Pregnant..

torie079
torie079 Posts: 179 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just found out I was pregnant and I was wondering what other mommas have done to keep fit. With my last pregnancy I was pretty active but still gained 40lbs. What I really am worried about is muscle tone after birth. I'm so excited for this, but I want a good balance of fitness with out hurting my baby:) Any advice is welcome!

Replies

  • sillygoosie
    sillygoosie Posts: 1,109 Member
    Talk to your doctor.
  • cryswest57
    cryswest57 Posts: 141 Member
    You know your body best. Light exercise, eat healthy (not for 2 lol), and you should be good to go! Eat about 300-400 or so more calories than you usually did if you were counting calories. There are workout videos made for pregnant women. Walking is a great workout. I know for me, just cleaning was a good workout when I was far along lol. And, yes talk to your ob/gyn.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Talk to your doctor.

    this
  • littlebre33
    littlebre33 Posts: 318
    Firstly, congrats!!!

    Secondly, I just had my 2nd son 5.5 months ago. With my frist I gained tooo much weight but with my second I ate much healthier and exercised (not strenuously) and only gained 7lbs...and he was 7lbs 11 ounces at birth. As a nurse, I have worked with pregnant women and encourage healthy habits and exercise. Don't stress about the weight gain because remember you have to nourish a human inside you! Healthy mommy = healthy baby!!
  • usernameMAMA
    usernameMAMA Posts: 681 Member
    Congrats! How exciting for you:) I have no advice since I gained 52 with my pregnancy. I'd talk to your doctor or see a nutritionist.
  • gettinwade3
    gettinwade3 Posts: 4 Member
    I walk and watch my diet. Especially since I probably have GD again. If I do too much I get too tired too fast, and that's not an option with two other young kids.
  • TinaBean007
    TinaBean007 Posts: 273 Member
    Congrats!! There are all kinds of pregnancy groups on MFP. Check them out.
  • torie079
    torie079 Posts: 179 Member
    Ya know... I get it... it's not my first time being pregnant. Talking to a doctor is a GIVEN. I'm wondering what others have done. I know the basics...ya dig?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    The general rule of thumb that I've heard is to continue doing what you've been doing, fitness-wise. Don't necessarily go for any new records, but if you've been lifting, keep lifting. If you've been jogging, keep jogging, etc. Your body will tell you when you're pushing it too far, and you should respond by listening.
  • Mulikme
    Mulikme Posts: 30 Member
    Congrats! My sister walked and did prenatal yoga. She said the yoga really helped her and made labor/delivery easier.
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
    My doc told me... what you were doing before you got pregnant, you can keep doing. Don't introduce drastic changes into your routine without checking first.

    I have seen women with full beach balls running on the treaddies at the gym... Crazy to me.. near the end, I could barely walk half a block without contractions.

    Remember, you are eating for two, but the second party is tiny. So while you do need to ensure you eat healthy, you don't have to eat double. :)

    And worst case scenario, you gain a bit of weight, in the end, it's totally worth the outcome - and you can burn the rest off afterwards.

    Congratulations! So exciting!
  • liz3marie
    liz3marie Posts: 211 Member
    im kind of doing a wait and see kind of thing, so no birth conrtol since october, however im not pregnant yet but ive been very curious about how my 3rd baby will effect my body when it comes time. Im ALOT heavier now, by 40-50lbs than i was with both the preivous and gained about 80lbs with both i weighed around 200 at delivery and really do not want to do that again! im now at 174 tryna get to 145 but dont wanna be like i was the last times so really would like to hear responses :). Congratulations!!:flowerforyou:
  • peacek
    peacek Posts: 211
    I am 21 weeks pregnant and gained only 3 pounds so far. My doc did not even worry about it.
    I walk/ do preganncy yoga and eat homemade meals mostly.
  • uhohkerri
    uhohkerri Posts: 43
    First step is right talk to your doctor make sure you and the baby are healthy, I did yoga, walking, and some light aerobics during a few of my pregnancies but not all four I was high risk with my son so I put on the lbs. not able to do much. just remember your baby wants and needs you to gain wait so that he/she is able to grow properly. don't worry about how much you gain when you are pregnant worry about the baby's health and yours. CONGRADULATIONS. and remember the sooner you get back to moving around after you have your bundle of joy the better. BTW even with exercise I gained a lot of weight with all four of my kids and I have been able to get it back off after, none of my baby's were under 7 lbs and 2 of them were over 8lbs. the size of your baby will have a lotto do with how much you gain.
  • schelly81
    schelly81 Posts: 161 Member
    I'm 18 weeks pregnant right now and I've toned down my exercise and I track my calories on MFP. I did maintenance for the first trimester and moved it to an extra 250 for the second trimester. I eat back most of my exercise calories and I eat both healthy foods and my craving foods. My weight gain is perfect right now. Congratulations!
  • torie079
    torie079 Posts: 179 Member
    The general rule of thumb that I've heard is to continue doing what you've been doing, fitness-wise. Don't necessarily go for any new records, but if you've been lifting, keep lifting. If you've been jogging, keep jogging, etc. Your body will tell you when you're pushing it too far, and you should respond by listening.

