Anonymous Mom: I Was A Pregnant Rock Climber

Friends and family were surprised that I was still climbing. When my mom asked what we were up to on the weekend I could almost hear her silent judgment when I replied “climbing.” She, and a few others, had asked me if I was afraid of slamming my belly against the wall. The way that I was climbing made that possibility almost impossible. I exclusively top rope climbed during my pregnancy.

Top roping is when the rope is connected to the climber, goes through a device at the top of the climb and down to the belayer at the bottom. If the climber does fall, the fall is only as far as the stretch of the rope, which is extremely minimal. I could hit my stomach if I fell and swung, but I was careful to never do a climb where I would swing.

I have always liked the saying “ignorance breeds fear.” I’ve found this adage to be very true when it comes to rock climbing or any sport viewed as extreme. The people who don’t know anything about it are the most judgmental. I did the same with climbing at first. I viewed it as a bunch of crazy people who had a death wish by going up these walls. What were they thinking? Weren’t they scared? Climbing is a lot less dramatic than most people think.

The last time I climbed, I was 37 weeks pregnant. It was actually my husband who suggested I throw in the towel. I agreed with him. I felt my stomach was so big now that it was hindering my technique and I could easily pull a muscle or hurt my back by climbing incorrectly. I also had an extra 40 pounds to climb with and, honestly, it was extremely tiring. I was sad to be done, but I knew I had to stop.

I gave birth to a little girl about three weeks ago. I waited until after I had her to write this because some people thought that my “extreme” lifestyle would result in an unhealthy baby. Fortunately, that wasn’t true at all. She was over eight pounds at birth and is healthy, happy and loves to eat (just like her mom). I have to heal awhile before I can climb again because the delivery was a little difficult but I can’t wait to get back into it.

People have joked that our baby will be climbing before she walks. The one thing I do know is that I cannot wait to introduce her to something that both my husband and I love so much and are so passionate about. Plus I can show her photos of her climbing before she was even born!

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(photo: mountain-mama.com)

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