Horse Owning/pregnancy/babies!!

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Caritas

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Hi guys, as some of you will know I am 5 months pregnant. I have been riding up until now but am finding it quite uncomfortable and contemplating stopping for the time being. I am looking for some reassurance if I am honest, i am concerned if I dont ride for 6 months or more what I will feel like when I get back on, confidence wise? How many of you carried on riding when pregnant, and how you coped once your baby was born. Any info greatly appreciated, many thanks
 
Everyone seems to be getting preg at the moment!

You might find this post interesting
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/2488614/page/0/fpart/all/vc/1

As for confidence I was a little aprehensive, but then I was getting on my just backed 4 year old
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There have been quite a few posts on this just recently.

In total I suppose I had about 8 weeks off riding before and after I was pregnant, as i carried on until I physically couldn't do it any more. I hadn't lost confidence - but I had lost core strength and balance as a consequence of a c-section and a bit of excess weight.

Time was the issue for me, as i also returned to full time work - I emplyed an au pair who also rode, so we shared my horses and shared the child care when i was off - it also meant there was always a spare person to mind the baby at shows.
 
I carried on riding until i was nearly 7 months gone. I didnt get that big though which helped obviously! I stopped jumping as soon as i found out i was was pregnant. I had quite an easy birth but had a few stitches which stopped me getting back on straight after but i was back on by about 10 days. I took things very slowly and only you know how you feel in yourself as to how much you do. Im lucky when it comes to competing as i have both my parents and inlaws who are nearby so they have helped me with babysitting duties from day one!!! Good luck and im sure it will work out ok for you!!
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I rode upto when I was 6 months pregnant and I just ballooned overnight!! I had a c section so it was about 3 months after this before I got back in the saddle. I had a weak back, some excess weight and weak stomach muscles. It took me quite a while to fitten up again. Confidence wasn't a problem- my mare had been ridden by a friend for a while as I put her out on loan and is a gem anyway.
 
With my first i rode up to 6 mths and with the 2nd i only rode till i was 3 mths because of complications with the first pregnancy. Didn't feel to bad at all getting back on after having my 1st child, but i didn't go full term and had a c section so was out the saddle for about 2 months. With my 2nd i was out the saddle for about 7 mths and when i got back on i had no muscle what so ever, felt very wobbly so just took things slowly.
 
I'm also pregnant at the moment - due in 2 weeks!

I rode during my first two pregnancies, up to 5 months the first time and 6 the second, but this time I stopped at 4 months because I was injured in a car crash. Had this not happened, I probably would have continued for the same amount of time this time round.

This means that it'll have been about 9 months since I last rode when I get back on board. I'm not the bravest rider, so will probably be bricking it the first time I get on again! I managed to get going again the first two times with no problems though. And it's amazing how much time you can find to ride after the baby's born.
 
I didn't ride when I was pregnant as Axel was only a yearling anyway and I had nothing else to ride.
I started up again when baby Rachel was about 2 or 3 months old and had some lunge lessons on a friends horse. I then started riding a few of the horses at the yard when I could and then backed my horse.
I've never felt nervous about getting back on but I no longer take silly risks, as I've had 2 nasty falls since having Rachel 1 causing me to break my elbow and the other a broken leg.
 
I rode my 17.2 ex racer up until the day before I had my baby, then again after a week (I had to leave it a week due to some inappropriately placed stitches!). I did stop cantering after about 7 months because the horse was a strong bugger and had a tendency to just disappear at full tilt at the drop of a hat, and I had undisagnosed pre-eclampsia for the final couple of months which was a bit uncomfortable (I did wonder why I was in such pain!!). I never struggled juggling baby and horse as I was lucky in that my parents live in the same village as my horse. In fact it was my horse that kept me sane! If hell froze over and I had another baby, Id make damn sure I kept my horse!

The exercise certainly helps, I was lucky enough to wear all my normal clothes all the while I was pregnant and keep wearing them after the baby. Good luck with yours!
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