    Thank you! I've slowed down my run by a min. I'm just looking for other moms that were still doing what they were doing. I have not seen my doctor just yet, so in anticipation I'm asking this.
  • torie079
    torie079 Posts: 179 Member
    And thank you everyone! I'm very excited:) I've been trying for months;) My husband was deployed for my last child's birth but he is home for 2 years, so he will be here through it this time!
  • sillygoosie
    sillygoosie Posts: 1,109 Member
    Ya know... I get it... it's not my first time being pregnant. Talking to a doctor is a GIVEN. I'm wondering what others have done. I know the basics...ya dig?

    I wasn't trying to be rude. I've been on this site long enough to realize that it's not a given that you'll talk to your doctor about your fitness habits. The problem is that everyone has different levels of what they can do while pregnant. My cousin could safely run a marathon while others need to take it easier. Some people think you should eat everything in sight and others don't eat nearly enough. You get my drift? I'm just trying to offer the safest advice possible by not giving any.
  • daniellegwilliam
    daniellegwilliam Posts: 122 Member
    When I was pregnant I was pretty active. I ran 2 - 10k races when I was only a couple months. I continued running a few times a week. I got slower, didnt go as far, but still ran becauuse I was already dointg those things prior to pregnancy. I did however stop around 6 months because it was uncomfortable and I felt I had to pee with every step hahaha.:laugh:
    I did walk almost 5k a day to and from work until the day my water broke!! But thats my normal life daily routine already. Everyone is different in their fitness level

    I also went to a pre natal bootcamp up until 6 months. after that I did pre natal yoga, great for breathing and stretching, preparing for labor. As well as aquasize. Which was great becuase It made me feel weightless, easier on the joints.

    A good rule of thumb is to just watch hyour heart rate, you dont want it to get to high
    and dont work out so hard you are sweating profusley. Should be able to have a conversation without gasping for air
    Its alot of common sense. Dont start up an exercise orutine that you are not already doing.

    unless you have any pre conditions or your doctor has concerns, IMO stay active. congratulations!:smile:
  • CEHayes73
    CEHayes73 Posts: 221 Member
    My advice. Make sure every one of your extra calories (that 300-400 sounds pretty good) are the best possible calories. Like lean protein, dairy, nuts and seeds, etc. I had GD and was overweight when I got pregnant. I ended up at the same weight at 40 weeks as my prepregnancy weight, but so much healthier, because I made much better choices.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    you're not going to hurt your baby by exercise. Exercize is wonderful for your baby- it puts more oygen into your blood and may lead to a smarter baby.

    The concern is that you may hurt yourself because your body is making a chemical to relax your muscles in prep for childbirth. When i was pregnant i sat crooked at my desk all day and my hip slid out of alignment and i got a pinched sciatic nerve. It was hell and prevented me from exercising my entire pregnancy. I gained 62 lbs as a result.

    I am now back to the same size i was pre-baby. You can do it with some hard work so dont freak about gaining weight. Watch your posture and your form and exercize just as you do now. go for it!
  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,115 Member
    Just had my second child in Dec. and during the pregnancy I was on a 2100 calorie diet and believe me it was hard to meet those calories and was plenty of food. I only gained 7lbs during my pregnancy and walked away from the hospital 27lbs lighter. I actually went home and weighed less than when I originally became pregnant. Was very proud of myself. First of all its a must to talk to your doctor because everyone is different and they may want you to gain a certain amount of weight. I was told I could lose if I wanted to. If you want a healthy diet ask to be referred to a nutritionist they can set you up on diet to meet your specific needs. If you want some ideas I can tell you what I did. I was only able to walk during my pregnancy if I worked out I would bleed so I was stuck at a slow to moderate walk. It is possible and is so worth it I really think the way I lived during my last pregnancy was the reason my labor and delivery was so easy.
  • joybedford
    joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
    You don,t actually need to eat any more calories until the 3rd trimester and when breastfeeding and even then it is only about 300 more. I am a midwife in the UK and we advise women to eat a healthy balanced diet not try to lose weight but not to eat for 2 either. If you are used to exercise you should be able to continue as before with the exception of no abdominal exercises and from the 2nd trimester don,t lie flat on your back as this causes large blood vessel compression and can cause you to feel faint and cut of some oxygen to the baby. If you experience any pain or vaginal bleeding stop exercising and consult your doctor/midwife. be sensible and enjoy your pregnancy. Hope you have a happy healthy pregnancy.
  • RandiLandCHANGED
    RandiLandCHANGED Posts: 630 Member
    I stuffed my face 24/7 during all three pregnancies and did absolutely nothing in terms of exercise. I gained 80, 85 and 50 pounds and would not recommend it. Talk to your care provider, do some research, and ask questions like you are doing now :)
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    The general rule of thumb that I've heard is to continue doing what you've been doing, fitness-wise. Don't necessarily go for any new records, but if you've been lifting, keep lifting. If you've been jogging, keep jogging, etc. Your body will tell you when you're pushing it too far, and you should respond by listening.

    Thank you! I've slowed down my run by a min. I'm just looking for other moms that were still doing what they were doing. I have not seen my doctor just yet, so in anticipation I'm asking this.

    i kept running during my pregnancy as long as I could... i think i was 6 months before i got put on bed rest. I kept doing yoga until the very end. My 9 months pregnant weight was 165. My pre-preggo weight was 145. I pretty much popped right back within just a few months.

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