Pregnant Woman vs Fresh Horse = Anxiety

[workswithhorses]

Hi. This is my first pregnancy and I’m 10 weeks along. I work with horses daily, but yesterday was my planned last day at this particular job as I wanted to be cautious with my pregnancy as I am 37 years old and considered a higher risk. Help me and my SO sleep better. I work with animals that are beginner-low intermediate levels that are older, gentle, and well-mannered. I wasn’t too worried — just an added precaution.

HOWEVER. Yesterday afternoon I had an unexpected “battle” with a fresh / rebellious horse out in the winter chill on the lunge. A horse than normally can be barely coaxed out of a walk. I got yanked around quite a bit and had to scramble for my footing a few times although no actual falls happened. This is a horse I use with Beginners! SO UNEXPECTED. It’s a hard reminder that even the quietest / most gentle horses can surprise us on occasion with a little sass or be full of beans. Normally no big deal, but I am pregnant and this was suddenly feeling out of my comfort zone.

I worried a bit last night at home but managed to quell the concern by bed time. However woke up without my usual symptoms today for the first time since my missed period and I’m a little freaked out. My breasts are not sore. My mid-section not bloated. My nausea not there either. I called a nurse on the non-emergency 24 hour health-line as the maternity clinic was not open yet and we went through a phone consultation of the incident and evaluated my current state of being and she said risk was low and most likely all was well, that going into second trimester the pregnancy symptoms can disappear or change starting around this time. Plus the severity of the incident was low despite the jostling and mostly arms/upper body if any strain did happen. Advised to do to the ER or doctor if 24 hours pass and I am still anxious.

I guess what I was hoping for here was to have some emotional support or reassurance that other pregnant horsewomen or moms have been knocked and bumped about by their horse babies and no harm came to their human baby. Or about their symptoms disappearing but all being OK too. No matter the outcome I don’t want to ruin the holiday season with incessant worry. Not good for anyone. Looking for a holiday virtual hug here if anyone can do me that little favour for Christmas lol.

[Scribbler]

If you are that worried go to an emergency Ward and get checked out. None of us can diagnose you on internet.

Oksy I see you talked with the nurse practitioner. If you don’t trust her medical advice then go to a doctor. If you do trust her advice then try to relax.

[jvanrens]

I slid down about 5 steps on a staircase, and fell on ice more times than I care to remember when I was pregnant. Please get checked out if you are concerned. I didn’t but there were no bad “feelings” after other than bruised dignity on my part. Fingers crossed your pregnant is an easy one.

[Jackie_Cochran]

I fell off over a 3’9" jump when I was around 4 months pregnant.

Nothing happened. I lowered the jump, jumped once more and stopped jumping until after birth.

With one of my pregnancies my unborn son would start doing gymnastics as soon as I tried to go to sleep. Accidentally I found a cure for this, a little sitting trot. If I sat the trot some that day he would let me sleep in peace. If I did not my womb became a gymnasium for him when I tried to go to sleep, and believe me he was working out religiously and with vigor.

Both pregnancies I rode until the day before labor started. I had no problems from this except that I felt like a whale in the saddle.

[workswithhorses]

Thank you for your comment Scribbler. I appreciate it. I am not looking for a diagnosis or direction… just wanted a little comfort or reality check haha as I am probably overreacting and don’t want to stress my loved ones out with my horse activities they already worried about lol. Sometimes you just need some sense talked into you by objective outsiders or even another horse person lol. You are right I need to trust the medial professionals. (Baby hormones not always great for logic).
Thank you also jvandens — I tried to tell myself many pregnant woman have given themselves a fright with worse accidents like stairs and cars and baby had been fine. I’m so glad yours proved no harm. (Nurse kindly told me this too.) I also realize many woman continue to work with and ride horses throughout much of their pregnancy and I’m sure they’ve had a few bumps along the way as horses are horses. Other than my previous symptoms disappearing on me overnight I feel OK and no red flag ones showing up. I’ll just chose to be grateful for that.
Thank you forum for allowing me to post my anxieties here as opposed to an average pregnancy board as I felt the best support would be other horsewomen versus someone who can’t relate to the sport and animals and might tend to be more fearful of such an event. Clearly I am nervous enough lol.

[workswithhorses]

Jackie! I admire your trust in your horses and your pregnancy. Thank you for sharing!! It help me keep better perspective over here in panic land. Bless you!

[DunByMistake]

Congrats! I’m about 11.5 weeks now myself. Totally understand being anxious about every little thing.

I agree you are most likely totally fine and just reaching end of first trimester so symptoms aren’t as strong anymore. Even if something had happened to your pregnancy, it takes a while for hormones to adjust so it’s unlikely you’d feel totally not pregnant the next day.

Go to ER and get checked out if you’re still feeling worried.

[workswithhorses]

Jackie I am also having a giggle at the prospect of your sitting trot being a workout lullaby for babe. Thank you!

