hiking in the first months of pregnancy?

[The Solemates]

my wife did plenty of hiking with our first child. she did not do a thru-hike, but she did do plenty of hiking. and some of that hiking was at altitude. my opinion is similar to marta's. although, for a thru-hike I would be concerned about nutrition etc for the baby....not to mention how tired you may be.

[russb]

I have no advice to offer but I do have a story to share. A gentleman I used to work with hiked the AT back in the late 70's with his new bride. They finished a few weeks after she gave birth. She was pregnant when they started and didn't know it. I wonder if any whiteblazers here ran into them.

[BipolarStroller]

It was just after booking flights to celebrate Crumb's birthday that we found out that we were expecting. I almost opted to stay home and send his brother instead, but having a child would make it so I wouldn't have this opportunity again for a long time, so we went. We checked with the doctor and was told that a healthy pregnancy included exercise and as long as I wasn't being dangerous or carried exessive weight that it would be generally "okay".
I have miscarried before, and I firmly believe that if it is going to happen, not much can be done to stop it, unfortunately. I will be honest, there were a few moments when I thought that our hike was selfish and I had a couple miserable days where the morning sickness really kicked in. We kind of kept it hush, there were enough people scrutenizing our choice, and I felt sorry for the college kids on spring break that came upon me during a morning session of the dry heaves,they were like,"dude, are you okay? Want us to find you some help?"
But Crumb did everything he could think of to make me comfortable, even hanging out in a shelter for a day with me while I was sick, and not letting me carry anything but our sleeping bags. He even carried bags of fresh vegtables and fruit for me.
The worst part was the plane ride, but I only went for a few weeks, before I got jacked up on an icey mountain.
Think this out completely, how long are you going for? If you are healthy and strong before getting pregnant, it's a lot easier whether you're hiking or not. I had a friend who jogged 8 miles every morning up until her 38 week, but she was always a jogger.
Congratulations, and best wishes.

[KMACK]

What does the father think?

[Catnip]

As a mother of 5, I say go for it, but be flexible. You may have morning sickness and need to adjust your food plans. You may have periods of exhaustion and need to take a nap during the day. Definitely get the prenatal vitamin and extra folic acid. The folic acid is important for preventing neural tube (spinal cord) defects. Have fun, and congratulations!

[Ladytrekker]

I was going to be on the trail for two months starting mid-April, GA. I just found out that I am pregnant. My question is: should I abandon the idea of my dream hike now? or is solo long distance hiking during the first months of pregnancy still feasible? I am healthy and in shape.

thank you for your responses and
happy trails,
t.

I would cancel mainly because the first trimester is your body getting used to supporting two and I remember that I was exhausted during my first 3 to 4 months, I had to take naps which is something I normally never do. I also had a lot or morning sickness and you know what that baby is worth every sacrifice you will ever have to make and regret nothing.

[Tanya]

Well, I have to cancel the hike after all. It turned out that I have extremely low hemoglobin and almost no iron. As the doctor put, "you're running on empty." She was amazed that two years ago I ran a marathon. She can't believe that I am running now, without experiencing any nausea or shortness of breath.

I was amazed in turn to find out that I am very anemic, because I've always been fairly active. As far as hiking is concerned, when I hiked with my friends, I carried the heaviest backpack and got to the shleter hours ahead of everyone else. Last year, when my friend and I were ascending Mt. Moosalaki, a couple of thru-hikers told us that we probably don't realize it, but we're stronger than many thru-hikers out there.
In the winter, my favorite place to be is the cross country skiing center in Lake placid - skiing 15-25 miles a day is my idea of a perfect pass-time. I am not saying all this to boast or anything, just to express the measure of my surprise when I found out that with my blood count, I shouldn't be capable of enjoying all these activities.

In any case, the doctor told me in very strong terms that she does not recommend going off on what is a relatively strenuous hike, especially alone, that with my condition the risks are higher.

Deep in my heart, I am completely certain that everything would have been fine. But at the same I know that I would never forgive myself if something happened.

So I'll have to hang around here. I'll just keep on running and doing short hikes.

I am very disappointed that I have to postpone the hike. I've been obssessing about AT for many years. And this is the second time that I have to postpone it. I even had to take off the entire semester (I am an adjunct at a community college) because my plans were all set. The back pack was all ready. My heart and my mind were already in the woods and the mountains. So it's huge letdown to stay home after all. But I am happy about the baby.

anyway, thank you all for listening and taking time to write your thoughts. I truly appreciate it.

