# Bike clothes while pregnant?



## tribebabe (Mar 18, 2007)

I need some help because I'm currently 5 months pregnant and my bike shorts are really not fitting anymore. What did you all do? Buy new shorts? Maternity shorts? Jerseys I am able to steal from my husband for the time being but his XL shorts are way too big especially around the quads. I was hoping not to have to spend too much on clothing since I'll only be wearing them a few months.


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## Andrea138 (Mar 25, 2009)

If she doesn't chime in soon, send a PM to Catzilla- she recently had a spawn


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## jewels (Mar 17, 2004)

First off congrats! I just made 12 wks. and wish I had the energy to bike! Maybe in a few more weeks.

http://www.fitmaternity.com/maternity-clothes/s4.html

There's a Terry and a BornFit padded bike shorts, they're around $60. I'm guessing unless you modify and old pr. of yours, I think that might be the only way to go. I'll post up a review if I end up getting a pr.


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## utsnowgirl (Jun 26, 2005)

My little guy is now 6 months old. Wow! How time flies. 

I rode up until I was 9 months pregnant. While I normally wear baggies and dh type shorts, while I was pregnant I work a pair of Shebeast knickers. They sat low enough on my waist, that the fit me during my whole pregnancy. I really didn't want to buy new shorts, since I knew I'd only be wearing them for a short time.

Good luck!


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## tribebabe (Mar 18, 2007)

jewels said:


> First off congrats! I just made 12 wks. and wish I had the energy to bike! Maybe in a few more weeks.
> 
> http://www.fitmaternity.com/maternity-clothes/s4.html
> 
> There's a Terry and a BornFit padded bike shorts, they're around $60. I'm guessing unless you modify and old pr. of yours, I think that might be the only way to go. I'll post up a review if I end up getting a pr.


I felt horrible the 1st 2 months. I kept riding through it because it helped me eat enough. Now that I'm 5 months I feel like a rock star again and have to really listen to my body when enough is enough.

Thanks for the info on the shorts.


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## LyndaW (Jul 22, 2005)

I wore a skin suit a size larger than me when I was really big which was super comfy. I sure didn't look hot but really didn't care much about that either!


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## LyndaW (Jul 22, 2005)

..and congrats too!! Awesome


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## benjaminj (Mar 16, 2009)

I'll pipe up on this one. My wife rode all summer literally up until the day before our little guy was born. She used one of those belly bands over her normal shorts that were totally unbuttoned, generally seemed to work well. I'll let her explain better - she's 'amydalayna' on here but not on the bike forum much right now since it's all wintery now in Tahoe and snowboard season! 
Either way it was so awesome she kept riding through pregnancy - she toned it down from what would have been normal, but still got out almost daily to northstar, downieville and all around tahoe on her xc bike. I think it helped her a lot to stay sane and not feel like she was missing out as much, and it really helped to stay healthy. Of course she kept very close tabs on her internal core temp and wore a heart rate monitor to keep her heart rate lower. But by the time she went into labor she was still in great shape to push him out in only a few hours. I'm very proud of her - even made a short video chronicling the 9 months and her being super active snowboarding and biking - or maybe the video is for our son when he is 13 years old and thinks we're lame! 




day before birth:


BTW - our boy is a 3 months old now and he's just awesome! Stay active out there!


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## d-town-3- (Mar 11, 2007)

stick to the stationary, one launch over the handle bars 9 months down the tubes. just an opinion.


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## Andrea138 (Mar 25, 2009)

Yeah, she probably should have stopped driving or riding in cars, too.


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## deanna (Jan 15, 2004)

Andrea138 said:


> Yeah, she probably should have stopped driving or riding in cars, too.


You forgot about shoes too... Must be barefoot when pregnant!


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## d-town-3- (Mar 11, 2007)

yeah a fall while biking is so unheard of, dont really see how driving a car and mountain biking are even closely related. All the best with the new born.


