Tori

 Tori - 32 Weeks...working hard!

Steph I.

After many years of struggling to begin a family, I finally became pregnant with twins in the beginning of 2013. At the time, I had only been Crossfitting for 4 months. I loved this new found type of exercise and did not want to give it up, but also wanted to be cautious considering all I had gone through to get pregnant. I told Aimee early on that I was expecting twins and she shared with me how she and many others had continued to Crossfit throughout their pregnancy. In the beginning, I switched from going to regular classes and did private sessions with Aimee where she taught me how I could modify any WOD. During my sessions with Aimee she had given me the confidence to continue to participate in the regular classes and really taught me to listen to my body. Even if she was not teaching the class I was going to she always made herself readily available to answer any questions about modifications and even the many pregnancy questions I had along the way.

There can be higher risks with twin pregnancy but I was lucky to have a wonderful and uneventful pregnancy. I continued to Crossfit until my 36th week of pregnancy. I felt great, remained healthy and carried my daughters over 38 weeks. I truly believe I had such a great pregnancy due to Crossfit and Aimee's guidance throughout! Thank you, Aimee!

Caitlin and Elizabeth

Kelleigh

My name is Kelleigh and I just had my first baby.  I have been crossfitting for almost three years.  I first became pregnant last October but unfortunately that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.  After the miscarriage I was devastated and unsure if I should continue working out.   My friends, family and co-workers all told me to stop crossfitting since I had lost the baby.  However, my obgyn disagreed with the majority of opinion and told me I could  keep crossfitting.   The doctors assured me that the miscarriage had nothing to do with my workout habits.  I gave up crossfit for a little while to grieve after the miscarriage but returned a few weeks later.   Crossfit is what makes me feel good and I could no longer sit at home and focus on how sad I was.   I gradually got back to my regular workouts when I found out I was pregnant again.   I was elated to find out I was pregnant but I was also nervous to crossfit.  I did not want to have another miscarriage.  My obgyn assured me I could crossfit.  However, I took it very easy in the first trimester because of my nerves and not feeling well.

I began to feel better in my second trimester and was working out much more.  I still had some concerns about working out and my coach Paul provided me with Aimee’s information.  Paul told me Aimee did crossfit throughout her pregnancies.  Paul suggested I email Aimee with any questions I might have.  Aimee was wonderful and answered all my questions.  She put an ease to so many of my fears and I felt much more comfortable working out.    I did crossfit 3-4 times a week through my whole pregnancy and felt great.  I was able to keep most of my weights very close to my pre pregnancy weights and did not need to scale many workouts until the very end of pregnancy. 

This blog is a great resource because the majority of opinion will tell you how crazy you are for doing crossfit while pregnant.  People told me I should not lift heavy weights because it would put me into pre term labor or give me complications with the pregnancy.  I decided not to listen to everyone else and simply listened to my body and my obgyn.  My obgyn was thrilled I kept so active during my pregnancy and told me I could continue working out until delivery.  Despite popular opinion I did not go into preterm labor and I delivered a healthy baby boy at 40 weeks and 6 days.  My advice to other women would be to listen to your body and your doctor.   I think crossiftting while pregnant is amazing and powerful.  It keeps mom and baby both healthy!!

 Logan

Gavin Michael

Gavin Michael born on 7/11/13

6 lbs 10 oz 20 inches long

2013 Pregnant Ladies of CFKoP

Aimee due late July, Steph due with Twins in October and Beth due in October also!

We represent three of the 7 current Pregnant ladies at CFKoP this month!

 Manisha, Beth, Allison & Steph I

Some recent workouts

After a nice week of vacation I had a lot of energy and had three great training days at the gym. 

