 Poster: A snowHead
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Folks,
not sure where to put this question - are there any hard and fast guidelines out there as to whether or not a pregnant lady should ski and if so, up to/from what point in the pregnancy would it be possible to ski?
... theoretical question for us at present but just covering bases !!! 
all answers appreciated
d
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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doogo, good luck with your pregnancy!
Here's a previous snowHeads thread on exactly that topic, with links to other threads on skiing when pregnant.
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brian
brian
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doogo, there was a big (and contentious) thread on this a while back. I don't think there are any hard and fast rules but keep in mind that you often have no control over whether someone else hits you and they could be travelling. I think the question is could you live with the consequences if the worst happened (as it undoubtedly could).
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doogo, I had exactly this question last season. I sought advice from my doctor. No amount of physical exercise etc will in itself cause an issue e.g miscarriage. This happens because there is something fundamentally wrong and therefore nature takes its course. This was my concern.
I skied/boarded in early stages of pregnancy. As long as you are fit and healthy and used to exercise you should be ok. I only took part up to 3 months as the season then ended. As long as you feel comfortable and confident then this should be the deciding factor.
You can alsways try and time things around the season like we did! 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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doogo, My worry would be less what I did when skiing, but more what OTHERS did. As brian, above says you have no control on whether someone crashes into you, but that COULD be enough to start a miscarriage. On a more prosaic level, slips and falls can happen anywhere - they're probably more likely on snow and ice! I admit that as someone who had two traumatic miscarriages, my view may be coloured, but accidents DO happen - you'd then have to live with the "what ifs..." 
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My wife and I went skiing when she was around 15 weeks pregnant. No major problems except my daughter who's now 13 falls over a lot 
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doogo, having had this debate very recently (my son is 4 weeks old now - and been skiing 2x already ... inside!), I will tell you what we thought and did.
We went skiing at 13 weeks and at 20 weeks. At 20 weeks the bump was only just beginning to show because my wife was pretty compact until the end, so this may be a very practical consideration in terms of comfort.
For us, the considerations were:
- There are many things that could cause a miscarriage, and a fall while skiing wouldn't necessarily be the cause of one either ...
- At the same time, if you had an fall while skiing, would you ever be able to avoid the inevitable doubt and blame that it 'may' have caused a miscarriage should one occur?
- How good are you ... could you ski an entire week without falling over and handle even the supposedly easy slope which is suddenly very cut up or icy? For us, we were going to a low key French resort for a weekend at 13 weeks - and then to another resort we had been to 2x already, so knew pretty well and knew we could avoid nasty surprises as we knew the easy runs, the ones that got busy in the afternoons etc.
- Are you prepared to stop before you get tired, or stay at home if the conditions are bad i.e. low viz etc., take a Gondola down at the end of the day.
- Can you relax and ski normally, or are you going to be constantly nervous? On our first trip at 13 weeks, my wife was extremely nervous to start with and had 2 little falls ... after that I told her to just ski normally, but keep the speed down and stay under control and after that she was fine. In fact she didn't fall once on the following week long holiday at 20 meeks - she just skied in control and stopped when tired (i.e. had the hot chocolate while I did a run or 2). If you are going to be nervous, then you increase the chances of falling through your skiing technique going to pot.
- Are you fit!
In the end you have to make your own mind up ... good luck with everything.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I think that agavin's post sums it up nicely.
One thing that I would add is that in the first trimester, the womb is still very small and contained inside the bony pelvis. At this stage of pregnancy, the trauma enought to cause a miscarriage would have to be huge, either serious penetrating trauma, or blunt trauma enough to cause a true fracture pelvis (not just pubic ramii which is what most people have when they're told they have a fracture pelvis), both of which are extremely rare. The upshot of this is that it is highly unlikely that in the first and early second trimester that anything that you could do skiing, even being hit by another skier at some speed, would cause a miscarriage.
The flipside to this is that the first and early second trimesters are the times that a miscarriage is most likely to happen anyway, usually due to no factor that can be controlled by the mother. It is therefore a possibility (1 in 3 pregnancies end in a miscarriage unfortunately) that the miscarriage may occur during your skiing holiday, purely as a coincidental event, rather than because of something that you've done. If that was to happen it may be difficult to deal with the doubt that may occur afterwards.
I think that the long and short of it is, and as a skiing GP I've looked into this a bit more than most, there is no right or wrong answer. For some skiing is the last thing that they should be doing when pregnant, for others they should get on and do it. Talk to your partner about it, see what you both feel, and take it from there.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Kramer, ta for the detail - much appreciated - both the wife and i are hoping to combine the two this winter - obviously nothing for sure - after all you can never rely on the weather can you !!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Would insurance companies touch ya on this one? I'm not too sure.
