Latest posts for the topic "Skiing while Pregnant!"

Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:29:53 GMT

Now, before we go getting all moralistic, this topic has been discussed by me and my ski buddies over the last few weeks, and I have decided to through it out to the greater mass!

My sister in law is 14 weeks pregnant, and we are going sking tomorrow. At her last scan (3/4 weeks ago), the consultant told her she would be ok to ski, that babs is in a safe place at the moment (behind some pelvic bone somewhere!) but to take it easy.

Now she was considering some blues and light reds, but as she gets closer to the day, she is starting to get cold feet. She is an excellent intermediate skier. What complicates the matter is her other sister in law (also an excellent skier) skied when she was 5 months pregnant and is constantly in her ear saying try it.

I'm not going to tell you what we've discussed to date, I just want to get your thoughts!

So what do you think?

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:42:49 GMT

Pregnancy is not an illness !!!!
But everyone is different and I wonder if the key point is "if you feel like it".

Whilst the medic may be saying your fine, but take it easy, there is bound to be some risk - skiing is a risky business.

As a point of interest in Tignes last easter there was a ski instructor (female !!) who was very visibly pregnant taking classes.

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:01:40 GMT

OldAndy wrote:As a point of interest in Tignes last easter there was a ski instructor (female !!) who was very visibly pregnant taking classes.

Male would have been interesting!! :P

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:33:15 GMT

It has to be her decision. I was in a similar position as booked a year in advance when I didnt know I was pregnant. I decided to go and was 7 months pregnant when I got back and had to shop around for special insurance as I was so far on.

I took it easy but had a great time and hubbie carried my skies everywhere (and in fact has ever since!) Eight years on and my daughter is now an avid skier far better than me!!!

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:45:23 GMT

boo_yay wrote:

OldAndy wrote:As a point of interest in Tignes last easter there was a ski instructor (female !!) who was very visibly pregnant taking classes.

Male would have been interesting!! :P

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:45:26 GMT

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

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:08:49 GMT

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.

If she's not hindered by morning sickness she should really expect to have the low alcohol version of the holiday she would have had had she not been pregnant.

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

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:38:08 GMT

It's her decision, she can ask for advice but anyone pushing her towards either direction is unfair. If she is pushed into skiing when she'd rather not then I'd guess she's likely to be nervous. Making her more likely to fall. If she's confident with skiing there's no medical advice from her doctor to prevent her from skiing.

If she asked me I'd say go to resort, ski if you want to, relax and chill out if not. Take plenty of books and magazines!

If anyone was pushing me either way I'd politely and firmly tell them I'd heard enough.

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:46:05 GMT

Well I'm gonna take the other route, I don't think I would like my wife to take the risk, on previous threads we have already heard about people not understanding the risk of skiing while listerning to music, I think there are too many risks involved.The most inportant consideration should be the little bump not the skiing :D

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:50:46 GMT

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!

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:53:54 GMT

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!

I think that is good advice .... :thumbup:

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:51:26 GMT

Very good advice. She has to make the decision, but my immediate thought when I first read this was not necessarily about her ability to ski, but also of those around her.

There are some inconsiderate out of control people around, I personally wouldn't risk it knowing what the consequences could be if someone crashed into me. Paranoid perhaps, but there's a lot a risk. What does her hubby/partner think?

I'm sure she will make the right decision for her and the baby, and I hope you all have a lovely holiday.

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:49:07 GMT

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

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

I have to totally agree here..... My OH is also currently pregnant, 2 months to go and as a family we have decided not to go at all this year for the same reasons ally mentions above. Pregnancy is only 9 months, if she's a avid skier missing 1 season is nothing. There is going to be many exciting years to come skiing as a family.

She could go on the holiday if it's booked, but I just hope it's somewhere that there is plenty to do? She would find it relaxing during the day and you an always meet up each lunch time for a nice dinner together etc.

Ultimately it's her choice but I'd say no to skiing, and yes to going on the holiday to relax.

Re:Skiing while Pregnant!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:28:16 GMT

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.

This is a pretty balanced view, the human body was designed to cope with bears, wolves, caves and campfires.

There is no indication of coercion, so I think it would be a tad paranoiac to suggest so.

Way back when, one of my fellow instructors taught skiing while pregnant, from 5 months. She skied until 7 months, I still have a photo of the bump, and I'm not talking about moguls.

We always had someone skiing behind her, not because of the nutters, carvers hadn't been invented the, but because, if she fell, she couldn't get up by herself!