OK to lift heavy weights?

superhelga

I love, love, love my most intensive gym classes. Like kickboxing ( in air, no partner/ no real hitting) and weightlifting. I'm just really addicted to it, and need them to relieve stress.
As far as I understand I can do these as long I listen to my body. Im just halfway through my first trimester. I wear a pulse watch. However, midway or after each class lately I have been panicking. Did I push too hard? Did I harm the featus?
Especially if I do a lot of crunches. ( but all I find says no crunches after 12 weeks, because of blood circulation)
Can anybody else share their knowledge and experience on lifting weights and working out on high intensity? Should I cut it out?
I'm so in doubt, and I'm not seeing my doctor in another 2 weeks.

sarah2002

The general rule is that anything you did pre-pregnancy you can continue doing as long as you are able. I am 29 weeks, and have been running and lifting heavy the entire pregnancy (I did check with my doctor who said it was great that I was doing those things). The reason behind not doing crunches later in pregnancy (my doctor said don't do any after 20 weeks) is that your expanding uterus is already putting a lot of pressure on your abdominal muscles, and doing crunches or crunch type moves can put so much extra strain that you wind up with an abdominal separation (diastasis recti). There is also a concern about the uterus putting to much pressure on the vena cava and cutting off the circulation, but you really don't need to worry about that until something like 24 weeks.

superhelga

Great! Thank you Sarah! Just the reassurance I needed to hear!

McFelix57

Agree that you can keep it up! I have a 2 month old, and I lifted my entire pregnancy. I finished a CrossFit workout 6 hours before my water broke! Of course check with your dr, but my OB was VERY supportive of me continuing to work out. Just listen to your body. I definitely dropped by the weight I was doing (ex - pre-pregnancy I was squatting about 160 lbs, and at the very end of my pregnancy I was down to about 85 lbs... currently working back up again!). Good luck! It was great for me both mentally and physically to keep working out. I did have a very easy delivery and recovery, which I have to think was helped by continuing to exercise!

superhelga

I finished a CrossFit workout 6 hours before my water broke!

That's awesome!

jenluvsushi

I agree with the above posters. Not the time to start a new program or trying for PR's , but if you were lifting before...go for it! I definitely have had to scale back on my squats to lower weight/higher reps (this is the big one to watch out for due to the hormones that makes your joints stretchy and thus way more prone to injury. My doctor really warned about watching the super heavy squats after the second trimester too). I skip the flat bench for the incline. I don’t do anything that could cause me to drop a weight on my tummy or that I could hurt myself doing. I stay away from lunges as well as they are a hard one for me and my balance is way off.