Cycling to work while pregnant??

smallbrowncat

Hi all

Just wondering if any of you have some views on cycling while pregnant? I just found out on the weekend I'm pregnant with my first (yay!). I do a nice easy cycle on a hybrid commuter about 5kms to work in Dublin (from Castleknock/Ashtown area down Navan Road into the north inner city). I have been cycling for about a year and I really enjoy it... but am I being really foolish? There's lots of info on UK websites about the pros/cons of cycling when pregnant, especially in London, but I was wondering about people who've done it in Dublin? Taxis, white vans and Bus Eireann drivers are my main concern...!

I'm going for my first GP appointment tomorrow and I'm going to ask the doc - previously she had said to me it was fine but I wonder if she thought I meant a stationary bike? Going to clarify it with her. Obviously if she says stop I will.

Thanks

Caroline_ie

I know of 2 current friends/team mates pregnant and cycling. One of them is about 6 months at the moment and still trains. She was racing up to her 4th month, followed by a doctor.

Exercising pregnant women are too few while it's known to be absolutely fine and very healthy to do so, as long as you watch your heart rate so I am told.

As for the traffic, people won't be driving more dangerously just because you're pregnant.

kincsem

I knew a woman who played squash when eight months pregnant. She was a better squash player than most guys.

When I was born my mother walked about a mile to the hospital with her suitcase. Her big problem was getting rid of a neighbour who had dropped in for a chat.

Tenzor07

My opinion would be that cycling in Dublin city is anything from dangerous to quite risky when pregnant, we just don't have the proper cycling infrastructure to make it safe at the best of times...Even a minor incident such as having to stop suddenly or hitting an unexpected pothole could lead to a fall...

seamus

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Even a minor incident such as having to stop suddenly or hitting an unexpected pothole could lead to a fall...

To be fair, an experienced commuter (not necessarily a hobby cyclist) will not fall from having to stop suddenly.
A pregnant woman will naturally find herself riding far more cautiously anyway, so the only real risk posed is by other traffic doing stupid things.

My one concern towards the 6th - 9th months would be back pain. A proper sit-up-and-beg riding position would help with this, but I can't see a road bike being very comfortable with a bump.

kennyb3

I reckon it a personal decision for you to make OP.

Lumen

Tenzor07 wrote: »

My opinion would be that cycling in Dublin city is anything from dangerous to quite risky when pregnant, we just don't have the proper cycling infrastructure to make it safe at the best of times...Even a minor incident such as having to stop suddenly or hitting an unexpected pothole could lead to a fall...

Following that logic (that cycling in Dublin is some sort of extreme sport) we should all give up cycling when we have children for fear of making them orphans.

oflahero

The Guardian, as you might expect, is robustly in favour:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/may/21/pregnant-cyclists

Tenzor07

Lumen wrote: »

Following that logic (that cycling in Dublin is some sort of extreme sport) we should all give up cycling when we have children for fear of making them orphans.

In the context of being pregnant cycling in the city, then that statement of it being an "extreme sport" is not too far wide of the mark!


hey, but that's just my opinion! :rolleyes:

Hmmzis

In general, if you have cycled before you got pregnant then it should be fine until the bump starts to interfere.

A colleague's wife was cycling up until the 6th month. Now they have a very healthy baby boy.

It would be a different story if you would want to pick up cycling while pregnant. That's not generally recommended. When my gf wanted to pick up cycling last spring we found out that she's pregnant and the doc said a big No to cycling.

doozerie

In case she doesn't spot it, I'll point my wife at this thread as she continued to cycle quite far into her pregnancy so she can talk from personal experience. She is a confident bike rider though and to my mind that's one of the most important aspects of this - if you are in any way nervous on the bike under normal circumstances then you may be more nervous cycling under a different set of circumstances such as while pregnant and this nervousness would be more likely to pose a greater risk to you than pretty much anything else.

Incidentally, my wife felt our daughter move about a lot whenever she was cycling down a hill. So even before she was born she seemed to enjoy the thrill of a descent. She still does, but now it's while in her child trailer while being towed behind a bike!

