Hiking Through Pregnancy

How Hiking While Pregnant Kept Me Sane and Got Me Through My Pregnancy.

Spoiler Alert: I’m not one of of those women who loved pregnancy. In fact, I didn’t enjoy it. I was uncomfortable, craved foods you’re not allowed to eat, was overly tired, and at points it was pretty painful. You can read my post on round ligament pain here. If you’ve been here on the blog before or followed me on Instagram, you know that I had a pretty active pregnancy and this post gets a bit more into the how and why. Towards the end of my pregnancy though, I had to scale back on the skiing and the biking, but couldn’t stomach sitting on the couch all day everyday. So hiking through pregnancy, got me through pregnancy.

How so?

Invigorating:

My body needs to move in order to feel good. When I’m sedentary, I’m tired and feel uncomfortable. When you’re pregnant, half the time you just want to sit there. I wasn’t sleeping well at night. I was getting up to pee all of the time. And then during the day, I was working and that was sapping my energy as well. Exercise was something that I needed to break that cycle. Hiking is exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise. A swift hike can be invigorating and give you back a bit of your energy.

Mood Boosting:

There is no substitute for boosting my mood than being outdoors. Taking a hike through the woods, or along the top of our local ski resort really helped me to forget about being uncomfortable and to focus on the blessing that was growing inside of me. Early on I was able to ride my bike and get these same feelings on another level, but as my belly grew, riding my bike became less comfortable and a bit more of a risk. So hiking replaced a very important form of exercise for me.

Intention Setting:

Our family of three (the two of us and the dog) was very quickly becoming a family of four. These hikes gave us time to think, to talk, and to plan. It gave us time to be thankful for our life together before the baby. And that time gave way to envisioning our life as our family expands.

Tips for Hiking While Pregnant:

Hydrate:

Drink plenty of water before, during, and after. Yes you will have to pee but that’s better than becoming dehydrated. This might be pretty obvious when hiking during the warmer months, but it is still very true when the weather is a bit chilly or downright cold.

Dress Appropriately and Comfortably:

Make sure you have the right footwear and comfortable clothes for the weather. Your center of gravity changes as your belly grows, so you want to make sure you are stable on your feet. Sturdy shoes or hiking boots are great for this. On the same wavelength, you’re borderline uncomfortable to begin with so you don’t want to wear too much or too little clothing (that might make the hike more of a trudge).

Pregnancy Support:

Part of dressing appropriately might mean the addition of a belly band, or compression socks. Towards the end of my pregnancy the Belly Bandit was a lifesaver and I couldn’t go without for any length of time, let alone while hiking.

Scope the Place Out:

Know where you are going. It’s helpful to know the type of terrain you will be hiking, the length of the trail (so you can turn around in the middle if you need to), how to get there and what is nearby. If you don’t hike often, you might want to start with something local, and easier. If you’re used to hiking, then you know your limits and what you can comfortably do while pregnant.

Don’t Hike Solo:

While hiking is pretty safe, it’s a good idea to not hike alone. Just in case something were to happen you have someone to get help. But there is also additional added benefit to hiking with someone: they can help carry your stuff, they’re an extra hand to hold when you need it depending on terrain, and it can be nice to have someone to chat with.