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## sretmost (Dec 26, 2009)

jewels said:


> First off congrats! I just made 12 wks. and wish I had the energy to bike! Maybe in a few more weeks.
> 
> http://www.fitmaternity.com/maternity-clothes/s4.html
> 
> There's a Terry and a BornFit padded bike shorts, they're around $60. I'm guessing unless you modify and old pr. of yours, I think that might be the only way to go. I'll post up a review if I end up getting a pr.


I have worn BornFit Bike Shorts and they are very comfortable. Sometimes if you sign up for their newsletter they send out coupons for their products..Here is a link to their bike short on their website.....BornFit Bike Short for Maternity:thumbsup:


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## veganbiker (Dec 26, 2009)

Once I got over my morning sickness, I rode all the way up to the morning that I went to the hospital. I bought Terry maternity shorts. I was never pleased with the pad. I can still use them on the trainer if I roll down the waistline. 

I bought a pair of Shimano cycling sandals since my feet swelled. The sandals have become my favorite bike shoes.

I got a free men's XL jersey at some event I was at that I wore along with two XXL sleeveless jerseys that I picked up on clearance from Performance.

My husband and I continually modified my bike. We ended up with U shaped handle bars and a longer stem. I took it easy, paying attention to my heart rate, and usually rode about an hour. I did a lot of riding on the paved path since it's really close to my house as well as some of the mountainbike trails. You learn what works and doesn't as you go along. Riding definitely kept me sane. My little guy is three now. = )


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## tribebabe (Mar 18, 2007)

benjaminj said:


> I'll pipe up on this one. My wife rode all summer literally up until the day before our little guy was born. She used one of those belly bands over her normal shorts that were totally unbuttoned, generally seemed to work well. I'll let her explain better - she's 'amydalayna' on here but not on the bike forum much right now since it's all wintery now in Tahoe and snowboard season!
> Either way it was so awesome she kept riding through pregnancy - she toned it down from what would have been normal, but still got out almost daily to northstar, downieville and all around tahoe on her xc bike. I think it helped her a lot to stay sane and not feel like she was missing out as much, and it really helped to stay healthy. Of course she kept very close tabs on her internal core temp and wore a heart rate monitor to keep her heart rate lower. But by the time she went into labor she was still in great shape to push him out in only a few hours. I'm very proud of her - even made a short video chronicling the 9 months and her being super active snowboarding and biking - or maybe the video is for our son when he is 13 years old and thinks we're lame!
> 
> 
> ...


That's awesome! My goal is to ride as long as possible. I most definately will not be sitting on my arse for the next few months.

Thank you everyone for all the advice. I'm lucky that my hubby wears XL jerseys and has a few larges around for when I get bigger. I will look into all my short options as I do not want to stay away from my bike just because my butt got big.


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## benjaminj (Mar 16, 2009)

tribebabe said:


> That's awesome! My goal is to ride as long as possible. I most definately will not be sitting on my arse for the next few months.
> 
> Thank you everyone for all the advice. I'm lucky that my hubby wears XL jerseys and has a few larges around for when I get bigger. I will look into all my short options as I do not want to stay away from my bike just because my butt got big.


Nice - have fun out there! Judging from our experience if you can ride the whole time you'll be much better off (just tell the haters to piss off !)


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## Wylie (Mar 19, 2007)

jewels said:


> First off congrats! I just made 12 wks. and wish I had the energy to bike! Maybe in a few more weeks.
> 
> http://www.fitmaternity.com/maternity-clothes/s4.html
> 
> There's a Terry and a BornFit padded bike shorts, they're around $60. I'm guessing unless you modify and old pr. of yours, I think that might be the only way to go. I'll post up a review if I end up getting a pr.


Hey waitaminute....!!! _Ahem_.


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## LyndaW (Jul 22, 2005)

tribebabe said:


> I do not want to stay away from my bike just because my butt got big.


That is kind of a amusing comment. When I was preggers with my first my sitz bones "spread" and my butt did get wider!! I had to buy a wider saddle and it never went back!!

