Exercise…& Pregnancy.

Please note, I am NOT a physician. Any type of physical exercise should be discussed with your OBGYN during pregnancy. The below simply reflect my experience, the advice I received, and my personal physical abilities.

For as long as I’ve known about myself, I’ve been an active kid. At the age of 6, I started my journey into athletics when I signed up for gymnastics at our local gym. The years that followed resulted in daily 2-3 hour practices, routines, competitions, new passes, challenging moves, sparkly leotards, injuries, failures, milestones, friendships, and a passion for sport unmatched. By the time I was 13, I was a Level 7 gymnast, who made the difficult decision to walk away from gymnastics and begin my school-affiliated career into volleyball and track and field. For volleyball, I was on travel teams, club teams, and my school team, spanning the entirety of the year with a break during the summer for a few weeks before summer conditioning began. For track and field, I participated in indoor and outdoor track, seasons often overlapping with club volleyball, long days, multiple practices, and the development of a competitive spirit that has never subsided.

My success in volleyball and track led me to the difficult decision of selecting one sport for college. Having been a multi-sport athlete and state champion (team & individual), made it quite difficult for me to decide down which road I wanted to go, particularly from a scholarship perspective. Ultimately, I chose track and signed with the University at Buffalo as a jumper/hurdler. My track career quickly developed into that of a heptathlete, that also did additional events on the side. For those unfamiliar with track, a heptathlete is a 7-event athlete, scored on a separate level in competition. My practices consisted of training for the 100m hurdles, 200m dash, 800m run, high jump, long jump, shot put, and javelin. I also trained for the triple jump (a personal love of mine), as well as the 4x400 at random times for 800m training. Basically, this amounted to multiple practices during the day (lifting and event-specific training), between classes, while obtaining my B.S. in Finance. College track beat the shit out of me, made me vomit, collapse, crumble, cry, gasp, fall (over and over again), yet built me beyond any physical capacity I imagined for myself and allowed me to thrive on a national level. My training partner was a male. The best partner I could have imagined to go through such hell with. My coach joined my workouts, dedicated and determined to make me better every step of the way. My strength coaches challenged and pushed me into lifting weights unimaginable for a 5’10, 155lb. female. My squats surpassed many guys on the football team. My explosiveness grew. And I, I flourished. Sure, there were injuries, failures, moments of anger and frustration, but that desire to be better held on.

Upon graduating from college, I entered law school at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where I continued to run and lift, daily. I entered road races and continued to maintain my physical perseverance and then, while in the process of graduating and studying for the Bar Exam, I decided to take a stab at joining the U.S. Women’s Bobsled Team. People thought I was nuts, but the hard work paid off and I found out I passed the bar and made Team USA all in the same week. After I retried from bobsled, I ran a marathon.

All of this is to say that I am the type of person that does not know a life without grueling exercise. It has become, over the last 26 years, a place of meditation and my place of worship. My safe place to reflect, cry, be angry, rejoice, and feel. The place where all of the thoughts in my head are clarified and at the same resolved. The space in which I find a sense of balance and confidence.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was ecstatic. Stefan and I had been family planning and I, for as long as I can remember, have wanted to be a mama. My joy soon became riddled with some anxieties (i.e. baby’s health, development, nutrition, and weight gain). As someone who has spent my entire life work out, maintaining and monitoring weight, and has experienced my own body image demons and issues, I recognized weight gain would be necessary. My doctor informed me 25-35lbs. was normal and expected. And in fact, you weren’t “eating for two” - you were eating an additional 300 calories per day (which by the way is like an additional 1.5-2 tablespoons of peanut butter a day). So no, “eating for two” was not correct.

I had extensive conversations with my OBGYN about exercise - exercise as it pertained to my health and habits. From what I gathered, exercise was welcomed and promoted, so long as I did not experience pain, cramping, spotting/bleeding, shortness of breath, or other abnormal occurrences, I was fine to continue with my personal regiment (running 3ish miles 4x per week and 1 long (6-8 mile) run per week). My OBGYN further explained not to start any new types of exercise that I had not partaken in prior to pregnancy and that if I were to lift, to keep it light and stop lifting over time as my belly grew and the baby increased pressure on my pelvic floor. I took all of this in with a sense of obligation and relief. I would not have to completely stop what was natural and necessary for me during a time when everything would be changing, shifting, and evolving in ways I had not imagined. So I went about my business and I continued to run. I stopped lifting solely because I did not trust myself in the lifting process. I was used to lifting heavy and intensely and I did not trust that my adjustments would be suitable for the process, so lifting was off the table (for me). With that said, I have many close friends who continue to lift through pregnancy and kill it. So it is quite possible, if desired, to continue lifting, as well.

As I continued with my workout regiment, I found something really curious starting to happen. EVERYONE had an opinion. My colleagues at work questioned me as they saw me go out for lunchtime runs. My family (with all of its good intent, care, and love) started to ask about my mileage and make recommendations. Some friends gave backhanded compliments. Many friends were supportive (most of them athletes or mamas in their own right). And I started to feel quite insecure about the process. I felt like I was doing something wrong. That I, who had taken all of the precautions and asked all of the questions as they pertained to me, was making a mistake. So I made a swift decision. Moving forward, I would only listen to myself, my body, and my doctor about my pregnancy.

I felt good. The baby was developing in a healthy manner. All milestones were being met without concern. All testing was coming back normal and positive. All in all, I was thriving and the baby was healthy - which is all that mattered.

I gained 27lbs. with Julius. He was 2 weeks late and I was induced into labor. 18 hours had passed after I received pitocin that I started to feel contractions. I received an epidural shortly thereafter. 20 hours and 50 minutes after my initial contractions, I started pushing. Julius was born 21 minutes later. He had taken his time getting here, but when it was time, he made a speedy entrance. My labor was easy. There were no complications, concerns, interventions, or emergencies. All 8.8lbs. of him were perfect upon arrival. In the weeks to come, I shed 37lbs. without trying (mostly attributable to breastfeeding), kept it off, and was back into my exercise regiment (with jogging stroller in tow) at 6 weeks. I greatly attribute my easy pregnancy, labor, and subsequent “bounce-back” to my health and continued exercise in the process.

I want to flag this for women who are thinking of becoming mothers or are currently pregnant because many people have opinions. You will hear about what you should do from everything starting with exercise to breastfeeding to swaddling to sleep training and the like. The opinions will never end, whether solicited or not. And I encourage you to take it all with a grain of salt, no matter who offers it. Do your research. Ask your questions. Make your decisions. And own your process.

Pregnancy is an incredibly personal experience that will vary even in your own experience if you choose to have multiple children. It is something that is challenging, draining, rewarding, exciting, and anxiety-inducing all at the same time. But it is wholly your own. I cannot stress that enough. No matter the books you read, the movies and videos you watch, and the people with whom you speak, just remember it is your own and there are no right answers. Do what is best for you and your child, always. Your experience is your own and you are entitled to go through it as you see fit.

-agl.