Sunday 4.28.13 : 5K Row 24:50, 7 Rope climbs to 15ft in 5 Minutes

Monday 4.29.13: 21-15-9 Deads (205#) DB Push Jerk (35#DB) 8:37

Tuesday 4.30.13: Back Squat 175x3, 180x1 - Cash out Team WoD with Paul and Keith about 15:14 for us to complete- 1000M Row, 5 Rope Climbs, 100 Burpees, 100 WallBalls, 200M Farmers Carry, 5 Rope climbs, 1000M Row.

Round 2....

 (week 26)

Where to begin...

I began this blog in 2010 as a reference point for other moms-to-be who were CrossFitting prior to getting pregnant. When I was pregnant with Chloe I found that there was little out there to learn from and base my decisions off of in regards to nutrition, working out, balance, rest and recovery.

Fast forward three years... now there are many more women in the community and through this website I have captured 10 stories from 10 amazing women who were all strong enough mentally and physically to continue working out during their pregnancy. I had the opportunity to train and provide guidance to all these amazing mamas plus a few more not featured here.  I continue to make friends throughout the CrossFit community, both at CrossFit King of Prussia and surrounding affiliates, and help as many pregnant women as I can make healthy decisions for themselves.

I have written far fewer entries then I would have liked and had far less time during this pregnancy (I'm currently 27 weeks) than before but that's what happens when you have your own business and a 2 year old!

For those of you who are not familiar with my story, I gave birth to my daughter Chloe 8 weeks early at 32 weeks 4 days in Delaware.  She spent 3 weeks in the NICU at Christiana Hospital. To this day, besides being small, you would have no clue she was a preemie.  During that time I was strong because I needed to be...there is a mental strength you garner from CrossFit and I was able to use that and wrap it around my situation in those early fall months after Chloe's birth.  That strength coupled with a strong support system from my husband and family allowed me to get through some very tough days!

 To this day no doctors or specialists can tell me why I delivered early. From what I learned the following things can send you into labor: incompetent cervix, low progesterone levels and an infection in the uterus or something wrong with the bag of waters surrounding the baby.  As precautions, this pregnancy I have had ultrasounds bi-weekly from 14-24 weeks to check the length of my cervix (all was great up to 24 weeks!).  From weeks 16-36 I receive progesterone shots to keep the levels high.  I have seen a specialist at UPenn and go to regular visits at my OBGYN but no one is able to provide any concrete opinions on whether I will go early or what the issue was with Chloe's early birth.  So...the next question I get is always well, do you think you worked out too hard?  Based on what the doctors have told me, that plays a minimal role and is actually much healthier for the baby than being sedentary and inactive for 9 months.  The fear of working out is actually for fear of the mother with the increased relaxin in your body and the stretching of ligaments to make room for the baby.

What's different this pregnancy...for one I'm older...obviously. I'm 35 versus 32.  As I mentioned previously, I'm busier (a 2 year old will keep you on your toes).  I'm also in the process of opening another gym (CF Harmony- In Newtown Square). So first of all I have taken more rest days. I have been in a two on one off cycle since November and have taken more/ lest rest as I needed it.  I competed in the CrossFit open from weeks 20-25 and was happy that I was able to complete all workouts as prescribed (that was my goal). I ended up finishing 597 in the region and top 6 in my gym.  Overall I was satisfied with my performance, but this will be the first year since 2009 I'm not making an appearance at Regionals or sending a team...bummed about that but blessed to be pregnant again (for those of you who don't know making another life is hard work too!)

Okay so number 1 - I have taken more Rest. 

I have only avoided or scaled my workouts as I felt uncomfortable or lost the ability to do the exercise. My muscle-up disappeared (please come back in August). My HSPU's remain.  The 20" box Jumps felt funny so I went to 17" and then 13". I can still do Double Unders but only a set of 20 reps...I can no longer string 50 without having to run to the bathroom! I prefer rowing over running, but that's a personal preference.

