Climbing during Pregnancy

City Bloc team member and coach Freya Newbegin shares her experiences climbing whilst pregnant.

I found out I was pregnant in February of 2021 and had been climbing for around 5 years or so already. Mainly bouldering, both indoors and outdoors, I’d tried sport climbing a few times, but bouldering gave me the most joy and satisfaction! Due to covid, the climbing walls were still closed when I found out I was pregnant, and they didn’t re open until I was around 3 months. For me the first 4 months were horrendous, I was so ill – throwing up multiple times a day – that I could barely get out of bed let alone climb a wall! I lost a lot of weight during that first trimester and had so little energy that I would feel very faint when stood up or moving for longer periods of time.  By the time the walls did open I was in no fit state to climb at the level I was before, and my mind was constantly aware of this tiny human that was growing inside of me, making the mental side of climbing a lot more challenging. 

I decided to stick to the easiest climbs, those I knew I would never fall off and I would always make sure to climb down and step off the wall. My partner was always there to spot me if I felt unsure and my style of climbing changed a lot, even though my fingers still felt super strong I was just very apprehensive about landing or cutting loose or slipping – things that wouldn’t normally cross my mind. Initially I couldn’t find a lot of information around climbing during pregnancy, so I just tried to listen to and trust my body, and I would consider myself an experienced boulderer, so my judgement to continue climbing felt natural to me. I did eventually find some useful resources and accounts from other pregnant climbers so I will link them all below!

I also continued to teach Yoga up until week 37 and this helped my body and mind during pregnancy. I did also seek out a pregnancy yoga class that I could attend for myself, and I would recommend this to anyone out there as the focus and intention behind the class is incredibly supportive and tailored to your specific needs. 

When taking part in a sport like climbing I think you will naturally draw attention when heavily pregnant – bouncing around the climbing walls. Luckily, I didn’t experience any negative comments or judgements (at least not to my face!), but unfortunately, I know there are plenty of women who do. Be confident in your body and your decisions and don’t let the opinions of certain individuals get you down! Hopefully the more information that’s out there about climbing and pregnancy, the more visibility it will gain. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend taking up climbing as a beginner if you’re pregnant, I believe that continuing to climb during your pregnancy is completely safe as healthy if it’s something you already do regularly.

Be confident in your body and your decisions and don’t let the opinions of certain individuals get you down!

Here are a few things to consider when climbing through your pregnancy journey:

• Breath – tune in to your breath, it will do wonders for your pelvic floor and your labour.
• Learn to engage your TVA – Transverse Abdominals, stabilises spine and pelvis and supports baby
• Keep strength training to maintain fitness
• Be patient

Some links to check out:

Instagram: @calliejoyblack

Lattice Training Blog: https://latticetraining.com/2021/12/29/pregnancy-postpartum-peri-postmenopause-in-climbing/

Curious Climber Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1blxcayq8e6WPg3VKVEsAI

If you’re at the point of returning to climbing after pregnancy, why not check out my second blog on this topic.