UKC

A friend of mine who is about 4 months gone is still keen to climb but worried about the obvious implications of her pregnancy.

If anyone has climbed through pregnancy, or has a partner who has done so and wishes to pass on any advice/tips i'd be very grateful.

Cheers,
Andy

In reply to Andyh83:

Have a search - this was discussed at length a while ago.

In reply to Andyh83: Didn't seem to trouble Alison Hargeaves or Catherine Destivelle...good luck.

In reply to Andyh83:

there are a hundred threads on this subject and a full article,

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=2080

should cover everything she wants. To summarise, the subject brings the very best and the very worst of ukc to the fore, with the debate reminding me of the pro-life, pro-choice one at times!

In reply to pog100:
Yes, I have done so and had no ill effects, neither did my baby, but it's a very personal thing and caution is obviously advised.

Still out and about with the baby, it's all much more hard work then when you are on your own, but it's not the end of all climbing! My hubby is climbing harder then ever and I am still ticking along..must shed a few pounds to get back to where I was, but still going fine.

Good luck to your friend, my best advice is to get a full body harness after about 5 months and always have a reliable belayer!

In reply to Andyh83: There is another current thread that deals with this ...bump!

In reply to Andyh83:
I climbed til 7 1/2 months outdoors and 8 1/2 months indoors. The baby took her first trip to the gym at 4 weeks!
I didn't lead (though some women do continue to lead) or boulder, and make sure the leader takes care to protect the second so there would not be any swing in case of a fall. Drop a few levels and just enjoy being outside, don't worry about the grades. Most women swap to a full body harness at around 4-5 months, there are several available, not very elegant but does the job. Carrying a heavy pack is hard once you start to show as you can't really shift the weight to your hips via the waist belt so help your friend by taking most of the gear. Avoid long approaches or very remote locations.
I was still able to climb OK right to the end, but did get much more tired faster, we could only do short days outside. In an odd way its actually very good for your technique. You can't haul yourself up over a move with your arms, so you really have to pay attention to your footwork and make small moves.
I'd really encourage your friend to try and keep climbing if she can and is comfortable doing so. Once baby arrives, with all the best intentions in the world it becomes very difficult to get out much!