As part of my note keeping comparing how the knee behaves this pregnancy vs the last, I thought it would be useful to start by noting the different exercise regimes I undertook/am undertaking through each.
First time round
This was around two and a half years after the first ACL surgery and all seemed to be going well. I’d built back up to half marathon running and was having fortnightly personal training sessions to work towards my own fitness goals so we just adapted the workouts once we knew.
I carried on running until 30 weeks, with hip and lower back pain driving the decision to stop although, in reality, it was probably more of a 30 minute run walk by that point (With hindsight, I probably should have stopped around 24 weeks, when it first started getting uncomfortable but 30 week seemed like a nice, round number).
I carried on with fortnightly PT sessions and going to the gym three times a week until 36 weeks when I had to go for a growth scan so decided to back off the gym full stop, swapping it for swimming until 41 weeks.
I didn’t think it was fair on other gym goers after that point (you know something’s going to kick off at some point and probably best not to be in the pool at the time, right?). I was also doing some antenatal yoga DVDs, as well as Davina’s antenatal workout, which seemed stupidly easy at the time (Ah, the arrogance of actually being fit and forgetting how hard things can be when you’re not!)
There weren’t any particular problems with the knee throughout this time and the only observation I can make (from memory) is that I finally got full flexion back while pregnant.
This time around
Safe to say, I’ve gone into this pregnancy a lot less fit than I was the first time. This time it’s ‘only’ 20 months post the revision ACL surgery but I had really only just started back a the gym properly when I found out that we are expecting again and had been hoping to build up again from there.
After the poor induction/PT experience, I decided to stick with treadmill walking and cycling when I could summons the energy to go to the gym at all during the first trimester. As previous blogs show, the knee was sore but I don’t want to get dragged into total inactivity and pay the price once this baby is here.
As I entered the second trimester in November, I came across an ad for MummyFit on Facebook – it’s a pre- and post-natal fitness franchise operating across the country. While I've never really been one for group-exercise classes, I figured it would be worth checking out as the classes were at my gym anyway. My goals have been a bit different this time – rather than just mitigating the loss of fitness that goes with the pregnancy territory, I really need to get back into some sort of fitness but in a safe environment.
After a taster session in November, when I had a good chat with the instructor so she was fully aware a) of the knee issues and b) made certain we could adapt the exercises as I get bigger, I’ve been going once or twice a week, ideally with a four-mile treadmill walk or 30-minute swim on a rest-day inbetween.
I’m taking the low/no impact option for absolutely everything but, from a low starting point (the 3-day DOMS after the first session was an experience I hadn’t had since my first half marathon), I actually feel like I’m making progress. There is a lot of lunging and squatting, and the knee isn’t always a fan of that, in which case I back off a bit, but building quad strength should help in the long run and it actually complains more after a treadmill walk than one of the MummyFit classes.
On the one hand, being pre-natal gives me an excuse to be lazy in these HIIT-based classes (I’ll just march on the spot while you post-natal ladies run and do high knees, ok?), but I get my payback when it comes to arms sessions as carrying an extra 8kg, as I am now, certainly makes the tricep dips and press-ups harder (I’ll have Madonna arms by the time this baby is here, mark my words... although preferably not).
When I can’t get up to the gym, I’m swapping MummyFit for an antenatal fitness YouTube workout (Prenatal fitness with Amy, part of Bodyfit with Amy), again keeping it low/no impact and stopping whenever the knee gets too grumbly. I may do some pre-natal yoga but the Relaxin is truly kicking in now so I really don’t want to overcook it on the flexibility stuff.
I should also mention that I tried out Aquarobics for one class, as its included in my gym membership and I figured the lack of impact would be good for the knee. Never again! It turned out to be AquaZumba and it felt like the kind of cheesy pool class you get on an all-inclusive holiday – minus the pool-side bar – but watched instead by a café full of people and a load of rugby lads in the Jacuzzi. I could have done with a drink to get through the embarrassment of The Twist and Greece Lightening and the knee didn’t like it after all (lots of clunking on the posterior medial side when swinging the leg forward, plus the joy of slipping on the swimming pool floor from time to time – the challenges of being short and having to stand on your toes to keep your head above water)
Anyway, at the time of writing (mid February), I’m sticking with the Mummyfit and *whisper it quietly*, I’ve now put together the longest gym run – at 3.5 months – I’ve managed since the revision ACL surgery in March 2016! The last couple of weeks have been the first time I’ve felt the need to pull things back a bit cardio wise but the knee itself isn’t getting worse and, on current form, it will be the hips/back that cue the end of visits, not the knee.
Hopefully I’ve stumbled on my happy medium for now. Watch this space.