Question About Conceiving and Excerising

Updated on March 31, 2009
L.L. asks from Molalla, OR
16 answers

My duaghter will be five in May and my husband and I finally decided after two years of concideration that we want to try to have another child. The only problem I run into is that we haven't been using protection and I just got an eliptical and have been exercising and trying to lose weight. I don't know if I should not do that while there may be a possibility of being pregnant. I obviously would not try to lose weight once I found out I was pregnant but for now I am not sure I am going to get pregnant right away. It would be nice to loose 10 pounds before my pregnancy conderdering the fact that I had some medical problems this last year and gained some weight and now have to stuff myself into my clothes. I really don't want to wait any longer to have a baby so should I just forget about loosing weight for now, should I continue my weight loss regimin until I find out I am pregnant or do I use birth control if I happen to get my period and lose the weight I need to before trying to get pregnant? I would love some possitive comments. Thanks.

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So What Happened?

I didn't expect so many responses. It was great to get opinions from other moms. It's something I really didn't want to talk to my friends about because, as much as I love them, I am afraid word will get out that we are trying and I would rather choose to tell everyone several weeks into the pregnancy.
I know exercise is great even during pregnancy but I just didn't want to push it by ruducing calories and exercising often if I found out I was pregnant several weeks from now. But after reading all of your comments, I have decided to just continue my workout but not cut calories. I definetly eat healthy most of the time. I don't keep junk food around the house but I still eat sweets at times. For now I will wait until after I have another baby to try to loose weight.
Again, thank you all for your responses!
L.

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H.G.

answers from Portland on

Just try tot lose the weight & don't worry about getting pregnant it will happen when you are healthy. Don't go back on the pill.

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J.S.

answers from Seattle on

In all my reading it suggested getting in shape/losing the weight before getting pregnant. You definitely want to be healthy before adding the stress/weight of pregnancy.
Excercise can improve libido and fertility. So I would say continue working out. Don't overdue it especially if you think you might be pregnant. At least eliptical is low impact, like walking.

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L.M.

answers from Seattle on

If I were you.. just put a quick phone call into your OBGYN doctor.. they may be able to answer your question over the phone.. or may ask you to come in.. Everyone situation is different ect. and medical history.. best of luck. :)
Lenc

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A.H.

answers from Portland on

This seems like something you should talk with your OBGYN/midwife about. They should be able to tell you if you're healthy enough at your current weight to get pregnant. I do know that it's okay to continue working out while pregnant. Also, many women that start off a little heavy gain much less weight than a thin person does. It's okay to eat super healthy food, work out and take wonderful care of yourself while pregnant. :) The only thing you shouldn't do it restrict your calories to lose weight. If you feel that you're healthy enough to get pregnant now, then you should. The weight will always come off later with breast-feeding and running around after a toddler. Good luck!

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M.J.

answers from Seattle on

hi L.!
there's no reason why you shouldn't exercise while your pregnant! I got pregnant with my second child right after we joined a gym and it was the best pregnancy and birth i could have asked for! when your body is in good shape, it's easier to be pregnant and give birth, so stay on that elliptical:)
i also lost a few pounds right after i was pregnant with her because I was a little sick and using up lots of calories and that's ok too. She is a healthy happy 5 year old now. good luck with everything!!!

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J.S.

answers from Seattle on

I'd say go for it! It's best to talk to a doctor, of course. However, I accidentally lost at least five, maybe 10 pounds at the beginning of my pregnancy. My girl turned out great anyway. Your pregnancy health will be better if your weight is good, so trying to lose weight until you know you're pregnant should help, not hurt.

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M.H.

answers from Seattle on

A healthy diet and exercise regime is still healthy while you are pregnant. Actually, if you can get in the habit of getting regular exercise now, i think it will help you throughout your pregnancy. (I know of at least one study that showed that women who exercised regularly had fewer problems with morning sickness. Exercise in the form of strength training can also help prevent the normal aches and pains that happen with pregnancy.)

I think that, as long as you pay attention to filling all your nutritional needs with your diet, and pay attention to your body with your exercise, you're good to go. Even after you get pregnant you'd be good to go. Just be reasonable (and don't expect to lose that ten pounds in a week - could take a few months).

FWIW, i ran a half marathon while i was 10 weeks pregnant, and continued to run until about 20 weeks. I also biked long distances until about 30 weeks, and continued strength training for the duration of my pregnancy.

According to my research, for the cardio work the important thing is to keep your core body temperature down. Professional athletes who remain in training do this with an internal thermometer that tracks their core temp, but the rest of us can get a pretty good approximation by just trying not to let ourselves get too hot. (Walks and runs outside, in this weather, are useful because the cool air keeps you cooler.) You can (and maybe should) also keep an eye on your HR, and keep it down in the low cardio range.

