Congratulations! That sounds like a dream scenario!
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Iām in the early stages of second trimester and have been having some pretty noticeable pain that Iām thinking is SPD (going to check with my doc next appointment). Did you find anything that helped ease it? Especially if it kept you riding?
I went on a 3 hour trail ride this past weekend and have been hobbling ever since. Learned that lessonāno more long rides! I wanted to show at the end of the month, but now Iām thinking I may need to stick with shorter and easier rides if I canāt find a way to ease the pain some.
I had that problem, too. Unfortunately for me, the only option to avoid it was to not ride. You could try seeing a chiropractor
Acupuncture! I had some issues with SPD and rode up until almost delivery with both of my pregnancies. When I started having pain or discomfort Iād mention it to my practitioner and he somehow made it disappear. I went every 2-3 weeks throughout my pregnancies unless something popped up that I needed an extra session in between.
Mostly I would hobble the whole rest of day / evening after the (all short) rides but would typically wake up the next morning fine. I took that approach throughout my second trimester.
Around month 7 I went for a 15 min walk / trot and was CRIPPLED that night (husband had to carry me up the stairs to bed). Went in to see Chiro the next morning on an emergency appointment because I still couldnāt walk without assistance. Chiro was magic and I walked out of the building with only mild discomfort.
However, from that point on, even without riding I needed weekly Chiro sessions to stay pain-free enough to function until the end of my pregnancy. Chiro practitioner said that Iād really irritated the ligaments and had considerable inflammation, likely triggered by insisting on short rides well past my body saying āno moreā.
DH and I are hoping to have a second in the near future and Iām going to try to listen better to my body. Although this acupuncture suggestion has me intriguedā¦anything to prolong my riding access!!
My kiddo is now two so Iām in full mom mode now. I fully advise you to not ride seriously after first trimester, and definitely nothing new or green. The time flies and if youāre generally fit you will bounce right back. Expect your life and priorities to completely change.
I fully rode both my horses and my motorbike until 24 weeks. Dr. said once the belly grows past your hip bones you lose the protection of the pelvic girdle, so I was pushing it and if I do it again I will not ride seriously that late again. Remember, youāre hearing the stories of āyeah everything went fineā.
After that I got off the bike and stopped riding the horses seriously.
I did toddle around bareback on my sisterās halflinger until right before I gave birth. It was amazing to stretch my hips and deal with Braxton Hicks.
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@Kolasweet, @LadyBug, @EventingMaffāthank you all for your replies. I will definitely take it easy this week and see if I have any improvement without riding and aggravating it. Then weāll see. Iām not sure where to find a local acupuncturist but Iāll look. I do want to listen to my body and not do actual damage but Iām so not emotionally ready to give up yet.
@MadTrotter my two geldings are well known to me and I have definitely scaled back some. My hope was to ride at least to mid December (which would be about 24 weeks) slowing down and shortening between now and then. Prior to the long trail ride (which was just walking) the pain was just a minor annoyance that had cropped up over the last week or two. I admit that I did too much without knowing it at the time with the long ride.
Sounds like SPD pain to me. Do you feel it gets worse when you open your legs e.g. when getting out of the car? If so, SPD pain. There are youtube exercises that help with that specifically. Instead of riding I started working with a private pilates instructor and if I skipped a session the pain would be back with vengeance, so in my case, I had to take those exercises seriously. For acute pain - sit on an ice pack.
I was out of the saddle by 12 weeks and back the day after I was cleared for exercise by my PFPT. Coming back was honestly easier than I thought. Granted, I had a very straightforward birth and no diastasis recti, which probably makes all the difference. I have a hot horse that was moved around trainers and eventually put out in a field. I was very anxious as watching the horse from the ground I could tell the training had deteriorated a lot, but much to my surprise, we came back quickly. There are things that are annoying like my weak core means that my sitting trot is extremely embarrassing. However, I was jumping small courses 3 weeks later and thatās something that wouldāve been difficult with the said horse even back when I stopped riding. I hope we can do some horse shows in a couple of months.
The most difficult part has been, as many people have pointed out already, to find the time to ride. Iām on maternity leave so going out 3-4x a week but I think this will be a serious issue once I add work into the mix. Husband/sitter watches the kiddo while I go riding, I leave some pumped milk and sometimes Iām even back for the next feed. I was very worried that I wonāt want to ride at all with a young child/lose my guts, and it was broadly true for the first 4-6 weeks, but honestly, itās now my one non-mommy outlet and important for mental health. You do need a very good support system so you can leave baby with someone you trust.
Yeah, the symptoms seem to match it. Running seems to be even worse than riding these days and Iām not doing a ton of either.
I have started Pilates to take up some of the time I used to spend running and riding. Iāll look up some stuff on YouTube. Pelvis pain has gotten betterāthough Iām not sure if itās Pilates or scaling back on the other two. Just doing easy mostly w/t rides a couple times a week. Thankfully my guys seems content enough to chill with each other in the pasture. Weāll all have to work on getting back in shape next summer.
My biggest fear riding after is losing my confidence since Iāve heard it happen to so many other women and Iām not hugely brave to begin with. Thankfully I do have two horses that I know well and trust. Fingers crossed itāll work out in the long run.
