Skiing while Pregnant!

AJMCA wrote:I skied when 6 weeks pregnant,which is a pretty crucial time. I hadn't expected to be pregnant, and only found out just a week before we went- holiday was already booked etc. It was a tough decision because I'd had the trauma of an ectopic pregnancy the year before. My lovely GP photocopied my medical notes for me to keep in my ski jacket pocket and his phone number,to pass onto medics in case of emergency as he's a fluent French speaker. I was fine,I skied reds and blues and made sure I drank plenty of water because dehydration would be serious. I had one day off skiing because I felt tired. My baby girl (my middle child) is now a teenager and started skiing at the age of 3 and loves it. If your sister-in-law has any doubts at all, then she should not ski. She should go on holiday, but listen to her own thoughts and instincts. Have a little ski to see how she feels maybe, just do a couple of runs a day, or go for the whole ski experience but so what if she wastes the price of a lift pass and skis. She can't put a price on her baby. It's ok for the medics giving advice but it's just based on statistics, to them you're just a number and they won't be the ones with heartbreak if something went wrong. I would definitely recommend that she pays extra money for a CARTE NEIGE on top of her insurance. Google it to buy one- lots of benefits if you need to be heli-lifted off to hospital. Good luck!

AllyG wrote:When I was pregnant I continued milking the cows until the day I went into labour. For those of you who don't know, this is a pretty hazardous activity because you are very likely to get squashed, kicked or stamped on. However, we wouldn't have been able to afford to pay anyone else to do the work while I had 9 months off, so I saw it as a necessity and I was prepared to take the risk.

But a ski holiday comes into a different category because it's a leisure activity and the pregnant woman puts herself and the baby at risk for no reason other than her own enjoyment and that of her companions. Or, to put it another way, if she doesn't ski all she misses out on is 6 days of ski-ing. But if she fell badly (which may not be her fault as someone else may lose control and hit her) the consequences could be frightful. So if you simply weigh up risk versus benefit then the risks are much greater than the benefits. Plus, if she fell and then subsequently had a miscarriage even if they weren't actually connected, she'd be bound to blame herself.

So, if it was me I wouldn't ski. Apart from anything else I wouldn't be able to live with myself afterwards if anything did go wrong. In fact, I don't think I'd go on the holiday either because I'd hate to see everyone else ski-ing and not be able to take part. I'd go and find something else to do.

And, having said all that, I think it's very unlikely she would come to any harm but personally I found the responsibility of being pregnant quite stressful enough without adding to it, and I wouldn't have been able to relax and enjoy myself on the ski slope while wondering who was about to flatten me.

It was different for the female ski instructor because like me it was her job and she probably couldn't afford to give it up for several months.

Ally

andymol2 wrote:Short of smashing her pelvis at 14 weeks the baby is well protected and the exertion is not a risk for the baby.

She's passed the peak time for miscarriage.

Take the chance now as it isn't so easy to fit in skiing holidays when you've got a young family.