Strength training is a bit more difficult because, as your pregnancy progresses, you will have to modify your workouts in different ways. If you're interested in that, it may be worth working with a trainer or taking something like a prenatal yoga class where you are led.

oh... of course, if anything makes you nervous, the best thing to do is ask your doctor, who can address your specific issues.

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H.O.

answers from Anchorage on

Basically, your normal is not "my normal". But, too much exercise can stop your cycle. If that has happened then the new exercise equipment should probably go in the closet for awhile :) I know of people that have actually LOST weight during pregnancy so a healthy diet is what is important..moderate exercise for your body type, and maybe make sure you are hydrated enough. But, simply up your vitamins..make sure you get enough calories. You don't have to stop "managing" your weight. Attempt a maintenance plan. Whatever you have lost..congratulations..be Proud of that! Now, look at your diet, look at your exercise and see where the "baby nutrients" need to come from. Make sure you are getting enough calories..if you feel hungry..you need to eat! But, the most important thing is to relax and if you really want to try this, simply take good care of yourself and go for it. If you are adamant about the weight loss..do it first. Problems with birth control are that you can sometimes end up gaining just from that, so be careful what you use. Simple fact is you are probably going to gain a little with a new pregnancy but you can talk to your Ob-gyn about whether you can actually lose weight during a pregnancy. She/he can tell you whether it will be safe for YOU. It's not necessary to stop what you are doing now unless you feel you need to. Go ahead and "Elliptical" if you want to..reducing stress is a very big factor in conceiving I think. Good Luck!

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A.M.

answers from Portland on

As long as you work on losing weight in a healhy way - eating right, exercising, taking pg vitamins, you're really only doing you and your future baby a favor. Exercising is good all around. You can do the elliptical even while you're pregnant. Don't worry so much.

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A.S.

answers from Seattle on

I really don't think exercising while you're trying to conceive is going to cause any problems. Maybe if you were doing professional-type marathon training or something that really stresses your body... but working out on an elliptical to lose 10 pounds sounds pretty reasonable. It can take a few months to get pregnant--why not get in better shape while you're doing it? If you're in better shape physically your pregnancy will probably be easier too... (I was in terrible shape for my 2nd pregnancy and I really felt it...). Good luck!

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R.I.

answers from Seattle on

I agree. Call your doctor. We are just telling you what our bodies needed before/after pregnancy. No real idea what the research or norm is for the general public. Personally, I was not training for anything but exercised every day. We tried for 18+ months to get prego. My body needed to gain weight, not lose weight to get prego. It is not that I was underweight to begin with..I was actually a little above normal. But adding 8 lbs to my frame helped conceive I believe. And now that I have a one year old I am still 10 lbs light than when I was conceiving!

M.B.

answers from Seattle on

L.,

You go! Continue to do what you are doing now. I don't think you'll do any harm and probably a lot of good by exercising. I have my medical degree from a bubble gum machine, so take my advice for what it's worth.

When I got preggo with my second child I was overweight by more than 10 pounds. My doc just suggested that I try to gain like 5-10 or less instead of the 15-20 or so that is normal. I actually lost a little weight in my first trimester.

I wouldn't worry too much, but if you need a more professional opinion, call your doctor and ask him/her.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

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L.S.

answers from Seattle on

I have been pregnant four times and have three children and had one miscarriage. Two of the healthy pregnancies I had, I worked out at the gym the entire time. When I had my miscarriage I was not working out but I was watching my calories like crazy. If I were you I would work out but make sure you eat when you are hungry to make sure that you get enough calories if you do get pregnant. Just make sure that the things you choose to eat are healthy and you should still be able to loose weight if you are not pregnant. Besides getting on a regular excercise routine will mean that you should be able to do cardio the entire pregnancy which means you could gain less weight, have less health problems and maybe even an easier labor.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

Exercise is great for your body, just don't push it to the extreme. As far as dieting, don't. You need good nutrition so just eat good, healthy foods. This way you can still keep to your program, but you don't have to worry you might be harming your new fetus.

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J.W.

answers from Seattle on

I know of marathon runners who train through their pregnancy up until the last month or so and then upon delivery go run the marathon. Exercise in moderation is not a bad thing, it's good for you and your baby to be. Eating well, cutting out extra sugar, carbs, and fats are a good thing... note the word extra. Talk with your ob/gyn. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a good thing. Whenever you get pregnant, whenever you deliver... have a happy healthy pregnancy and baby. Your big girl will be extremely happy with her new sibling. Best of luck! Happy ever afters!!!

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M.S.

answers from Portland on

Exercise is perfectly safe, and is actually better for the baby. I was trying to lose weight when I conceived too, and dr just said to avoid stomach things like sit ups. The sooner you start your exercise routine, the safer it is during your pregnancy.

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