Is it possible for pregnant women to ride a bicycle? Risk of cycling during pregnancy

Pregnancy is a period of new impressions, unexplored sensations and a huge number of prohibitions. Especially many restrictions are imposed on everything related to motor activity. According to others, a young, health-raving woman, becoming pregnant, suddenly becomes seriously ill. All that is now allowed to her, these are leisurely walks in the park. The question of whether it is possible for pregnant women to ride a bicycle is not even discussed.

But pregnancy is not a disease at all. It would be desirable, as before, to communicate with the company of friends, to make sorties on the nature, to go in for sports. However, numerous "impossible" and "dangerous", sounding from all sides, do not allow it to be done.

What doctors say about this

Opinions about whether it is possible for pregnant women to ride a bicycle are highly controversial. Sometimes you can hear absolutely opposite judgments. There is no agreement in this matter even among physicians. Some believe that riding a bicycle is extremely beneficial for the health of the future mother and her baby and there is no need to deny yourself such pleasure. Especially if before pregnancy the woman led an active way of life and was engaged in this kind of sports.

Others, on the contrary, say that it is extremely dangerous for pregnant women to ride a bicycle because of the risk of falling. After all, with the onset of pregnancy, changes occur not only in the appearance of a woman. Vertigo, absent-mindedness, poor concentration of attention, a tendency to fainting with a sudden change in body position - almost every woman expecting a child faces these phenomena. Someone has a temporary character, and someone suffers from them throughout the waiting period. So there is no definitive answer to the question of whether it is possible for pregnant women to ride a bicycle. The truth is, as always, somewhere in the middle.

Critical periods of pregnancy

According to the doctors, in each trimester of pregnancy there are periods when the unborn baby is especially vulnerable:

• From the second to the end of the third week;
• From the eighth to the twelfth;
• From the eighteenth to the twenty-fourth week;
• From the twenty-eighth to the thirty-second.

The above mentioned periods are the time when you should be the most careful. Riding a bike is best replaced by a quiet walk on foot. If the previous pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at a certain time, then this time should also be attributed to the critical period and to be extremely attentive to one's condition.

How can a pregnant woman ride a bicycle

The inevitable increase in weight during pregnancy causes considerable discomfort and the need to find new, more convenient positions. Especially often women complain of low back pain. For this reason, the choice of a bicycle should be approached very responsibly.

Because of the need to constantly keep the small of the back straight, it is possible for pregnant women to ride a bicycle only with a high rudder and a vertical landing. Thus, highway and mountain bikes, where it is necessary to constantly keep the body in an inclined position, are not suitable for a pregnant woman.

Also pay attention to the shape of the saddle and frame. The saddle should be wide, comfortable and slightly resilient. It is advisable to purchase a special female, riding on which does not cause scuffs. As for the frame, it is clearly preferable to give preference to female or folding models. After all, taking a female bicycle with a low frame is much easier than throwing a leg over a high crossbar of a male bicycle.

Safety rules for a pregnant woman while riding a bicycle

In addition to choosing the right model, it is necessary that the bicycle be in excellent technical condition. If on the way there are steep climbs, descents or there is a need to raise or lower the bicycle on the steps, you should adjust your route.

It is better to drive an extra hundred meters bypassing on a flat road, than once again to strain. Clothes pregnant woman should be made of natural materials, do not constrain movements and be bright enough, well visible from a distance.

What is useful for a pregnant woman riding a bicycle

During pregnancy, many women with difficulty endure the ride in public transport. Extraneous smells and lack of fresh air can cause dizziness, a nausea or fainting. In addition, rush hour trips can be just dangerous.

Travel on your own car is also a special delight do not cause. On an uneven road, the car can be thrown up abruptly, and the smell of gasoline becomes very unpleasant. Slow cycling will be the best way out.

Regular cycling helps strengthen muscles, make a woman stronger, more enduring. Doing such sports strengthens the nervous system, helps fight stress and depression.

Having given birth to a child, a woman often begins to feel herself as if locked in a cage. Lack of sleep, 24-hour care of the baby and the need to do homework are very exhausting. In order to get back to normal, you need to briefly leave the child with a nanny or someone from relatives and go on a bike trip. After the birth of a child, cycling will help to lose weight and quickly restore the prenatal form. So in most cases the answer to the question of whether it is possible for pregnant women to ride a bicycle will be positive.

When cycling is absolutely contraindicated

Unfortunately, pregnancy does not always run as smoothly as one would like. Despite the fact that in most cases all problems are resolved safely and a healthy baby is born, there are still situations when the prohibitions of doctors are absolutely justified.

The risk of abortion is the main answer to the question of why it is impossible for pregnant women ride a bike. Even if the threat has already passed, and now the state is stable, all cycling should be postponed to the postnatal period.

The increased pressure and threat of gestosis is another serious reason why pregnant women You can not ride a bicycle.

In addition, such walks are highly undesirable with increased uterine tone, improper fetal position, acute toxicosis in the first half of pregnancy. In the event of such problems, cycling is best replaced by quiet walking.