Pregnant & Afraid of Exercising

I was exercising 2 hours a day, 5 days a week and finally noticing results after 6 weeks.

I found out I'm pregnant 2 days ago and I'm freaking out.  I haven't exercised and I'm eating horrible.  :(   I know this is the opposite of what I'm suppose to be doing. But I'm scared of going to the gym and losing the baby.  I'm 31 and finally pregnant.  I don't want to take any chances.

I'm feeling a little unmotivated. 

If you don't want to take any chances, make sure you eat really healthy.  There is your motivation for food choices.  You have to eat a lot more than you would for losing of course.  It should be calories needed to maintain, plus 300.  Those are added by dairy mostly I believe and fruits/veggies.  Healthy stuff.

For exercise, you still can but I wouldn't do 2 hours a day.  Just do a little easy walking if you are worried, so you will still be moving, and ask your doctor at your first visit how much he/she recommends.

Congrats on the baby!!!! 

 

If you're in shape there's no reason to stop exercising.  Tone it down if you'd like, but no need to stop.  In fact, you'll regret it.  I can tell you this from experience:  Exercise really DOES make pregnancy AND delivery (ESPECIALLY delivery) a LOT easier.  You feel better, look better (not that that's paramount, but it does wonders for your self-esteem and emotional state), and popping that baby out is less work.

I'd be more focused on making sure you eat enough and that you eat well - you only need about 300-500 calories more per day while pregnant and they need to be good calories ;).  Same goes when you're nursing if you feel you need them (some women feel they need to eat more, some are fine on their regular diets - nursing burns 500 calories per day as well - I gained 15lbs during pregnancy [average gain is 15-30lbs], lost 30 giving birth, and lost another 30 in a year of nursing).

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I gave birth to my first about five months ago and it is so wonderful being a mother. You are going to love it!

I think the best recommendation for exercise is to talk to your doctor and read any information you can find (google "exercise while pregnant"). I walked and jogged during my pregnancy daily and had a quick delivery and didn't gain too much weight.

Two hours at the gym may be a bit much, especially this early in your pregnancy when the baby is the most vulnerable. I guess it just depends on how hard you are working out. I remember there being a maximum heart rate for pregnant women but am not sure what it is.

Again, talk to your doctor and don't panic!!
Hope you have a wonderful pregnancy!

 

 

Thanks for all of your comments. I'm so excited! I made an appointment for July 1st. As of now I'm going to continue working out but only for an hour. Two hours is pretty excessive.

Hi, with my first i exercised everyday so you can still workout when you are pregnant. Like Mcjenny said it will help make the delivery a breeze. Not to mention if you  have a c-section you will recover faster.

Good luck:)

I played soccer and did a boot camp style aerobics class three days before I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant, so don't freak out about hurting or loosing the baby.

But, I would go to the doctor right away and find out what he/she suggests for you. A few days of pigging out or sloth won't hurt you or the baby, but just be aware that it could lead to some very bad habits, so only have a big slice of cake once in a while!

Ch33ry I know that you don't know me, but I want you to do me a HUGE favor.  Whatever you do, don't stop exercising (unless it's dr.s orders).  I freaked out too, and afterwards found out I had no reason to.  For generations women have worked hard in fields all day long and had many successful pregnancies.

NOW I'm certainly not telling you to over do it.  what my research yeilded was that if you worked out before you were pregnant, and you continue to do so, then you can keep doing what feels comfortable to you!  Trust me, your body will tell you when you're doing something you shouldn't.

I freaked out and didn't exercise, and ate whatever my cravings desired (mostly hot dogs and whole chocolate milk) and gained 70 lbs.  It has been 5 years, and with lots of hard work I just got back to pre-pregnancy shape.  You don't need to eat a ton of food, contrary to popular belief, instead have an extra snack.  Keep it healthy.

Don't do what I did, you'll be sorry later trust me!

I was told by a doctor that as long as a pregnant woman is in shape and not overdoing exercise (as in doing more than she was before getting pregnant) then she should be fine. If you're that worried, take it down a notch, but DON't STOP exercising.

It should make labor easier and getting back into pre-pregnancy shape easier too.

I agree with ladylyz, women have been working their tails off while pregnant for thousands of years, and done fine. I took a weight aerobics class where the instructor was pregnant and she'd still work the pants off me doing a class or two every day!