Climbing in the First Trimester

That precarious first trimester. The most delicate time of one’s pregnancy, especially if it’s the first child. One of the biggest fears of expectant mothers is of having a miscarriage. 70% of which happen in the first trimester. I was no exception.

If you are like me, you’re brain might be doing some mental loopty loops wondering whether it is safe to climb or not during the first trimester only to find that there really isn’t much information on the internet. What can you do? What CAN’T you do?!

I found out I was pregnant 3 weeks in and my mind went into a spiral of what can I do and what can’t I do. Scouring the internet for any and all information to quell my fears, but let’s be honest here… The internet really just makes it worse but here is what I found out. Multiple studies have been done to prove that for healthy women under 35, risks rates decline pretty significantly between weeks 6 through 10. One study showed a 9.4% at 6 weeks down to 0.7% at 10 weeks. By week 14, for most women, chances of a miscarriage is well below 1%. Most miscarriages being due to genetic abnormalities.

That coupled with the fetus being pretty well protected and cushioned by the uterus, this settled my mind a bit about continuing most of my activities. But that’s not what you’re here for. You’re here to find out about climbing during this time and the other extreme sports our kindred spirits are drawn to. I am happy to tell you, climbing, with in reason, is safe in the first trimester of your pregnancy.

I want to start off by saying, I am not a medical professional, this is just what I have done after consulting my OBGYN. I would recommend consulting yours too!

What are the risks of climbing in the first trimester?

Genetic anomalies are out of anyone’s control but what are other risks with the extreme sports we are into? Of course, I’m not leaving something so precious up to chance, so I consulted my doctor about what activities are safe and not safe to do. I was told because I have a healthy pregnancy, I can continue to do any activities that I felt comfortable doing safely and to take it easy. A lot is changing with the body right now. This isn’t the time to take any unnecessary risks.

From what I’ve experienced, read and been told, there really aren’t any major risks to climbing in the first trimester for those with a healthy pregnancy. For those who have been climbing leading up to pregnancy, it is usually safe to continue to do so. If anything, it is very important to keep exercising throughout your pregnancy for both you and your baby. Climbing not only works out your whole body but it is also a fantastic way to keep that pelvic floor strong!

Usually at this point in the pregnancy the uterus is tucked behind the pelvic bone and the baby is well protected by strong, thick muscles. Our bodies are designed to protect the developing baby so minor falls are usually not of concern in the first trimester, it is the second and third trimester when our bellies have their own orbits do we need to be concerned. (Though level of impact is still something to be cautious of. If the impact is strong enough to cause lasting physical pain, consult your doctor.)

The most important thing is to listen to my body and remember you are going to require a lot more rest since the majority of your energy is going into growing a baby.

What did I feel comfortable continuing with?

I stopped bouldering all together but on days I wasn’t feeling awful and exhausted from morning sickness I still continued to lead climb anything that was around my onsight grade or lower. Whatever I felt comfortable with that day. Any climb where I knew I wasn’t going to fall was fair game. Anything harder, I opted to go onto top rope. This is just what I was comfortable with, I’m not speaking for every climbing mama out there.

Towards the end of my first trimester as I was getting heavier, my foot slipped and I took a lead fall but with a soft catch and the rope pulling my harness away from my growing belly, I still felt safe and comfortable. I wore my regular harness up until 17 weeks when it wouldn’t fit around my growing belly anymore, then I upgraded to the super sexy mama harness (super hard to find, unfortunately… I had to settle with the petzl 8003). I lead through my whole first trimester into my second and stopped once I felt like I had a 10 lb weight vest on and could no longer see my feet past my tummy when I looked down haha.

Snowboarding was a different story. I had a 3 week snowboarding tour planned that I still went on but opted to not snowboard at all. It was a bit of a bummer but it wasn’t something I was comfortable with. Not because I was scared I was going to fall (there was so much snow out in the west that it would have been like falling on clouds) but more so of the crowds and the potential of someone slamming into me. Speaking from experience.

As I was riding the gondola up the mountain to meet my friends for lunch at the Palisades in Tahoe, looking down at the flurry of ants weaving in and around each other down the mountain, I knew I made the right choice. Again, that was just my decision. I know of some women who were snowboarding confidently well into their second trimester.

Listen to your body and most importantly, listen to your headspace.

Why is headspace so important?

Think back to before you got pregnant. You are working on your project and you get to a move you aren’t comfortable with. The foot just doesn’t feel secure, the next hold is heinous and feels just out of reach, you start to psych yourself out… You hesitate. Hesitation means you don’t trust to place your full weight to secure the foot, your foot pops and you come falling down. Another example. You are at the top of a run steeper than any you have gone down before. You are nervous, again, you hesitate. Your feet aren’t stable, you catch an edge and go careening down in a not so elegant fashion. What am I trying to say?

Not being in a comfortable headspace causes you to hesitate and hesitation is when the potential for falls and injuries arise. Plus if you’re spending the whole time worrying, is it even fun anymore?

This is even more critical when you are pregnant and the risks are higher. Yesterday you might have felt strong enough to climb your onsight but today you felt like that 5.8 is all you can muster. So what? Yesterday you lead everything but today you’re head feels off and you just want to top rope. Amazing!

If you are not comfortable doing something it’s ok not to and to take a step back no matter what anyone or your ego says. You know you’re body and you know what you are capable of.