A Guide To Skiing When Pregnant

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Should You Ski When Pregnant?

If you’re an avid skier, the idea of not skiing for at least nine months might be daunting to you. Or, perhaps you’ve already booked a ski holiday but just found out that you’re pregnant now. What should you do? Is it safe to ski while pregnant? What precautions should you take? To answer these questions, we’ve come up with this short guide on skiing while pregnant! 

To begin with, we’ve split the duration of a pregnancy into early and late pregnancy. This makes it easier to talk about and give advice on skiing during these times. If you are set on skiing,  Idaho skiing is a great experience.

Skiing In Early Pregnancy 

If you’re wondering about skiing in early pregnancy, chances are that you’ve just found out that you’re pregnant. In that case, congratulations on your pregnancy! 

Overall, early pregnancy, especially weeks four to thirteen are seen to be one of the most crucial parts of pregnancy. This is because it is when your baby is still forming. Many important developmental milestones are being created in this time period. It is also when miscarriages are most common and hence, many expectant mothers are warned to be more careful during this period. Therefore, the overall advice for skiing in early pregnancy is to avoid it. 

If you are an avid skier who’s always been active and physically fit, it is considered safe for you to carry on with your regular exercise routine. Therefore, you could arguably still ski during this period. However, you should remember to weigh the risks and your own abilities before making a decision. 

Furthermore, you should also consider how you’re feeling. Some early pregnancy symptoms to think about are the following:

1. Tiredness

Most women feel extremely tired in their first trimester. After all, this is when your body is putting in hard work to create your tiny little angel. Therefore, it is no wonder that you would feel tired. Many women have reported that even climbing the stairs can leave them feeling winded and drained. Therefore, you should definitely consider whether you are up to the challenge of skiing as skiing is infinitely more tiring than climbing up a flight of stairs. If you feel that you aren’t as tired or drained as other women, you can always make the choice to ski. 

2. Nausea 

Another common early pregnancy symptom is nausea and morning sickness. May women struggle with this throughout their pregnancy and it will be even harder if you combine skiing down a slope with nausea. Furthermore, you might feel so drained after puking that skiing is the last thing on your mind. Therefore, nausea can be a huge bummer to skiing. Again, you do have to make your decision on skiing based on how you feel. If you feel up to it, you can always partake in some light skiing. 

3. Safety

Lastly, you’d want to consider the safety of skiing for you and your baby. This might just be the biggest consideration for you. In early pregnancy, your baby is still small and cocooned deep within your womb. However, if you fall or hit against anything, your baby will be in danger. With skiing, both falling or banging into something is highly possible. In fact, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does suggest that dangerous sports like surfing, skiing and horse riding be avoided during early pregnancy due to the risk of falling and or trauma to your abdomen. As always, these are suggestions and the choice is always ultimately, up to you. 

Skiing In Late Pregnancy 

In general, skiing during the latter part of your pregnancy is even more dangerous. It is much safer to ski during early pregnancy. The main risk is, of course, hurting yourself and your baby due to a fall or collision on the slopes. You’d also have to consider whether you can find skiing clothing that fits your pregnant body.

If you do choose to ski, however, here are some tips to follow to further protect yourself.

1. Be mindful of your own capabilities 

If you do indeed choose to ski, always be mindful and honest about your own capabilities. This is important to consider even if you are usually an expert skier. After all, your body’s capabilities might be different when pregnant. For one, you definitely have to consider that your center of gravity is now different with a baby belly. Therefore, always consider your capabilities before choosing to ski. If you don’t feel confident in yourself, make the smart choice, and abstain from skiing. 

2. Be mindful of the altitude 

If you’re an avid skier, you might think that the high altitude might have no effect on you. However, you have to remember that you are now pregnant and higher altitudes have a greater effect on pregnant women. Therefore, you might feel sick when you first arrive. If you are adamant about skiing, be sure to arrive earlier so that you will have time to acclimatize to the altitude. You do not want to feel sick or breathless in the middle of a ski. That would be extremely dangerous. 

3. Avoid busy slopes 

As mentioned, collisions and falls are a great risk for you and your baby. Therefore, you’d want to avoid any possibilities of falling or colliding into someone. As such, you should avoid busy slopes. Even if you are a great skier, someone else could easily knock into you too. Therefore, if you choose to ski, make sure to find a time or slope that’s less crowded. 

4. Speed is dangerous for you 

You might enjoy speeding down the slopes usually. However, when you’re pregnant, you have to be more careful! There’s no need to speed down the slope and increase the risk of you hurting yourself. Take it easy and just enjoy a leisurely ski! 

5. Relaxation is good for your body 

Lastly, your body is already taxed from nourishing and growing a new life. Skiing will only add to that stress. If you choose to ski, please be mindful of your body! Ensure that you are giving yourself enough time to relax and recuperate. Don’t push yourself to ski every minute while you’re up in the mountains. Remember to relax and lounge around! After all, time for relaxing will be much less once your baby arrives. 

Conclusion

In general, it is suggested that expectant mothers do not ski. This is especially if you are not an experienced skier. If you do choose to ski, do remember to take note of your own limits and take care of yourself.

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