Grit Doctor: Should I run when I am pregnant?

Q I’ve just found out I’m pregnant. It’s my first baby. I’m 30 and have been running regularly for eight years – about 3-4 miles most days. But my GP has told me I should stop. I’ve not run all week since seeing the GP and getting the pregnancy confirmed, but is this good advice? Didn’t Paula Radcliffe and Jo Pavey run when pregnant? It seems a bit old-fashioned advice to me. Running keeps me on such a good level mentally I’m not sure I want to give it up, with my pregnancy hormones wrecking havoc with my moods! Obviously I will do whatever the doctor says if they are right. What do you think? Emsie

A My GP said the same thing to me when I was 34 and pregnant with twins. I suppose a twin pregnancy is more fraught with risks than a singleton, but if I had my time again – as an established runner in good health –I'd have ignored her advice completely and continued running slowly until it no longer felt comfortable.

However, there may be a specific medical reason – of which your doctor is aware and I am not – that makes it unsafe for you to continue running. For example, if you have had several previous miscarriages or suffer from high blood pressure. It is also a bad idea to take up a new sport when pregnant, especially a contact sport, for the obvious associated risks: injury, strains, and the possibility of a fall or knock to the abdomen.

So, please go back to your doctor and discuss the advice that follows first, to rule out any underlying reason not disclosed here as to why you shouldn’t be running.

If there is no underlying problem, then there is no reason for you to stop running. Pregnant women should exercise.

Benefits

Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise a day is what the NHS advises. This probably equates roughly to your regular three-to-four mile run. The benefits to your pregnancy from regular exercise are endless: it can help stabilise your blood pressure and body weight; reduce risks such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia, and even the risk of a Caesarean delivery. Running will help you maintain a positive body image and fight off antenatal depression, keeping you on an even keel mentally at a time when hormonal fluctuations might dictate otherwise. Plus, it helps you regain your shape after birth and may even help you cope with labour. To quote from the NHS on the topic: "Keep up your normal daily physical activity or exercise (sport, running, yoga, dancing, or even walking to the shops and back) for as long as you feel comfortable. Exercise is not dangerous for your baby – there is some evidence that active women are less likely to experience problems in later pregnancy and labour." (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pregnancy-exercise.aspx)

However, some tweaks to your regular running routine will be needed at different stages of your pregnancy. Provided after revisiting your doctor, you get the all-clear to continue, this is what I suggest for safe running during your pregnancy:

Easy does it: Running is great, yes, but best done in moderation at all stages of pregnancy. Keep the breath test in mind: you should be able to hold a normal conversation while you run. Make this your guide and then you won’t overdo it.

Posture

Beware clumsy clot-itis: your posture and running gait will change with your body shape and weight gain. The curve of your spine alters too and pregnancy hormones make your tendons supple for the uterus to expand. With the growing baby pushing upwards squishing your diaphragm, you may find that you get more breathless.

So bear all this in mind and make the necessary adjustments and tweaks to your route, distance and pace to ensure you and your baby remain safe. Re-evaluate all these variables throughout your pregnancy as you may feel quite different from one run to the next.

Listen up: If your body and baby are not up for a run, they will quickly let you know. If you feel sick, dizzy, overtired, out of breath or, it just feels wrong, stop. There may come a time in your pregnancy when it no longer feels comfortable to run at all. This is the time to swap it for something else. Swimming is great in the latter stages of pregnancy. I went for epic walks when pregnant with twins. There is no reason why you can’t be going for a long walk right up to your labour. During it even! Do make sure you eat a diet rich in iron (green leafy veg like kale and lean red meat are excellent sources) to guard against anaemia which is a common pregnancy problem that affects how your body delivers oxygen to the muscles and can leave you feeling shattered after exercise.

Back in days of yore, they thought all sorts of nonsense about pregnant women such as raised arms above your head caused the umbilical cord to wrap around your baby’s neck.

Victorian women were confined to their beds for the third trimester and encouraged to wear corsets during their pregnancies. We now know that the more active our pregnancies, the better. Look at Paula Radcliffe, Jo Pavey and Derval O’Rourke – fantastic athletes and role models who kept on running well into their pregnancies.

Look at Swedish duathlete Eva Nystrom, who swapped her running shoes for cross-country skis when pregnant– and was out on her skis hours before labour – and you can see how far we have come.

Ruth Field is author of Run Fat B!tch Run, Get Your Sh!t Together and Cut the Crap.