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Can You Rock Climb While Pregnant

6 min read

Breastfed and 7% saw a change in milk volume when they returned to climbing. A Group Leader is a What to Expect community member who has been selected by our staff to help maintain a positive, supportive tone within a group. Group Leaders communicate with staff moderators and escalate potential violations for review, but they don’t moderate discussions. Group Leaders aren’t expected to spend any additional time in the community, and are not held to a set schedule. A body harness may not hurt the further you go along. I personally have found my balance is slightly off.

Currently my exercise routine focuses mainly on powerlifting (squats, deadlifts, presses and pull-ups). I’ve actually been able to lift heavier weights during my pregnancy, and each time I go to the obgyn my baby is doing great. I did CrossFit for 2 years before getting pregnant, so I was in very good fitness before, but so far I did not decrease much my exercise routine .

High‐impact Exercise In Early Pregnancy Is Associated With An Increased Risk Of Miscarriage

Ready for it to be over so I can like food again. I already had to swap out my harness for an old one that’s a size larger. Anything even kind of tight on my belly bothers me. I might need to reach out to you about the full body harness!

Based on these results, my own experience and the experience of others, I believe that climbing can fit into both a healthy pregnancy and parenthood. I stopped rock climbing between 5-6 months pregnant because my harness didn’t fit me anymore and I didn’t think it was worth it at the time to invest in a full-body harness. Instead I spent many weekends hanging out at the crag while my husband and friends climbed. I think I could have realistically kept climbed had I bought a new harness, but I enjoyed the time outdoors cheering on my husband.

I am glad you will be keeping up with your exercise routine throughout the pregnancy. Always listen to your body and if something doesn’t feel right make sure to reassess the situation. Regular and consistent exercise is generally safe and will provide you with several benefits pre and postpartum. In general, exercise does not cause miscarriages.

Consider Lead Climbing

So instead I’ll say listen to your intuition because just yesterday my body told me I had an insane craving for a couple cold beers, but my intuition said ‘fetal alcohol syndrome’. Each pregnancy is so different, as I’m beginning to realise, so what worked for me may not work for you. This is the time to wear climbing shoes that are larger than the ones you normally wear. They’ll still be on the snug side since your feet are bigger than normal, but they’ll provide a bit of relief. Shortness of breath isn’t anything to be overly alarmed by, as it’s a common side effect of pregnancy. During the early stages of pregnancy, hormones can affect your shortness of breath.

If you are an experienced rock climber, you don’t have to stop cold turkey. There are women who do climb throughout their pregnancy. They are usually experienced rock climbers and know how to mitigate the risks of rock climbing.

I just wasn’t climbing at my normal ability and I found that not knowing exactly what my ability was could be extremely unnerving. It didn’t help that it varied drastically from day to day. It was around this time that the weather was turning anyway so I never had to turn down a potential outdoor climbing day because of this. We simply chose easier routes or areas that had a good variety.

For example, with both of my pregnancies, I stopped bouldering and leading early on and switched to a full body harness around 15 weeks. Many rock climbers have a slightly loose pair of climbing shoe which they bought before they learned exactly how the fitting should be done. Knowing the risks can help you arrive at a decision that is good for you while anticipating possible risks and injuries if you do decide to continue to participate in rock climbing. Doctors recommend discontinuing any activity that can cause a fall, like rock climbing. Balancing parenthood with the lifestyle of a professional climber is tricky and it certainly helps to have a supportive partner. For me it has been quite a juggling act to manage all the demands on my time in both my personal and public life.

Hoping to keep climbing for at least another couple of months. Image via cragmama.comFor me, my main sources of exercise include rock climbing, hiking, running, and biking. With baby #1, I was able to continue hiking and climbing for my entire pregnancy – last session was at the gym less than 48 hours before he was born! I stopped the biking once the weather turned cold, and running began to feel uncomfortable long about 27 weeks or so. I’m currently just shy of 36 weeks with baby #2, and while this pregnancy has been similar, there are a few marked differences. Although some of my physical symptoms have been worse (1st trimester nausea, varicose veins, pressure, etc.), my activity levels have surprisingly been higher!

When I was 19 years old I met the legendary Lynn Hill. I had just completed my first 5.14 at Smith Rock in Oregon, To Bolt Or Not To Be, when Lynn invited me to go to Madagascar with her, Nancy Feagin and Kath Pyke. Being more famous that most male climbers, Lynn has accomplished things decades ahead of her time.

Within the mother’s womb, the baby-to-be is probably more protected than it will be as the proud new parents and their friends pass it around at the base of the crags. It’s easy to get caught up in the pregnancy and all that entails. Don’t forget to spend some time getting ready for life with a baby. So do what you can before the baby comes to be ready.

But, if it starts getting too uncomfortable, then I will call it quits until afterward. And that is totally fine with me – I’ve had a great ride! Thanks for reading and thanks to McKenzi for the opportunity to share my story. You’ve got something distending your abs from the inside out, hormones are different, your lungs run out of room to expand, you’re growing a human being…so no, it’s not like climbing with a weight vest. And yes, there will be climbers who make jokes about it and who will never know what it’s like to be a pregnant athlete.

A moderate scenic hike may be a better option at this point if you are craving some time outdoors and still able to do some physical activity. Pubis symphasis pain stopped me around 4 months. I had bought a full body harness and only used it twice. I worked out with a personal trainer and did lots of yoga and hiking to stay in shape and sane.

Squats are good for pretty much everything, so a good few weighted ones of those too. My favourite climbing days are spent in the mountains. Although they have been few and far between with a toddler. Walk-ins to mountain crags were the crux for pregnant multi-pitch climbing, but flowing through easy moves on rock was so worth the huffing and puffing. All being said, my climbing did change in relation to my pregnancy. I have always loved the outdoors and I go hiking and rock climbing every chance I get.

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