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Post by OTTB FAN on Mar 9, 2009 13:36:49 GMT -5
So...
I just found out some crazy news, looks like the husband and I are going to have a baby. I'm nervous, going crazy, and I don't really know what to think at this point. All I really want to know is opinions on riding while pregnant. Now, i'm now talking about anything majorly physical, possibly just saddling my horse and walking him around the field a couple times a week. Theres always the possiblity that something would happen and I would get thrown off, but I don't see that happening because I have a wonderful trustworthy horse, but even then, things can still happen. Also at the same time, you can't stop living life in my opinion, thats almost like saying "i'm not going to get in a car while i'm pregnant because theres always a chance i could get in a wreck." I've researched it online and there are many women that still ride when they are pregnant. Infact, I was reading an article about a professional hunter/jumper competing when she was 4 months pregnant and seemed to think it was okay...? Anyway, now you know the story, and now I need opinions. Did you, or would you, ride if you were pregnant?
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Post by Unbound on Mar 9, 2009 13:45:56 GMT -5
I stopped riding as soon as I found out I was pregnant. It wasn't worth the risk for me. I had been pregnant once before, had continued to ride during the early weeks, but at the last ride I took, I started cramping. A couple of weeks after that, I had a miscarriage. I don't know if that was connected or not, but the timeframe would have been right (but there were probably other factors involved, too).
My doctor forbade that I ride in the second pregnancy. I wouldn't have taken the risk anyway - I can wait a few months to ride again.
It's purely a personal choice, though. My best friend rode until she could feel the baby move. I remember us even doing a nice long canter at her request on a trail ride, and me worrying myself to death about her & her baby. But she was fine, and that baby is now a happy 6-year-old!
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Post by Smay on Mar 9, 2009 15:04:35 GMT -5
CONGRATS!!!! That's great news!
When I was young and invincible, I rode with each of my three kids "on board." On my first one, I was so uninformed that, when he was two weeks LATE, I took a couple rides to "get things going." Didn't work. But at the time, I had a very very safe older Morgan gelding that I called my "maternity horse." He had the most brilliant, rocking horse canter. You muscles and joints DO change significantly during pregnancy, which can make riding slightly different, especially toward the end. My doc wasn't too keen on it. But it was kind of a no-ask, no-tell relationship back then. haha
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Post by jenarby on Mar 9, 2009 15:38:24 GMT -5
I stopped riding at 9 weeks due to discomfort. Hannah was very low in my pelvis and it caused a lot of cramp like pain for me. My doctor originally said I could ride through the first trimester while the baby was protected inside the pelvis...but I think that made it worse for me because of how uncomfortable I was. Not only that, most miscarriages happen during that first trimester so I didn't want to take the risk.
BTW, congrats!
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Post by diane on Mar 10, 2009 0:00:51 GMT -5
awww.. congrats....
my dr said what ever you did BEFORE you can do while preggers... I never stopped riding.. I had a safe horse.. one night before Xmas I snuck out and had a nice long slow ride.. Gina was born Jan 10th.. I had no problems.. I always tell her she was almost born on a horse.. I wonder if that made her such a good rider.?
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Post by OTTB FAN on Mar 10, 2009 9:03:44 GMT -5
So you guys think that as long as I have a safe, trustworthy horse, I should be okay to casually ride?
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Post by Unbound on Mar 10, 2009 9:06:29 GMT -5
The best thing is to talk to your doctor, and do what you are comfortable with. I can't personally tell you it's okay or not okay...accidents happen with the best horses. And you know your body better than anyone.
And since I didn't say it before - CONGRATS! This will change your world in so many ways - all for the better!
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Post by OTTB FAN on Mar 10, 2009 9:54:29 GMT -5
I'm not entirely convinced its all for the better yet. I haven't seen my husband happier, ever...he immediately told all of his friends and hasnt stopped smiling since we found out. Me on the other hand, we'll...I'm still not so sure i'm happy, but maybe that will all change. Thanks for the advice though guys. I havent seen a doctor yet, but when I do, I will have a ton of questions to ask - including if I can still ride or not.
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Post by Unbound on Mar 10, 2009 10:09:26 GMT -5
Hehe - don't feel bad. If it was unexpected (and it sounds like it was), then it takes awhile to adjust to news like that. It's a huge, life changing thing. I was someone who didn't enjoy her pregnancy much, but now I wouldn't change having my daughter around for the world!