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paulm, you would have to check with your individual insurance company to get confirmation and the specific details, but I believe that most of them would cover you for skiing in early pregnancy, purely for the reasons stated above that skiing is unlikely to cause any problems.
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You know it makes sense.
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Sister in-law who boards is pregnant(early) has come across a wee problem. They wont let her fly. she's havin' to go by ferry.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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paulm, how far gone? Usually the airlines will take you up to the point where there is a significant chance that you will give birth on the flight! At least that was the way it was with my wife's pregnancies. If she's reached that stage then possibly boarding isn't the right thing to be doing anyway. Having said that my wife continued to mountain bike well into the sixth month without any problems.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I skiied when I was about 11 weeks pregnant. Kramer is right about early pregnancy; the foetus is protected by the pelvis and the uterus doesn't move up until 12 - 14 weeks. My GP's advice was not to take up new sports and that I should be OK to ski but keep on piste. I've heard of ski instructors skiing well into their pregnancies (6 months or so) but taking it a bit easier by then.
The other thing is that strenuous exercise should be avoided - the mother's heartrate should not go above 140 bpm.
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/51/40827.htm
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/4/1680_51796 (in fact this one advises against downhill skiing!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I read the comments with interest before going skiing when I was 17weeks. I'm 39 and have 3 children aged 12,13 and 15. This one is an unexpected, much wanted surprise but I had promised the children a skiing holiday and didn't want to let them down. I am an experienced skier and I decided the biggest risk would be other skiers crashing in to me. I am pleased to say I have returned safely and during the week skiing I felt the baby wriggling more than ever! I started my week skiing very carefully which I've never done before and I found I was hopeless so I decided to chill and enjoy it and I skied much better thereafter. I did have a couple of minor tumbles but nothing major. I was constantly listening to what was behind me and stopped to let any groups past if I felt unsure. My biggest challenge was doing up my ski boots and needing to stop regularly for the loo! I hope someone finds this helpful. 
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Twizzle, welcome to snowheads.  Have a lovely baby!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Twizzle, welcome to snowheads. FOr some unknown reason (entirely unrelated to the three pnts I just had at the pub quiz) I am inordinately pleased that you enojoyed your skiing holiday while pregnant!
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Good luck to you and your pregnancy... I'm skiing right now and if I am pregnant it's early days. We started trying a few months ago and my OH said "don't you even DARE consider cancelling your holiday!". I plan on riding my horse too until I'm no longer *ahem* able to get my leg over.
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Twizzle, welcome to snowheads. Great 1st post and congratulations.
I now remember why I had that vasectomy
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Congratulations!
I discovered I was pregnant early January 2006 whilst working a season in the Dolomites. I didn't want to tell anyone I worked with at first, and a large part of my job was ski/snowboarding with guests. I went to the doctor and asked his opinion, he was a rather stuffy bloke who said that during the first three months of pregnancy excessive small bumps can rattle the baby round and move it too much due to it being small in the womb and having space to move around. I still couldn't tell anyone at work, so continued to ski AND snowboard daily. My colleagues were suspicious when I wasn't doing crazy stuff with them on days off as usual, I took it fairly easy though and everything was fine - I skied or boarded every day for almost three months (although I did eventually tell work so as ski hosting daily during the first three months of pregnancy became rather exhausting.
I don't know where the doctor had gained his info, I felt terrible about ignoring it (his wife was pregnant at the time too, he said he wouldn't let her ride a push bike and certainly not ski) but my son is now 2 1/2, has taken to skiing outside of the womb and is strong, healthy and no harm done. We did experience a terribly difficult birth however, due to his cord being wrapped around his neck three times - they told me in hospital this is often caused by the baby moving around to much early in pregnancy when it's got plenty of space! Linked? Who could ever know!!?
Like everything in pregnancy you have to make the judgement for yourself and when you make a decision to do something you are responsible for it - it's your body and your baby. There'll be many people who think you are terrible and stupid for skiing while pregnant (I remember looks I'd get it people knew) but you rise above it and do what feel is the right thing for you - you're not public property.
Make sure you take a snack with you at all times! The main problem I experienced was becoming suddenly hungry and needing to eat immediately! God help anyone with you who's not ready to stop!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
I remember that! In the supermarket checkout, ripping open a packet of arrowroot biscuits because, if I didn't eat IMMEDIATELY I'd either faint or throw up
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I remember that too, most vividly whilst jolting round Dominica on appalling roads. The driver stopped at a small wayside shop where the only thing available, piled high on every shape, was tins of sardines. Not quite what I'd had in my mind; I was craving carbohydrates and had already exhausted my supply of marmalade sandwices. So I had to throw up instead, beside the road under a banana tree.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Mrs Boris went skiing when 10 weeks pregnant and boy did I suffer - as we hadn't told the family (who were all skiing with us) and there was free wine in the chalet, I had to subtely drink all of Mrs Boris wine as well as mine so no-one suspected anything.