I was craving some serious sweets in the first trimester, which "fortunately" paired well with the holidays. I did let myself have some treats and listened to my body for the most part by still trying to provide a good balance of PRO, CHO and FAT at each meal.  The nutrition piece is so important for the baby, so I got back on track in the second trimester. Am I still "Paleo"?...nope. I have enjoyed the following, pizza, bread, cheerios, cheese, pudding, milk, and a lot of oranges! But unlike when I wasn't pregnant these things don't make me feel sick. It's almost like you are possessed by another human (oh wait! you are!).

 

Point number 2 - I let myself eat what I felt my body was craving - but not to excess.

In your second pregnancy - even though I got my body back to where it was prior to Chloe, everything has expanded more and faster! I am trying to accept this and know that this in only temporary.  I also feel that everyone tries to rush through the pregnancy --"when is the baby due. I'll get my body back once the baby is born, I'm going to do this when the baby is born..." I'm trying to remain present throughout this pregnancy and not look towards the end as much as I try to embrace the day and accept what's going on in my body and mind. I'm also doing a lot of mental preparation and hoping for a full term pregnancy so that I can bring home my baby from the hospital 3 days after he's born.

Point number 3 - Remain present.

We found out what we are having this time versus being surprised with Chloe.  We did a cool reveal party so we could share the experience.  Neither Jason nor I knew the sex of the baby at the time of the party. We invited about 70 of our friends and family and asked them to wear pink or blue depending on what sex they thought the baby was... you can see the sides were just about equal!

Point number 4 - Celebrate!

It's a boy...due July 29!

The most important thing to do is trust yourself.  Stress is one of the worst things for your baby so if something is causing you stress, do everything in your power to eliminate it.  If this means scaling a workout, so be it.  CrossFit, like everything, is different for everyone.  You will have some women that feel comfortable doing muscle-ups at week 39 and you will have some women that want to scale earlier.  There is no right answer.  Do what feels good for you, stay in the moment, and know that you will not get another time to be pregnant with this child, so enjoy it and smile as much as you can. 

CrossFit.com

Did you check out our strong pregnant ladies they were featured on the CrossFit Main Page...

 ...these were a few more great pictures from Chris Plentus taken on the same day of our pregnant ladies and mamas and babies!!

Mel

My name is Melanie and I have been doing Crossfit for over 3 years. I am also a Level 1 trainer and an assistant coach at our box.  I am 38 years old and due with my first baby on the 14^th of November.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was elated by the news! But like any first time mom, I was a little nervous.  Not that I was expecting to qualify for Regionals but we were just starting Open Sectionals at the time I found out.  So many questions go through your head like, how much do I have to slow down? Can I still continue to lift the weights that I have been and not feel strained? Will people notice if I slow down?  I knew that there were several other girls who did CrossFit through their pregnancies which was reassuring but every pregnancy is different and so is everyone’s skill level with CrossFit so I found it hard to compare myself to even them.

What I knew for sure is that I wanted to stay active during my pregnancy. When I first talked to my doctor about becoming pregnant, I told her about CrossFit and when asked about exercising during pregnancy she told me this exact sentence, “when I say exercise during pregnancy, I mean taking a walk around the block”.  So needless to say I was very disappointed.  When my first pre-natal appointment took place at 8 weeks, my doctor surprisingly brought it up and asked me if I was still doing Crossfit. She said she wrote it down because she was so impressed by what I was doing. I told her that I was indeed still going but I was toning things down.  Perhaps time allowed her to think more about it and do her own research because she gave me her blessing and told me to not go crazy, to listen to my body and since I had been doing this for a while; my body was used to this level of activity. I felt a huge sense of relief after that.

