Pregnancy in the Outdoors
Being in the outdoors has been such a key part of my life professionally and personally that I didn’t think being pregnant would change that. Growing up, pregnancy had been depicted to me as mostly a brief stage of nausea followed by normal life until some waddling later on. As with many things, growing up in a woman’s* body, the realities and diversity of experiences with pregnancy were not well understood by me.
Early on, during my pregnancy with Emmett, I went on a hut ski trip with friends. Excited about my new little being growing in me, I was also surprised by how low my energy was. After that point, my energy got lower, my nausea increased, as did a slight depression. This pregnancy floored me. It took all my energy to do any of the things that I had previously loved to do. It mostly demanded of me to stop, rest and look out the window. Now, looking back, this was the lesson of this pregnancy. I had grown up, as many of us have, in a culture that focuses on outcomes; I struggled with embracing a different pace that couldn’t prioritize achievement and productivity. I saw many women continuing to be active, energetic and continue with their pre-pregnancy lives as they knew it and I started to feel like I was missing something or doing something wrong.
Keeping my feet cool in the third trimester. Photo by Ben Weidman.
Our patriarchal society has long ignored the power of female bodies. I have seen a positive shift in celebrating how amazing female bodies can be as they continue to bike/run/be CEO’s while pregnant. These are certainly impressive; however, we are still placing value on female bodies through the lense of patriarchy. Look at their productivity and power! There should be NO question of female-bodied power, for anyone who has experienced or witnessed a birth. Why do we need to prove this again and again?
For me, in my pregnancy with Emmett, I had to find power in surrender, in rest, in not doing. In saying “no”. Looking back, I can see how this set me up for birth and motherhood. But at the time it was a real struggle because it demanded that I rest from the ‘achiever’, objective-focused part of my identity, whether that applied to the outdoors, my profession or other aspects of my life. Simply put, I had to experience and value a more expansive version of myself.
I spent a lot of time during this pregnancy napping.
My current pregnancy has been entirely different. Through no different actions that I’ve taken, after only a few weeks of anxiety and nausea, I have felt amazing. I have been able to bike, hike and stay very active. I now understand that it’s not because I was doing anything “wrong” in my previous pregnancy, but it is simply a different pregnancy.
It is important in pregnancy to listen to your body whether we want to continue to be active or not. Our bodies are more altered than we realize. Our risk tolerance may have changed. Our balance has changed. Our ligaments are stretched and our literal bone structure has changed. Of course this means that we need to drink more water, bring more calories and pay attention to not over-exerting our bodies in the same way that we perhaps did previously. There are other things to be aware of when considering camping while pregnant such as sleeping comfort or peeing more in the night.
Car camping up the Squamish valley at the end of the second trimester. Photo by Scot Proudfoot.
For our family, during this current pregnancy, because I felt up to it, we were able to continue to spend a large amount of time being active in the outdoors. This started as being able to go backpacking and then moved to car camping and eventually just became walks in the woods. Now, in my final days of pregnancy, I just love to sit outside in the forest, beach or backyard and watch my toddler play, the clouds and the birds.
Hiking the SCT in my second trimester. Toddler on back, baby in belly :)
Nature has a great deal to teach us as pregnant people (and our partners). It teaches us about strength and surrender. As we go through a transition, whether it’s a first child or more, there is something that must die. It could be our identity and perceived freedom as a single person or as a smaller family. There is always something that we are saying goodbye to - a death. Nature can show us that life comes from death. In any transition, or rite of passage, there must be a full (metaphorical) death to fully move into the life coming for us. To be in nature while pregnant is healing, guiding and supportive.
Another powerful lesson for me during pregnancy that I have found in nature is the reminder of impermanence. Everything in nature is always changing, whether it is with the seasons or the rhythm of the day. Similarly, in pregnancy, nothing lasts forever whether it is physical discomfort or certain worries. There are many times when I ache to have my body back to myself, but I know that time will come and the gift is to be fully present with what currently is. Right now, that is the magic of feeling this baby getting ready to be born.
Final days of pregnancy - round and just getting to the log was about enough!
My wish for all pregnant people is to get into nature in whatever way feels most nurturing. If that’s continuing to backpack or do multi-day trips, then that’s great. But if it is simply to sit and watch the birds then that is equally valuable. Listening to our bodies and what they need is important for learning to birth and parent; for me, these lessons and practices really started in pregnancy. Much love on your journey and I’d love to hear about how pregnancy impacted your life in the outdoors, either as the birthing parent or partner.
*I am a cis-gendered woman and identify strongly with being a woman and a mother. I recognize and deeply respect those that there are many other identities that birth children and this story only speaks to my personal experience
