Dragon Boat West

My friend wants to paddle this summer but will be in the early stages of her pregnancy.

Does anyone know if it’s safe for her to paddle and at what point should she stop? 

I was thinking it should be all right if boats do not collide (!) and stuff but then I’m not a doctor and I’ve never been pregnant so I can’t comment.  But she really wants to paddle (leisure or competitively) during her pregnancy and squeeze in as much water time as possible before the kid busts out. Is calling even safe for her? Should I hide her paddle for the next 6 months?  If anyone’s been through a pregnancy (or their spouse, uhm, Bernman?) during a dboat season, let’s talk by PM. 

She will definitely let her doctors have the final word on her participation in sports but her doctor doesn’t paddle (he may not know the toll paddling may have on the body) so any advice from paddlers’ that’s been in a similar situation would be appreciated for insight only.

First off, I'm NOT a doctor and have not had a kid but I have seen a few people paddle until they were quite far along with no obvious issues other than the PFD starting to get a bit snug!  I think it's mostly about listening to your body.  If later in the season it's getting to be a challenge with mobility/energy, there is always the calling option, that can't be any more jarring than running while pregnant which a lot of women do.

Usually from what I've seen with my friends and other sports the standard advice is they can keep doing what they were doing before although a couple were told to watch that their heart rates didn't get too high (these were runners).

There is a brief discussion here...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080429112635AAWcwx2

I'm sure there is more stuff out there.

I'd say uber-competitive stuff may be a bit much but you never know, everyone is different! There are definitely lots of benefits to remaining active while pregnant as long as you listen to your body and be sensible, that's provided there aren't already any underlying complications or risks associated with the pregnancy which the doctor should be able to outline. 

Hey mo!

Yes my wife did paddle well into her 3rd trimester for both kids. For our first one she paddled up to 8 months pregnant, and we were practicing 3 times a week! Then she sat on the drummer's seat but she did not really care for it too much. Besides we were on a competitive team then and the team already had its own drummer. As for our 2nd daughter she paddled again into her 3rd trimester as well but by then we were involved with a rec team and at that time we only practiced twice a week. However the queasy feeling was far more prevalent with #2 and I think she stopped after the 7th month. She did drum a bit more and did not find it all that bad the 2nd time around however.

But as was already mentioned you should always follow the doctor's orders. With us we were told to watch mommy's heart rate because it can cause a reduction in oxygen getting to the baby. But generally speaking keeping your heart rate at a high comfortable rate is not usually a bad thing. And of course you have to listen to what your body is saying.

Thank you for your valuable comments.  I have passed the replies and link to her so that she can assess her situation better and discuss it with her doctor in more detail.

PS. Thanks to the few that sent congratulatory msgs but I am NOT pregnant. So for the rest of you, there’s no need to wonder if it’s yours.

phewwww!!!! :shock:

Wow, a woman on her 3rd trimester paddling competitively...that must be a sight to see Bernman hahaha.

Good for your wife to continue on her passion, i give her props.

with that said, exposing the baby to the rhythm of the paddling rotational movement (esp those of a higher rate team), does that not sound dangerous? i imagine if you add some club music, the baby would think they're on the dance floor LOL

My suggestion is to listen to the body, and if they are very active and don't have a bad pregnancy then they should try and come out as much as they can.

From personal experience two years ago: I was able to paddle (/gym 4x a week) until I was 7 and a half months pregnant. I stopped just weeks before Alcan but picked up a paddle a week after I gave birth and raced in Harrison.  Maybe not the smartest thing to do but I had to see where my body was at after giving birth.

I was told by my dr to not paddle at 100% and to not push myself past where my body told me ( half way through  a semi final race my body told me it was done).
 I had a healthy 11 lbs 11oz baby boy who has awesome reach, and great leg drive.