Audio: Pregnancy and Training

[Mark Rippetoe]

Training and Pregnancy | Mark Rippetoe

[Sam McLeod]

My wife lifted most of her pregnancy, needed to be induced because of high blood pressure/preeclampsia two weeks early, and had a perfect natural birth three hours after starting the pitocin drip. I can't say it went so well and easily (don't tell her I said easily) because of her training, but I sure as hell know it helped.

[David A. Rowe]

We're getting ready to cross into week 24 next Tuesday, and the wife has not been able to train much. She still gets out under the bar once or twice a week, but her anthropometry has made her hip flexors/round ligaments extremely painful as the kiddo gets bigger. She is PISSED. She was very strong for her size/weight/peer group and she didn't even compete. That being said, every doctor and midwife has been AMAZED at how damn-near perfect her and baby's health/weight/etc. have been. One doctor, upon reading her chart, did not believe she had the correct chart for my wife because she weighed 167 at 5'3" but wears a size 4. She even went so far as to lift the gown up to look at my wife's body directly with a quizzical look on her face. My wife didn't ask... she just said "Strength training." The doctor replied, "Oh. Huh."

In short, thank you Rip and Coaches. Your years of work enabled this, and it has been a huge load off my mind knowing my wife is better physically and mentally prepared for pregnancy, birth and recovery after. I'm sure she'll be back under the bar as soon as she can physically do it.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Keep us posted on her progress. Sounds like the work paid off. She can still bench, so get her busy on a bench PR.