Olivia Tsim: Exercise in pregnancy

Congratulations on your pregnancy! How are you feeling?

Thank you so much, I’m currently 34 weeks so not long to go now and I’m feeling very excited to meet our little one!

As a renowned athlete and running coach, how important was it to maintain your fitness regime during pregnancy?

Fitness has always been a big part of my life, not just because of the physical benefits it provides, but also the mental benefits. Whilst pregnancy is a super exciting time, it’s also a time of significant life change, so keeping as much of my usual routine going as possible was really important to me and has allowed me to stay in a positive mental place throughout. I also believe continuing exercise throughout my pregnancy has helped me cope better with pregnancy symptoms I’ve had, manage pregnancy weight gain in a healthy way and allowed me to stay very flexible and mobile even in my final trimester.

What advice would you give to mums-to-be who want to continue running through their pregnancy?

Do what’s right for you and don’t be put off by the opinions of others. I’ve been lucky to have a great support network around me and some fantastic midwives and doctors who have all reassured me that it’s safe and healthy for me to continue my running and fitness regime throughout pregnancy.

My top tips would be:

• Make sure you warm up. The presence of the hormone relaxin, increased weight and a change in posture all give rise to more common aches and pains in pregnancy. Take extra time to stretch before heading out for a run and use the first 10-15 minutes to gently ease into the pace if you feel you need to.

• Get yourself a comfortable and supportive sports bra or two. Most women’s breasts grow and get heavier during pregnancy which can cause pain/discomfort when running if they’re not supported correctly.

• Don’t worry about the pace. Naturally you are likely to get slower as the pregnancy progresses but see it as an opportunity to take in your surroundings more than you otherwise would if you were focusing on pace. I found exploring new routes and taking to the trails kept things interesting.

• Invest in a good support belt. I found the Babygo pregnancy support belt was great to alleviate the back and pelvic pain I experienced in the second trimester.

• Focus on your running form. A shift in your centre of gravity alongside postural changes that occur naturally to accommodate pregnancy can result in changes in your running form. Focusing on maintaining good form whilst running will reduce your chance of injury.

You’ve been very open about your pregnancy journey, sharing weekly updates over on Instagram. How have you found each trimester?

I really wanted to share my fitness journey throughout my pregnancy to hopefully give other women the confidence to continue to stay active throughout their pregnancies. Each trimester has been quite different, presenting new challenges and experiences.

First trimester

My pregnancy came as a huge surprise and felt like a miracle! My husband and I had been trying for a baby for a while and had started to consider fertility treatment as we’d been told it was unlikely we’d conceive naturally, so we were absolutely over the moon when we found out the news!

Symptoms wise I struggled with morning sickness, nausea and oversensitivity to smells throughout the first trimester. My nausea would last all day and there was very little I could stomach that wouldn’t make me feel or be sick. I did however find running and walking helped alleviate my nausea, so whilst it felt like a bit of a chore to get out of the door while feeling sick, the nausea would ease within the first 5 minutes of being outside and I was always glad I’d done it afterwards! Like most women I was also pretty tired from about week 6 of the first trimester which meant I didn’t go to track sessions for a while and most of my runs were slower efforts.

Second trimester

Thankfully I felt a lot more human in the second trimester. My energy levels bounced back, and my morning sickness went away. I started doing faster runs and track sessions again a couple of times a week and I even ran a couple of races (A half marathon where I came 1st female in a time of 1 hour and 18 minutes and a 10km where I was 2nd female in a time of 37 minutes). Although, as my relaxin hormone levels rose towards the end of the second trimester I did struggle with back and pelvic pain for a couple of weeks which meant switching things up to cross train (elliptical, bike and swimming) instead of running. I also started to incorporate yoga and pregnancy specific stretches into my daily routine at this point (something I wish I’d done sooner) which helped to alleviate some of the pain.

Third trimester

My nausea/sickness has come back in the third trimester (although not as vigorously as it was in the first) but aside from that I feel great! I love feeling and seeing our baby move and taking time to bond with him/her while they’re still tucked up inside. I’m still managing to run 6-7 days a week and have even done a few park runs again in recent weeks. I feel that staying active throughout the first and second trimester has helped me remain flexible and mobile through the later stages.

What have been your pregnancy essentials?

• I have used Vitabiotics Pregnacare vitamins every day since finding out I was pregnant, and I do think they’ve helped with keeping my iron levels in check along with providing me with the other vital nutrients the baby and I need for a healthy pregnancy.

• Comfortable trainers, not just for running but for walking and other day-to-day activities too!

• Supportive sports bras.

• I’ve used the Pregnancy+ app which I’ve found great for learning about what’s happening to my body and the baby each week.

• I’ve loved listening to the ‘Is It Normal?’ podcast by Jessie Ware for all things pregnancy and birth related!

Have you prepared your birth plan?

Yes I have written up my birth plan. If everything continues to go well over the next few weeks I’m hoping to have a home birth, but I have also written back up plans and will be packing a hospital bag this week in case I have to (or change my mind and choose to) give birth at the hospital.

What are you most looking forward to about becoming a mum?

I can’t wait to watch our little one grow, to teach them everything I know and to be there for all their ‘baby first’ moments and milestones. I’m so excited to become a mummy!