Pregnant bike commuters - how long did you stick it out?

[ysette9]

Hi all,

I have been happily bike commuting to work for the past six months on an ebike. I am 20 weeks pregnant now and plan to continue going for as long as I feel comfortable. My doctor is a-okay with exercise and my personal take is it is a critical part of keeping me physically and mentally comfortable. My hope is to be able to continue for another couple of months.

Does anyone have experience doing similar? I realize that people in the US look at biking with a lot more suspicion than, say, people in European countries where it is considered an unremarkable part of daily life.

[Fomerly known as something]

Not a bike commuter or pregnant, but a ultra running friend posted this on FB a few weeks ago.  Oh how arrogant I was after being able to run until week 40 of my first pregnancy and always feeling great.  Having to go on bed rest at week 22 with the second. 

Moral of this story, you can't compare because each pregnancy is different.  Ride until it doesn't work for you.

[ysette9]

Fair enough, I'm just curious what others' experiences are to have a general idea of what to expect. I wasn't a bike rider for commuting in my previous pregnancies.

[MrThatsDifferent]

I’m not pregnant to and just feel off my bike after hitting a high curb and taking my eyes off the road. Dumb me. There’s no way I’d ride a bike preganant.

[11ducks]

You'll be right, just keep an eye out or hip/back pain that may come about as your centre of mass shifts and your tendons stretching in prep for the baby.

[Morning Glory]

First pregnancy was in winter so didn't bike. Second pregnancy I lasted until about 6 months. Could probably have gone a bit longer but the road was under construction and there was a long detour onto a busy highway.

[ericbonabike]

My wife bike commuted until about 8 months.
We had to modify her bike a bit, bought and installed a variable angle stem which allowed her handle bars to move up.

So she wouldn't have to bend over quite as much (she was on road bike).

We just biked a bit slower, very carefully, no sharp turns, etc.

[SimpleCycle]

I rode until about 36 weeks.  Got a lot of tsk tsking from everyone who wasn't my OB.  My OB was fine as long as I felt comfortable.  Even rode to my non-stress tests!  My bike is quite upright so that helped a lot with comfort.

[tweezers]

I rode mine to and from work until ~32 weeks when I started not trusting my own balance.  I walked after that.  I continued my spinning class at the gym until the very end (nothing says gym cred like doing a spinning class at 41 weeks!).

[littlebird]

I rode until about 20 weeks. Mostly stopped because my stomach started to get in the way as my bike is not very upright. I think you'll know when you've had enough :-)

[Mrs. PoP]

A lot might also depend on the length of your commute and weather, etc.  I basically rode 100% of the time until 20 weeks and tapered by skipping days I was too tired or wanted to use my cardio energy for something else like running. I also slowed down a good amount so the ride was taking longer.  My last ride was at 30 weeks.   By then I didn’t want to be racing 9 miles to beat sunset home so I wasn’t riding in the dark where I felt less safe/steady. 

[mm1970]

I didn't bike commute.  But I did spin classes?

Kid #1, rode up to about week 38, when he was born.

Kid #2, Hmm...I didn't make it that long.  I just couldn't get in and out of the saddle anymore, probably around week 35.  Plus I couldn't reach the handlebars, stomach got in the way.

[acepedro45]

Nothing to contribute except respect to all the pregnant MMM ladies out there still biking away.

[FIreSurfer]

My wife rode until about 6 months, when her doc told her it was probably a good idea to stop as her belly was quite out there and a fall could be dangerous.  But this depends on what one's commute is like...

She was riding a very upright 5 speed.  I think it would have been difficult on a more aggressive road bike.

She was all set to ride right through D-day, but having previously lived in Brooklyn, we err on the side of caution with bikes/motorbikes....she did go to regular yoga classes right through week 41, to the astonishment of those at her yoga studio (recommend this btw - she didn't experience a lot of the swollen feet and pregnancy things and we attribute it to 5 days a week of yoga....)

I am pretty sure the Prime Minister of New Zealand rode her bicycle to the hospital to deliver her baby, but I might have the story a little off.......

[GuitarStv]

https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/08/why-a-new-zealand-ministers-bike-ride-to-give-birth-caused-a-stir/567913/

[zhelud]

So many badass ladies here!  When I was pregnant, I had to stop bike commuting at about 4 months because summer had begun and it was just too hot in the afternoons. The only exercise-related thing my doc was concerned about was me getting overheated. By the time fall and cooler weather arrived I was just too enormous to haul myself onto a bike seat.

[ysette9]

I'm almost 21 weeks and still feeling great on the bike. I recently bought my own ebike (was borrowing one from work) and this one is slightly more upright, which feels good. It also has the motor center mounted low on the bike, so the bike itself feels more stable than the one I was previously riding. The cool thing is that this one has five levels of assist; I'm currently on the middle level so I figure as I get further along I can just bump up the level of power to compensate for my own decreased physical abilities. We shall see!

[mschaus]

That's awesome you are still riding! Seems like you can keep going until the bike doesn't fit you anymore or you just aren't comfortable or feel unbalanced. It'll be different for everyone.

My wife rode until about ~7 months, at which point she couldn't lean forward comfortably anymore or her knees hit her stomach (depending on how the bike was adjusted). I got her a Specialized Roll with a step-through frame to ride which is super comfortable and upright.