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Post by OTTB FAN on Mar 10, 2009 16:33:14 GMT -5
oh yea, it was def. unexpected lol I've heard a bunch of pregnant women say that at some point during pregnancy they become really attached to the baby and wouldnt change it for the world, i guess that'll prolly happen for me too. And who knows, maybe I'll have a little horse rider on my hands in the future! (I sure hope so!) I just found out a few days ago and my husband already began picking out names for boys and girls and looking at baby clothes wondering " if its a boy or girl." Lol i cant seem to calm him down.
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Post by adcooper on Mar 10, 2009 19:44:03 GMT -5
Congratulations! I loved being pregnant and having babies. I'm sure you will feel unimaginable love for your baby before you know it.
As for whether or not to ride, trust your instincts. I don't think there's one answer for every woman. I wasn't involved with horses when I was starting my family, but I usually lean toward extra caution, so I am sure I would not have ridden. On the other hand, here you have some exracers who did ride as long as possible, and they had no problems. Listen to your heart, and all will be well.
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Post by niaru on Mar 12, 2009 18:28:11 GMT -5
Congratulations!
For us it was the same as you, hubby was just THRILLED, I, on the other hand, was not. I hated being pregnant. I still can't understand those women who said they loooved being huge and bulky and awkward. It drove me crazy, and if on top of that I couldn't ride, well, I probably would have GONE crazy. lol.
I rode up to 8 and 1/2 month with both babies. I had a very reliable mare who became much calmer when I was pregnant. It was weird. For instance, she always was the "get on and let's go" type, but when I was piling up buckets so I could hoist my big belly up there, she stood like a rock. And promptly reverted to her old ways when I was not pregnant anymore.
One of my doctors wasn't too enthusiastic about me riding, the other one said, "if it's something you've been doing all along and are comfortable with, just keep doing it". I did take a couple tumbles early in the pregnancies, too (mostly just sliding off because my balance was so off!) but nothing came of it. I stopped showing (combined training) at 3 months tho.
Everyone is different and I know seasoned horse women who stopped riding completely when they found out they were pregnant. That was not an option for me, lol!
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Post by luckyleoo6 on Mar 13, 2009 13:32:06 GMT -5
Congratulations!!
I rode while I was pg. My doctor warned me not to. I didn't ride hard, just walking around, perhaps a slow trot. My theory was, anything can happen. You could be waking accross the street and get hit, you could fall down the stairs, get in a MVA. I understood that riding did increase the chances of something happening, but like I said, anything can happen. I'm pretty sure I rode until I had her (30 weeks), but getting on/off was very challenging, I had to have someone help me.
WARNING to riding while pg though: You might create a monster! My dd loves horses, can't get enough riding in. So much, that by the time I help her brush, saddle, ride, I'm too tired to ride myself! It must have started in the womb (or it's in her blood).
As far as not being excited. I was 19 and on the pill when I found out, SO and I were together for 2 years. I was terrified. I hadn't wanted children, or to get married. He was not excited, either. Neither of us liked babies, much less held one or knew what to do with one. I was pre-eclamptic, so I had a rough pregnancy, and gained 75 pounds. After the inital giving birth when they hand them to you, I couldn't hold her for 48 hours because we were both on machines. When I was able to go see her in the NICU, the nurse asked if I wanted to feed her, and all I could think was "No, I don't want to. I have no idea what to do with her, how to feed her." It was so akward. I had no idea what I was doing. When we had to dress her to leave the hospital, the nurse had to help. Here I am though, 5 years later, and I wouldn't change it for the world. She is my joy every day. Her father and I recently broke up, and she is what gets me through the day, to be the best I can.
I can't say when exactly the motherly instinct and love comes, but it does, and you'll be terriffic at it!
Hope that wasn't too long...
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Post by OTTB FAN on Mar 14, 2009 16:53:49 GMT -5
I was around my friend's house and she has a baby that came unexpectedly also, and she is a wonderful mother. So i know i can be done with no experience...which is going to have to be my case (i know nothing about babies) The only thing i'm worried about is my future you know, i'm only 18, but i've got a good man to help me. I guess thats all I can really ask for, so we shall see how it goes  |
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Post by OTTB FAN on Mar 14, 2009 17:00:51 GMT -5
another thing, i havent been to the doctor yet but i should be going like next week...but in the mean time..i've been having strange cramps, almost like period type cramps, and i know i'm only four weeks preg or so, but is my stomach really supposed to get smaller??? I've been eating normal and everything, even more than i usually do, but only drinking milk and water, and it still looks like i'm shrinking... Also the soreness and firmness in my chest area has gone down a huge deal... Is that normal? I don't really know what to expect...
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