Happy trails,
t.

[Blissful]

The trail will be there, Tonya. Take care and enjoy this special time in your life, really. Who knows, maybe you will be like me, wait 30 years then be able to hike it one day with your child.

[berninbush]

Tanya, is there any proof that you were anemic before the pregnancy? I know pregnancy can get all kinds of things out of whack. I was told by a phlebotomist that many women experience anemia (knowingly or unknowingly) with their monthly cycle.

If you've never had any symptoms, I would question whether you've always been anemic or whether this is a new thing. The only way to know would be to look at blood counts taken a while back.

If iron supplements don't improve your counts, I would also say you should push to find out what's going on, as there are various conditions that can cause anemia.

Sorry about your hike, but congratulations on the baby.

[BumpJumper]

Even the healthies of women can have complications early. I would not go it alone.

[modiyooch]

I did a short section of the at in GA when I was 7 months pregnant, but I was only permitted to carry 20 pounds and the temperature had to be below 75 degrees per my doctor. I was 27 yrs old.

In the early stages of pregnancy I was permitted to excercise, but no situps. She failed to tell me not to run, and I abrupty had to stop when she found out.

At nine months my doctor was upset with us for day hiking to the falls off the parkway. The concern at that point was if I ran into trouble too far away from help.

ask your doctor ASAP and let us know.

[modiyooch]

oops, just read your follow up post. I know that you are disappointed. Did you ask the doctor under what conditions you could hike eg companion, lightweight, slower days? I would think that running would be more harmful, but I'm not a medical doctor. I would research, research, research. Not everyone is the same. Your mental health is important, too; but,always, always put the health of the baby first. Congrats.

[Tanya]

Tanya, is there any proof that you were anemic before the pregnancy?

Oh, I've had low blood count since childhood. But no doctor ever bothered to explain to me what it means and what the symptoms and consequences might be. I am actually quite upset with my former gyn, because even though she knew we were trying to conceive, she never warned me about the low count. When I talked to the doctor today, she said that two years ago (when I was with another doctor) I was very anemic. On the other hand, my unawareness might have been a blessing in disguise because whatever discomforts I felt when I got up at 5 am to run before work or toiling up Huayna Potosi, I just pushed beyond until I found a comfort zone. Had I known that dizziness and ocasional feeling of weakness are actually a sign of anemia and not weak will, I might have stopped whenever I was tempted. In any case, I'll continue doing what I love - being outdoors, and hope that the trail will still be there for me and my baby. Accidentally, my first "hike" was before I could actually walk - on my father's back, in his huge backpack, and I frimly believe that those early outings engendered my love for and dependency on nature, and I'm eternally grateful to my parents for this. So I'm hoping I'll be able to have the same experience with my child.

Sorry about your hike, but congratulations on the baby.

Thank you! We've been waiting for it for a very long time.

Thank you again, all who read and all who answered my posts.

happy trails,
t.

[Pokey2006]

It's actually quite common for women to become anemic when pregnant. Iron supplements should take care of that. I'd get a second opinion, just because, who knows? It may or may not be as serious as the doctor implied.

And if it really would be too dangerous to do a long-distance hike, you can still day-hike, do short overnights, etc. The trail isn't going anywhere. And motherhood is its own kind of long-distance hike.

[Tanya]

Oops, I screwed up the quoting in the previous post and included my reply in the quote. My reply begins with the words "Oh, I've had low..."

[Blissful]

And motherhood is its own kind of long-distance hike.

ha ha, ain't that the truth.

[Pokey2006]

ha ha, ain't that the truth.

Ya, a long-distance hike with no Katahdin at the end...

[berninbush]

In a way it's comforting to know you've always been anemic. Didn't mention this before, but I used to work for a leukemia doctor. Sudden unexplained anemia can mean very bad things. If this is just how your body is naturally, it's less likely to be anything scary... just something you have to manage and live with.

One interesting thing I found out, women naturally have lower hemoglobin counts than men. So a woman with anemia is not so far off "normal" as a man with the same hemoglobin count would be.

[Bear Cables]

I taught aerobics and coached basketball up to the deliver of my first child and no problems. But...the "solo" part sounds risky to me. Dreams don't go away even if delayed. Maybe some shorter trips might fill the need in the interim.

[foreversuperawesome]

Being pregnant should not stop you from your dream. There is a lot of women out there that runs marathon like a few months before they are due. I am sure you would more than fine. Exercising is good for you!