Hiking Pregnant: I will be towards the end of 7 months Pregnant…?
February 27th, 2011 | by admin |i am 5 months now and i have a trip planned 15-18 hours away driving on December 31-January 4th. Ill be about 7.5 months then. Im going to The Grand Canyon, and it will be snowy and cold. I have the proper gear: crampons, snow hiking shoes, jackets etc. and have made the hike before. Is this safe to do? The altitude is also MUCH higher than here in Texas so that could be a concern. I will ask my doctor but I also just wanted opinions. Even if I didnt hike, do you think the drive could hurt it? Or the altitude? I do want to hike so badly. I was in very good shape before i got pregnant, but havent done much exercise throughout but will start walking more now that Im 5 months.
3 Responses to “Hiking Pregnant: I will be towards the end of 7 months Pregnant…?”
By Tiffany on Feb 27, 2011 | Reply
The drive won’t hurt the baby so don’t worry about that. But all of that exercise you’re going to be doing in that hike might be bad. You need to take it easy when you’re pregnant because you don’t want to go into pre labor which is a huge thing at that time of your pregnancy. I was told not to go anywhere further than 2 hours away from your local hospital where you’re planning on giving birth. I don’t know about you, but I am 6 months pregnant and I went on a small hike on unsteady rocks on Lake Superior with my family and my back was killing me, I had sharp ligament pains in my groin and lower abdomen area and I had to take constant breaks and it was a lot of work for me to do this. It sounds really unsafe for you to do this especially just because you really want to. You need to take care of yourself. Walking isn’t a bad thing but excessive walking and hiking and climbing like that is not a good idea. You could injure yourself or the baby in the process.
By Nerf on Feb 27, 2011 | Reply
The drive might be uncomfortable, but not bad for you or the baby. And as for the exercise, as long as you’re healthy and fit and used to fairly heavy workouts (since you’ll be at a higher altitude, your body will think it’s harder than normal), you should be ok. My cousin went on a hunting trip and killed a moose when 6 months pregnant with her first, and all was fine. Actually, every time she has a successful hunt, we’ve taken to asking if she’s pregnant because she did the same thing with her 3rd and 4th, too (not moose, but other game).
So, weird hunting story aside, as long as you’re healthy and fit and your doctor says it’s ok, you’re in the clear.
By Ervin Moncrief on Feb 27, 2011 | Reply
Driving is fine. I’m more concerned about hiking. Depending on where you are going, it can get very strenuous. Further, it might be icy, crampons or no crampons. I’d invest in some hiking poles for stability, and wear some ankle-high boots. That said, it all depends on the weather. Lastly, the Rim Trail at the top is pretty much a flat surface and makes for great strolling.