The key message I have followed throughout my pregnancy is that I continue to listen to my body. I am in that box for me AND my baby, and nobody else. I want to get in a good workout but I go in with no expectations knowing that I have to tone down the intensity. Because I have been pregnant through the summer months, I drink LOTS of water, work-out near a fan, rest when I need to and am careful to not get too out of breath or overheat.  I have also scaled the length of workouts on those super-hot days.  I scale other movements by using common sense and when that little voice would tell me I should scale to an alternative exercise instead. For example, when I was still able to, I did toes to bar instead of GHD sit ups, I stopped doing HSPU and did push press instead, I did step-ups instead of box jumps and when my bladder finally had enough torture, I switched to rowing instead of running. The beauty of CrossFit is that there is a scale for everything. One thing that has surprised me the most is how my strength has gone up exponentially. Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT trying to hit PR’s on every strength day. As with any WOD, I set goals for myself, pay close attention to my form, pay attention to how I am feeling throughout and go from there. If my body feels ok, I continue until I hit a point where it is challenging but I am not struggling or straining in any way. I stop when I would normally try for one more set but do not push myself further because I am happy with the progress I made.

Overall, my goals have been different and I approach my work-outs with a different frame of mind. So many people strive for that Rx and right now, I could care less. The Rx will be there waiting for me in a few months! I have truly been lucky and I credit my healthy pregnancy to doing Crossfit. It actually makes my body feel better than sitting home, resting on the couch and has allowed me to maintain a level of energy that is often lost during pregnancy.

PR’s during pregnancy:

Hang clean 115# (pre-pregnancy 110#)

Clean 120# (pre-pregnancy 115#)

Clean and Jerk 120# (pre-pregnancy 115#)

Split Jerk 145# (pre-pregnancy 125#)

Shoulder Press 102.5# (pre-pregnancy 90#)

Snatch 100# (pre-pregnancy 85#)

Back Squat 170# (pre-pregnancy 150#)

Post pregnancy note:

I gave birth via c-section to a healthy baby girl on Halloween, exactly 2 weeks early. My last workout was the Saturday before and even then, I felt great. I was bummed about the c-section only because of the recovery time. The c-section definitely affected my overall condition and I wasn’t able to start working out as quickly as I had hoped. Even so, I did lose the baby weight very fast and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight (by 2#) in less than a month.  I feel refreshed at this point and feel that I am not at square 1, but am at a new baseline. I will have to work hard to not compare myself to before but I will try to remember to celebrate the progress that I make now. Eventually, I hope to build back my core and my strength and rebuild my lungs. It has been an amazing journey becoming a mother. One of my fondest memories will be the workouts, the competitions and the support that I received through CrossFit and our community at KOP!

Eva Corinne

 

Becca

My name is Becca and I am 38 weeks pregnant with my first baby.  I have been CrossFitting for one and a half years and have loved every moment of it.  Although some moments are more love-hate than pure love, for instance the exact moment a coach yells, "you're halfway there", the love has certainly overpowered the hate since I keep going back.  By the time I found out I was pregnant, I was already CrossFitting for ten months.  I continued for the first month of pregnancy but took a break until the first trimester was over, not because of CrossFit, but because of my morning sickness.

When I returned to the box, it was the height of the summer heat and humidity.  I quickly found out that I could not perform at the same level I had previously known.  The first thing to "go" were my lungs.  It seemed to take forever to catch my breath during a workout.  From there on, I began scaling everything.  I capped all my WODs to fifteen minutes, chose weights that were comfortable and took breaks for catching my breath as needed.  Very soon I became acquainted with scales that were not necessarily easier, but more suited for my changing body and needs.  Try doing parallete push-ups; they are a bear and certainly not easy.  When it came to strength days, I found myself hitting PRs on nearly every lift.  I was not necessarily aiming for each PR, they seemed to just happen.  I was told the added oxygen and blood flow are the reason for this added strength.  I still consider them achievements and know I will have to work even harder to reach them again after I have my baby.   

With only two weeks left, I still workout three days a week.  Everyone continues to support, encourage and check-in on me.  While I know I will have to take a break from CrossFit once the baby arrives, I am already looking forward to the day I can get back.  I am also looking forward to the day Aimee plans a Pregnant-Simulation WOD.  How great would it be for everyone else to wear forty-pound weight vests, oxygen deprivation masks and use all the scales my fellow pregnant CrossFitters and I used?!

Leila