Advice for running during pregnancy

I am by no means an expert on running and pregnancy, but I did manage to run until 33weeks of pregnancy. I wish I would've blogged about it, but I just was not in a blog mood because I was much more focused on eating laffy taffys as well as running. However, these are the things that worked for me and things that I wish I would've known:

1. Give that belly some support.I would suggest investing in a pregnancy support belt for running once your belly gets bigger. I had ligament issues. What I wish I would've know is that "ligaments" aren't these things I imagined held my uterus to my body like tethers on a hot air balloon, rather, they are ligaments that run down your inner thighs and your hoo-hah area that, on me at least, got very sore. No danger to baby, but that pain is what made me quit running because 3 miles would leave me marathon-style sore for 2-3 days and it just wasn't worth it.

Ten weeks post partum (I still don't know if that is one word or two) I still have ligament issues--I feel them while running and after for a few hours, but I have noticed that the pain is decreasing as I run more.

If you have a fuel belt, that is the PERFECT preggo support belt and you wouldn't need to buy another one. Just slide that puppy under your belly. If you don't have a fuel belt or, like me, didn't think of your fuel belt in time, I got a support belt like this from Motherhood Maternity:



You want something that adjusts like this one, because I got a Medela one that didn't have custom adjustments on the side and it was not up to par for me and my belly.

2. Double up on sports bras, but eventually you'll need a new one.

Your hurting ta-ta's will eventually lose their extreme soreness and sensitivity, but they will only get larger. I like sports bras with adjustable straps and backs. They are not pretty, but boy they are functional. The champion double dry sports bra works well. As of today they are on a really good sale on the Champion website--I just ordered two.




I managed to only wear one throughout pregnancy, but I now double up because the milky ta-ta's are something else to run with.

As a side note, don't get underwire ones. Underwire will not feel good as it jams into your uterus. Your uterus will eventually make its way so high that you will hate all sorts of underwire bras. I still don't wear them. There are high quality bras without underwire that still keep the girls high and shapely, so don't fret.

3. Its worth it to get one good preggo running outfit.

Running clothes are expensive. I chatted up my male running friends for their old drifit race shirts and got several sizes M-XL, and trust me, I was in XL at the end...and they were starting to get tight on the belly. I also got a really good pair of running shorts and a shirt from Born Fit. The shorts had a belly panel that I could fold up over the belly and put my support belt over that so it wasn't on my skin. The shirt was cut longer for the belly so I could still look like a girl while running.






4. Try to eat well.

I went all out. I was eating for a family of 8. Seriously, had I kept it in check I wouldn't have gained 50 lbs. I gained 30 in the first 33 weeks and 20 in the last 7 weeks. The last 7 weeks is when I substituted food for running. BAD IDEA, though you don't care at that point because you just want the baby out. The good news is I lost 40 lbs the first 3 weeks postpartum (25 in the hospital over 4 days). The bad news is the last 10 has hung around, and that is what I am working on now, part of the inspiration for this blog. Slowly, of course, as I am nursing and I don't want to lose my supply.