[workswithhorses]

Congrats DunBy!!
I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy! 🤗
I’ve always been pretty fearless with horses, possibly even stupid brave sometimes in my younger years LOL. So being so easily unnerved by a lunge session gone slightly awry is a new feeling and it definitely is a confusing one for me and my pride haha. Thanks for your understanding of this anxiety.
I look forward to having less symptoms in the 2nd trimester lol so if that’s now then hurray. 😂 I also agree with your thoughts on the hormones timeline being possibly too sudden to make sense. Thanks for that comfort going into the holiday.

[Scribbler]

I haven’t done the pregnancy thing personally so all I could give was my general advice for other horse related injuries like concussion or possible fractures

[BeckyS]

When I was 11 weeks along, the mare I was trail riding felt she really needed to get her point across that her saddle didn’t fit. She bolted for a mile. No amount of using my seat, deep breaths, pushing her forward, or one rein stops would fix her angrily set neck.

I ended up grabbing the cheekpiece of her bridle and pulling her to the side while simultaneously jumping off and prayed for the best. We ended up fine, but certainly stressful!!!

Baby was fine, me too. 🙂 I didn’t ride that mare again until after baby was born, and we’d found a saddle more pleasing to her back by then. Never had an issue with her again.

Good luck on the rest of the pregnancy!!!

[workswithhorses]

Thank you Becky, for sharing your wild ride experience and well wishes! So happy to know you and your little remained safe and sound and your mare is now happy with her new saddle fit! Happy Holidays!

[workswithhorses]

Scribbler — Thank goodness at this time I don’t need fracture and concussion advice, but I know who to ask if I ever do. Your support just by replying at all made me feel less alone with my thoughts this morning! Thanks again!

Thanks all for taking the time like Scribbler. After an afternoon and evening of thinking positive and shifting my perspective, done with your help and a horse friend on the phone line earlier, I feel much more relaxed and better able to focus on the Christmas Day ahead tomorrow and count my blessings. Merry Christmas to all.

[Jackie_Cochran]

Part of your problem with groundwork may be your changing balance as the baby grows. My body got all out of kilter and my balance was much worse.

I also vaguely remember (it was 40 some years ago) my legs not working as well as usual when I had my feet on the ground as I got bigger.

[RacetrackReject]

There is a thread in the Hunter/Jumper forum for pregnant riders. It’s been around for years and is a pretty large thread, so you may try posting over there for more responses.

[arabiansrock]

OP I literally got knocked down and run over in the pasture trying to catch my horse whiie pregnant with my first. Also just about your time along. I curled up in a ball and stayed down until I knew they were gone. I was fine, but had the same fears you did. Come back and tell us that all is well please

[beau159]

@workswithhorses

Hi. This is my first pregnancy and I’m 10 weeks along.

Yesterday afternoon… I got yanked around quite a bit and had to scramble for my footing a few times although no actual falls happened.

However woke up without my usual symptoms today for the first time since my missed period and I’m a little freaked out.

I guess what I was hoping for here was to have some emotional support or reassurance that other pregnant horsewomen or moms have been knocked and bumped about by their horse babies and no harm came to their human baby. Or about their symptoms disappearing but all being OK too.

Pregnancy is different for every woman and different for every pregnancy.

Doesn’t sound like you actually had anything happen (personally, I don’t consider “scrambling” to be anything). Realistically, the fetus is still pretty darn protected and “internal” at 10 weeks. Very uncommon for an actual fall or trauma of some kind at that timeline to do damage, because again, everything is still “small” and very cushoined internally — doesn’t mean something can’t happen, but unlikely.

For a lot of women, morning sickness symptoms tend to start to disappear as you get closer to 13 weeks and your second trimester. Probably was coincidence. (Incidence of miscarriage also lessens after 13 weeks)

You can absolutely never be too careful when pregnant and it’s up to you to decide how careful to be.

I had a miscarriage at 7 weeks for my first pregnancy.
Out of circumstance, I didn’t end up riding at all during my second pregnancy (first child) but that was because I had a hurt horse to tend to and no horse to actually ride!
For my third pregnancy (second child) I barrel raced and rode until I couldn’t fit into my normal jeans anymore … I think I was almost 4 months along when I stopped. Also, only rode my own horses that are NOT green and that I trusted. Sure, things can still happen (especially when barrel racing at speed) but that was the choice I made for myself.
This was actually the last barrel run I made before I stopped riding when pregnant — coincidentally was the last barrel run I made on Red, before he was “retired” from barrel racing to move onto other things. Bummed we ended it with hitting a barrel but it is what it is!

For me, I had morning sickness through most of my first completed pregnancy – for me, it didn’t stop until I was in my last trimester. For my second completed pregnancy, the morning sickness wasn’t as bad (still there) but oh man was I TIRED. So very tired, LOL. THankfully that went away after the first trimester.

[iChey77]

I remember with my first pregnancy, I was very worried everytime something unexpected happens. I ended up buying a fetal heart rate doppler to use at home (they’re ~$20 online) just so no matter what happened, I could be reassured by hearing the tiny heart beat. I agree with the other people though, if you’re really worried always get checked out but that was just something that helped me call the doctor less