Backpacking while pregnant?

“Let's say that someone I know might possibly want to get pregnant before summer. Say in May if everything went perfectly. What's the rule on backpacking and hiking in the first 3 or 4 months?”

“Hey DOC..

Need any help with that little project ?

*wink*”

“i would defineatly ask a doctor, but I think the consensus is that exercise is really good for the unborn baby, but you need to keep your HR down.”

“Why not try to concieve on the trail......or slightly off the trail. Kill two birds with one stone.”

“what deathmarch said...always ask your doc...my wife is currently pregnant...if you're like most pregnant women though, the first and last trimester are usually out...too tired and possibly sick in the first and just too big in the last...you should be fine...we asked our doctor about my wife hiking and she said as long as she didn't get out of breath she'd be fine”

“The general rule for exercise is that if you were already doing it regularly then you can continue after getting pregant as long as you feel like it. I know some folks that did backpack while pregnant.”

“"technically" we went car camping and hiking while my wife was pregnant...she was about 2 weeks and we didn't know yet...so we say our boy has already been camping”

“We're planning on camping in the Smokies this spring. My wife will be about 4 months along at the time.

You'll want to do this fairly early in the pregnancy before you have to pee about 10x a night.”

“My doctor's only caveats were keep it under 6 miles a day and carry no more than 10 lbs.”

“a lot depends on how active your wife or gf is now. Some women keep excerising right up to birth. One female trainer at the gym is about due. From the backside you would never even know she was even pregnant. Even from the front she still looks better than most..lol”

“Chris...you know winking is not the way to get it done...right?

Doc, my advice is check with the OBGYN, he knows about the patient. Additionally I would look at the history of previous pregnancies. This the first or second?”

“My wife ran during her entire pregnancy. Her mileage decreased as the pregnancy progressed and she cut out the weekend long runs, but she never stopped running. All the way up to a couple days before our son was born.

As far as backpacking goes, I would be more concerned about being many hours away from potential medical support if something unplanned happened than the physical exertion of the hiking. I have read that mothers in excellent physical condition and who exercise regularly during pregnancy experience less of the typical adverse symptoms.”

“Is it just me or is it all guys responding to this thread ?

If so I think that is SO SWEET. ;)”

“Get a clue daydreamer.”

“whoa... treebait.

missed your post.. SO SORRY..”

“Hey daydreamer and treebait..

I got your " clue " right here.. come and get it girlz !!!”

“Treebait, Daydreamer...need to borrow my evidence magnifying glass and some Hemostats (LOL)....CRISPY NEEDS a partner since with two people looking it will be easier to find.”

“Good idea BearMagnet. We could conceive on the summit of Mt Whitney!

Thanks for the advice guys. We'll definitely ask the Doctor, but I've heard they're not supposed to lift too much weight...I just didn't know when that rule kicked in.”

“I have often heard that a pregnant woman can keep doing excerises that she did as she became pregnant, but I would double check with a doctor.

Also, I would be concerned about hikes that were more.....risky, where a person may have more of a chance of slipping or falling. Some of it may come down to a person's comfort level, what risks they are willing to take or perceive they are or are not taking.
last edited: 3/10/06 5:17:34 PM”

“There's not a lot of privacy on top of Whitney.

There's a curious thing about the oxygen curve, won't bore you all, but what it amounts to is that if mom is a little oxygen deprived, baby is a lot more oxygen deprived. So backpacking at altitude may not be the best place unless it's just to conceive.”

“My wife went with me to West Virginia in January '83 on a trip where we saw a low of 8 degrees.

Our first son was born May 29 of that year.

Her mother offered her several hundred bucks to stay home..............we still laugh about that one.”

“Sass BP'd till she was about 7 or so months preggers. I read of a woman who did the AT while preggers. Depends on how fit you are to start I imagine...”

“Hey ChrisP,

I got your clue?

Really? Might want to get a clue yourself. I'm not partial to idiots talking that kind of crap to my wife.

Shut your hole.”

“I'd be interested to see how the hip strap on her pack works out. It only expands so much.

My wife kept a normal exercize routine until the third trimester. Everything turned out fine.”

““I'd be interested to see how the hip strap on her pack works out. It only expands so much.

Our doc told Sass not to use her hipbelt and to limit the weight to 25lbs.”

“hey, there's an idea.......develop a hipbelt for pregnant women...........who wants to be the first millionaire?????”