing pregnancy for the second time I have definitely come to one conclusion. You know what is best, you are the mom!