I don't recall there being any problems with the skiing - but my memory is a bit hazy about the entire week
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I'm 14 weeks and still skiing, still teaching. Although I'm not letting on to any of my guests - I don't think that's fair! How would anyone else feel about being taught by a pregnant woman?! Interested to know...
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You know it makes sense.
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How would anyone else feel about being taught by a pregnant woman?! Interested to know...
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Well I wouldn't mind - as long as you didn't keep stopping to go to the loo. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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What a lovely thread. We made baby number 2 in Belle Plagne, so by the next season she was out and ready for her first snow trip. I'm not sure I would ski while pregnant though. With baby number 1, I played rounders while on a camping trip and that night I started to bleed, I could have kicked myself thinking I was to blame in some way. Thankfully all was fine, but I think had it not I would have definately blamed myself somewhat.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Boris wrote: |
Mrs Boris went skiing when 10 weeks pregnant and boy did I suffer - as we hadn't told the family (who were all skiing with us) and there was free wine in the chalet, I had to subtely drink all of Mrs Boris wine as well as mine so no-one suspected anything.
I don't recall there being any problems with the skiing - but my memory is a bit hazy about the entire week |
Boris - The rest of your family must be incredibly unobservant! A few years ago, Mrs S and I went on (summer) holiday with friends and my In Laws. The day before we set off, Mrs S announced to me she was "with child" again. On the boat out, we got away with Mrs S not drinking, but after dinner on the first night in the chalet when she turned down goats cheese filo pastry, a fine local wine and a particularly smelly "Tomme de Savoir", we were rumbled.
Either that or you drink incredibly quickly and have a very hard head!
Joking aside, we found during the early stages of both pregnancies that it's easy to bluff your way round not drinking, but not eating pretty much everything in the world that is enjoyable is hard to bluff through!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Flying Snowplough, there was free wine - not so much unobservant, but equally plastered.
To be fair to them, we had our twin boys with us who were only just 1, so they may have assumed she was keeping a clear head for their sake.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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we had our twin boys with us who were only just 1, so they may have assumed she was keeping a clear head for their sake.
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or that anyone with twins less than 12 months old was unlikely to have found the time or energy to make another one?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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pam w,
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| pam w wrote: |
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we had our twin boys with us who were only just 1, so they may have assumed she was keeping a clear head for their sake.
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or that anyone with twins less than 12 months old was unlikely to have found the time or energy to make another one? |
We're suckers for punishment - having 3 under 2 - now that was fun
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Boris, 3 under two?!!! Wow! If I had a hat I'd take it off to you! I thought I was mad for having 3 under 4...
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nice, a good friend of mine taught skiing right up until about 7 months. At first she didn't tell clients - it's surprising how long you can hide it under a ski jacket! Later on the ski school started telling some of her clients and she hated that as they did treat her with cotton wool! Then when she did show she did get some odd looks from clients! Once she got so big that skiing was uncomfortable and falling would have been bad she only taught the babies on the nursery slopes, so was off skis most of the time. She was very experienced, about 15 years of teaching. There's also a rule in Switzerland whereby to qualify for maternity lpay you have to work for a certain number of months of your pregnancy. She couldn't stop until the doctor told her it was not safe and signed her off for medical reasons. Being a mountain based doctor women skiing was perfectly normal for him, and she was fit and healthy so he saw no reason to sign her off!
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Boris / awksquawk...
Serious respect to you both! We have two kids 15 months apart and this just about caused permanent insanity in the Snowplough household when they were younger. Mind you, we did move house when the younger one was 4 months old and squatted with a series of friends and family whilst the Land Registry sorted out a boundary dispute...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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awksquawk, The Flying Snowplough, getting them all out the way and done with is the only way IMV. Just one long run of feeds and nappies and then it suddenly ends.
Our situation wasn't exactly planned of course - lets say it was a while before the boys made an appearance, so we were working on the basis that it would be a while before number 3 came along. 2 weeks (2!!!!) after deciding to try for another Mrs Boris was expecting - I even remember asking how the hell that happened! Just shows that mother nature has a very cruel streak as daughter was born when boys were 21 months old.
pam w, certainly a bit short on time and energy then
There is no-way there will be any more in the Boris household
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Boris, Similar story for us, although thankfully no twins involved and no asking of how it happened. The Stork came both times. I thought everyone knew that...
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FAQ
(which gave rise to some interesting mental images)