I rode all the way with my first baby but I couldn't with my second.I carried my second lower and pedaling got really uncomfy. We liked swimming a lot more. Each one is different.


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## tribebabe (Mar 18, 2007)

Yea, I'll blame my wider arse on "spreading" sit bones.  
Good and sad thing is that my hubby has some large baggies that were 'too tight' for him and they almost fit me, just a little too big. He also dug out some 18 year old wool tights and they fit fine for my morning commute.


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

LyndaW said:


> That is kind of a amusing comment. When I was preggers with my first my sitz bones "spread" and my butt did get wider!! I had to buy a wider saddle and it never went back!!..


FWIW I started with 155/160 saddles, and rode while pregnant up until my pelvis got so floppy I threw in the towel around 2 weeks before my due date. So imagine my horror when I threw a leg over the bike a week or two after I had the baby, only to discover my sit bones now fell outside my already major widebody saddle.:eekster: :eekster: :eekster: I was seriously freaking out, having visions of being relegated to the 'grandma tractor seat' if I was ever going to ride again!

I kept trying with no improvement... until at 6 weeks out my sit bones suddenly returned to their more or less usual place on the saddle. It was crazy to be able to 'measure' such a huge difference that had to have happened over a matter of a few days. But I have noticed that pants never quite fit the same way again even after whittling down well under pre-pregnancy weight, so I have to assume that some of that 'pelvic remodeling' was permanent.

Whaddyado. The mirror suggested age and gravity was gonna do it's thing anyway.... may as well have children for a distraction/excuse, lol....


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## Christieland (Mar 12, 2012)

d-town-3- said:


> stick to the stationary, one launch over the handle bars 9 months down the tubes. just an opinion.


I agree. I'm eight weeks pregnant and went over the bars last week at Demo. Ended up with a deep bruise on my upper thigh, dangerously close to the kidney-bean sized embryo, who probably would have been safe anyway, tucked away inside my uterus.

It was a gentle lesson and has left me with a lot of questions. I had a huge desire to ride as much gnar as I can for as long as I can, and I still will for a few weeks, and I'm being careful, but my little tumble allowed me to feel the possible effects of "a Situation" pretty profoundly.

I'm not even sure I'll feel comfortable riding much road.

I've ridden 10-15 hours a week, road and mountain, for the past two and a half years. I'm addicted, and had hopes and dreams for sport class xc and downhill domination (not babies) for 2013.

I've crashed. A lot. Road too. My tolerance to crashing is high, crashing doesn't usually scare or bother me, and I don't know how to change that - and that means danger for baby I think. So I'm thinking I should put the bikes away soon. But I'm so conflicted. A crash can happen so quickly, even when you feel you're being careful.

Maybe I would feel differently if I were 27, not 37. Or if I had kids already. But this is probably my only shot.

All I'm saying is I don't totally disagree with this poster's statement. I don't judge, either, but I can't imagine the guilt I would feel if I caused a miscarriage because of my selfish desires to be a bad ass. Again, not judging others' decisions. Other preggo honey badgers are probably more skilled, more crash averse, more careful than I am. To each her own. Just...think about it.


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## badjenny (Mar 13, 2006)

Christieland said:


> I agree. I'm eight weeks pregnant and went over the bars last week at Demo. Ended up with a deep bruise on my upper thigh, dangerously close to the kidney-bean sized embryo, who probably would have been safe anyway, tucked away inside my uterus....
> 
> All I'm saying is I don't totally disagree with this poster's statement. I don't judge, either, but I can't imagine the guilt I would feel if I caused a miscarriage because of my selfish desires to be a bad ass. Again, not judging others' decisions. Other preggo honey badgers are probably more skilled, more crash averse, more careful than I am. To each her own. Just...think about it.


Hey, sorry to hear about your crash. That must have been scary. if it's any consolation you're little bean is still well protected at this point, swimming around in lots of fluid and well protected by your pelvis/hips, etc still. Not that I am advocating being reckless, of course 1st tri is plenty scary on it's own. I think you'll breath a big sigh of relief when you hit 12 weeks, that's when I started to feel like "ok, we made it, we're goin' the distance". 