Congratulations by the way!

clonmahon

Lot of interviews with pregnant women who cycle
http://simplybikeblog.com/?cat=11

jameverywhere

Five kilometres is not very far at all. You'll be fine until the physical changes cause your bike to be uncomfortable... but even with a big belly, sitting upright on a Dutch bike for 5 kms shouldn't be particularly painful.

Basically, exercise won't hurt your baby as long as you're not hurting yourself. Don't cycle to exhaustion or dehydration and you'll be grand.

NamelessPhil

I cycled while pregnant up to 38 weeks. The baby didn't arrive until nearly two weeks after her due date, so claims that cycling while pregnant will lead to a faster/earlier delivery date may not always be correct.

I'm an experienced commuter and my route is 10km from the southside to Dublin city centre. My bike is a flat-barred Kona hybrid with 23mm tyres. The cycling position is more upright than a racer but not as upright as a Dutch bike. I found it far more comfortable cycling than walking particularly in the later months of the pregnancy. I has no loss of balance, a pregnancy bump is centrally located so your centre of gravity doesn't change too much.

I was pretty fit before I got pregnant and was used to my route, the downhill in the mornings was great and I was a bit slower going uphill in the evenings. As doozerie mentioned the baby seemed to like going downhill fast and still does! I still got commuter raced in the mornings! I had no problems with overheating or feeling faint and I hated taking the bus in the mornings late in the pregnancy, being on the bike was better and I was always guaranteed a seat!

After the birth (c-section) it took a few weeks to get back on the bike, but no problems since. There are a couple of physiological advantages to being pregnant, your blood volume goes up and you have more red blood cells circulating, so your body is better able to perform, like a legitimate version of EPO. The effects last for a few months after giving birth so for any athletes your performance may be marginally better.

tl:dr. If you are a confident cyclist go for it. It's nicer than the bus, and more fun.

fat bloke

The benefit of the exercise for yourself and the baby will far far far far far (did I say far?) outweigh any potential risk.

If you stop cycling, what's next - rule out stairs? (According to this they're 5 times more hazardous than your bike: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jan/14/mortality-statistics-causes-death-england-wales-2009).

My wife cycled to work throughout both pregnancies, and when she couldn't quite manage the bicycle anymore, I did what any loving husband would do.

I bought her a motorbike.

Mycroft H

This not a question for your obstetrician?

Sr. Assumpta

I presume she doesn't actually sit there when she's out on her bike.......

Beasty

Lumen wrote: »

Following that logic (that cycling in Dublin is some sort of extreme sport) we should all give up cycling when we have children for fear of making them orphans.

I'm worth a lot more to my kids (and wife) dead than I am alive;)

Lumen

Beasty wrote: »

I'm worth a lot more to my kids (and wife) dead than I am alive;)

Only accountants think like that :-)

manwithaplan

My wife cycled to work up to her maternity leave on our four children. She didn't fall off so this is of no experimental value to you. The children are all a bit odd, if that helps.

ROK ON

I took up cycling after a 15 year break when my wife was pregnant with our first kid.

Once the kid was born I upped my cycling.
She then mysteriously became pregnant again. So I cycled some more.
We now have three kids. I cycle a lot. It didn't impact on the pregnancies in the slightest.

doozerie

manwithaplan wrote:

My wife cycled to work up to her maternity leave on our four children.

That's unconventional, most people would opt to cycle on the road. Between cycling while pregnant and cycling on children I think I can already hear the rattle of thousands of rosary beads around the country while people pray for the lost souls of the posters in this thread.

manwithaplan

doozerie wrote: »

That's unconventional, most people would opt to cycle on the road.

They're a bit bigger now so carry her around on a litter, Queen of Sheba-style. That's why we had four of them.

Beasty

manwithaplan wrote: »

The children are all a bit odd, if that helps.

There's another input into that formula that, based on my knowledge, could be the cause ....;)

smallbrowncat

Thanks all for your comments!! Especially those from people whose partners/themselves have cycled when preggers.

My GP was firmly of the view that I should keep cycling to keep the weight off! So I'll be on my bike hopefully for a while yet! Taking more precautions eg I am not using big roundabouts (like the dangerous one at Ashtown Gate - who plants great big bloody trees on a roundabout????) - dismounting and walking my bike across the road. I always avoid overtaking on the inside too, especially trucks and buses.