Jiu jitsu and pregnancy

Gotcha! No, I am not expecting. But Cynthia Davis, a badass purple belt from Morrisville Tenessee, IS. And she has been nice enough to share her experiences with us regarding jiu jitsu training and pregnancy.

Congratulations! Is this your first child? How far along are you?
Yes, this is our first child. I am currently 34 weeks along.    

How has your training changed since becoming pregnant? Are you still rolling? If not, when did you stop?
Training changed a lot. I was injured before becoming pregnant so was only working my top game, once my husband and I found out I was pregnant we decided that I should stop training during the first trimester. I would drill lightly with him but no one else. I started back to training during the second trimester with extreme restrictions...no rolling/sparring and I did modified floor movements, drills, and takedowns. I only did these with my husband and would spend part of class showing others how to do moves or answering any questions they had about a particular move. Once the third trimester hit we both decided that I should not do drills or anything else as my balance was getting questionable..we realized this when I was attempting to stand up in base and had a hard time of it.

I imagine certain techniques are more difficult to execute while pregnant. Is anything particularly tricky or funny to perform? Is there anything that you suddenly got better at? 
The guys laughed really hard at my shrimps and bridges. Knee on belly was a blast and any side control position was great..mainly because I had gained weight and it made me heavier. I loved it!


How did you tell your training partners that you were pregnant? Did people start treating you differently?
Once the safe period was over (risk of losing the baby) I started telling people. Everyone at the gym was/is excited. I was treated differently..they would watch to make sure I wasn't going to do anything to hurt myself. They also made me the mascot! lol

After the baby comes, how long do you expect it will be before you can resume training? Will you compete?
Once the baby gets here I will start training as soon as my doctor gives me clearance to. Eventually I would like to compete again.

You will be able to say that your baby has been on the mats since before he or she was born! Do you think that you have a future champion in the making?
I like to think we have a future champ in the making! I plan on working with her as soon as possible so it will be second nature to her.

Obviously, expecting fathers don’t experience the same physical changes that expecting mothers do. Be honest – does it bother you that your husband gets to keep training without physical limitations?
I am so jealous that my husband gets to train! I am happy that he can but I miss being out there training with the guys. I still coach them during class but it just isn't the same!

If you were going to name your child a badass jiu jistu name, what would it be?
Hmmm I am not sure what name it would be, but as much as she balls up it would most likely be a jiu jitsu position like turtle or Neto (Neto roll). 

Do you have any advice for other pregnant jiu jitsu women who want to keep training?
No two women have the same pregnancy and it boils down to doing what you and your partner are most comfortable with. My doctor said I could train throughout my pregnancy because my body was used it, but no stupid moves. I still decided not to train as much as I could have because if something happened to the baby as a result of what I was doing at gym I never would have forgiven myself. So my husband and I erred on the side of caution. If I felt winded, warm, thirsty..I sat out. If a move feels odd because the belly is in the way either modify the move or don't do it.

 

Thanks, Cynthia!