I don't think you have to put away your bikes though. As we've pm'd about I've ridden throughout my pregnancy, just a little easier. I've mostly stayed away from super technical trails and stuck to riding trails I know well and am confident on. My road rides I just scaled back a bit and stay off the super busy roads.

Past 5 months my biggest challenge with riding has been bike position and the constant need to pee. I started planning my ride routes around places I could pee with some degree of dignity. With 9 weeks to go I am completely off the road bike now as it's just too uncomfortable but still ride my mountain bike on the road and fire roads.

For me, the further I got along the lower my level of tolerance of cold weather so I have been in the gym a lot lately too. My motto has been "do I really want to add more discomfort to my day by riding in the freezing ass cold"? Answer: No! The gym, although boring, is snuggly warm and there's always a bathroom nearby with no risk of anyone seeing my lilly white arse.

At any (long winded) rate, stay active, stay healthy! It's gotten me to week 31 feeling really good. I really don't have any of the pregnancy woes I hear other prego's complain about. As an athlete staying active throughout has really helped me mentally too, I don't feel like I'm losing this sense of who I was before pregnancy, and keeps all those goals I had within reach post pregnancy as well. You'll be back shredding soon! All the mom's I know even came back stronger post baby!


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## Christieland (Mar 12, 2012)

Thanks Bad Jenny!

I'm less tolerant of cold these days too. I think that will be the key, staying away from technical trails, and on ones I'm more familiar with. But what fun is that...sigh.

It's killing me that that chick in the video that benjaminj posted was riding Downieville at what looked to be six or seven months. That is nuts. I'm obsessed with Downieville, I have dreams about it, but that **** cray. Don't think I'm experienced enough with MTB to ride Pauley Creek carefully enough to be absolutely sure I wouldn't fall down.

The wider sit bone thing is going to be interesting. Already feeling like my 155cm saddles are splitting me up the middle (different from pre-preggo).


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## badjenny (Mar 13, 2006)

Christieland said:


> It's killing me that that chick in the video that benjaminj posted was riding Downieville at what looked to be six or seven months. That is nuts. I'm obsessed with Downieville, I have dreams about it, but that **** cray. Don't think I'm experienced enough with MTB to ride Pauley Creek carefully enough to be absolutely sure I wouldn't fall down.


When my best friend was 4 months pregnant with her first we did a shuttle run in Dville. She made it to the bottom unscathed and then promptly crashed on the road leading back into town. We were just gloating about it when she washed out her front wheel in some gravel. Go figure! She was fine but we were like "wtf, we make it down all that and lose it on pavement"?! It was slow speed and she was fine but still kinda funny.


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## deanna (Jan 15, 2004)

badjenny said:


> When my best friend was 4 months pregnant with her first we did a shuttle run in Dville. She made it to the bottom unscathed and then promptly crashed on the road leading back into town. We were just gloating about it when she washed out her front wheel in some gravel. Go figure! She was fine but we were like "wtf, we make it down all that and lose it on pavement"?! It was slow speed and she was fine but still kinda funny.


Must be a distant relative of mine. I've gotten pretty good at riding the hard stuff, then wiping out on a flat/easy spot.


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## Nerdgirl (Mar 13, 2007)

I too rode throughout my pregnancy with only good results. I dialed it back, of course, and kept within my comfort level and REALLY listened to my body (not always easy).

Personally, I found bib shorts worked best for me, because they're pretty low cut and not constrictive around the waist.


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## Christieland (Mar 12, 2012)

In case anyone wonders what's it like to be pregnant when all you want to do is shred (and drink). I haven't posted on MTBR for a while, I kind of lost interest when the site format changed, and then also seeing everyone's mountain biking tales, well, you know. Trying not to hate.  Hope everyone's having a great spring and having lots of good rides!

Preggoland: not quite as fun as Christieland (or even Legoland) | passedbyachick.com


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