Hiking While Pregnant

Of course, being pregnant is at the forefront of my mind all the time. It's the most all-consuming thing that you can do for 40 weeks straight. That being said, I've tinges of jealously and wanderlust for the mountains, whether it be skiing or hiking (our two favorite winter activities).

Diana's Bath

I didn't really think I would be able to hike much, and that was affirmed in my mind on New Years Eve. Adam and I always go for 4,000 footer hike in the Whites on December 31st to bring in the New Year, but obviously this year was a little different. We took a short walk out to Diana's Bath (outside of Conway), which we considered our "New Year hike" for the year. It was short, flat, and something I could have done in my sleep any other time. I felt good on the way out, but on the way back my muscles and ligaments ached so much, and I felt so short of breath. I wasn't sure how I could do any sort of "hiking" after that.

The more we got out on walks, the better I felt. I also started wearing my belly support belt to prevent the round ligament/muscle aches and pains. We tried to get out on a stroll through the woods once a weekend, and I finally felt confident enough to try something more.

I bit the bullet and asked Adam if he would want to hike Pack Monadnock. He's the more confident of the two of us (even when I'm not pregnant), and I look to him to answer the question "do you think we can get up/down that?", even when I know I can. Of course, he said yes, and invited a friend from work. Great, now my failures will be on display.

Pack Monadnock, 2,290 ft high, is basically a baby-mountain compared to what we usually do. I could get up and down it in about 2 hours with a comfortable break at the top, pre-pregnancy. To me, it felt like a big failure waiting to happen. I get winded just walking up a slight incline.

We packed about 6 pounds of snacks, 3 liters of water, extra clothes (even though it was, like, 50 degrees), my FitBit (for the heart rate monitor), the whole 9 yards. And guess what? It wasn't a giant failure. In fact, it was pretty fun. Imagine that. 

I envisioned myself needing to stop every 10 minutes for snacks and a break, but it wasn't the case. There's something about being outside in the woods that energizes me, and I felt like a powerhouse. There is a giddy, childlike excitement I feel when we go hiking together. Eventually it is followed with the moments of: "why do I do this? My legs are falling off. My lungs are exploding. It's cold/hot/both. This pack is heavy." We weren't out long enough for me to feel that, thankfully. Plus, Adam carried everything. I just had to focus on not falling, especially since most of the trail was an ice-slick. 

The boy's first summit!

It wasn't necessarily an impressive climb, but I felt pretty accomplished. One of the contradictions of pregnancy is that sometimes you want people to just shut up about the fact that you're pregnant, and sometimes you want people to lay out the red carpet for you. I wanted people to lay out the red carpet for me. Then I remembered that women have been doing physical activity while pregnant since the dawn of time, and it didn't really matter that no one else on the trail noticed that this pregnant lady was accomplishing a super-impressive task of walking up a hill.

In total, it took us about 4 hours with a solid lunch break at the top. I didn't feel like I was going that slow, but obviously it was about half my normal speed. I did end up with a lot of back pain, and I could feel it starting on the way down. The sciatic pain I had for the rest of the week was FIERCE, but thankfully it subsided after going to my chiropractor. I think it may have been just because I was compensating for the extra weight in the front, and all of that movement pulled on my lower back. There's no graceful way to walk or navigate an uneven trail when your uterus is the size of a basketball, let's be real. 

Hopefully the babe gets some sort of outdoors-osmosis from these experiences, because Adam has wondered out loud a few times what would happen if the boy "doesn't like nature" or "hates being outside". I'm sure it won't be a problem, because we'll probably he hauling him up mountains as soon as he can hold his head upright.

So, hiking while pregnant - the verdict? Not the guaranteed failure that I thought it would be. Granted, we've only done one actual hike up a trail with elevation gain. Otherwise, it's just been strolling through the woods. I don't think I'm badass enough to venture to bigger mountains, but kudos to those that do!