Rock Climbing During Pregnancy Take 1

Day 1 of going outdoor climbing while pregnant. ✔ 

Well, I'm 21 weeks and 6 days today, April 1st! No April fools. I climbed a crack and I climbed it 3 times. It was hard, it was rewarding, it made my whole body shake and I cried. But, I did it. At no point was I not having fun. Did I get frustrated? Hell yeah, it's a whole different beast trying to lug yourself up a crack being 10lbs heavier with a growing belly and boobs the size of watermelons.

Come to find out its graded at 5.8 so wasn't as easy as we thought it was. Some say it could even be 5.9 (probably at the crux which was at the start) but I am crap at judging grades. I was saying that's probably like a 5.6 crack with a 5.7 crux and I'd be running up it no problem if I wasn't pregnant. But you know, I need to give myself some credit. Yeah, maybe I haven't been climbing every day like I did before winter but we did go to the climbing gym a few times and I was getting up the 5.8/5.9s fairly easily. We did go ice climbing and I have been working out. I'm a strong momma and it was hard because of the grade, not because I'm losing all my strength.

I also tried a short face climb on slippery granite. Some sloping knobs with a friction start. Not the type of climbing I usually do but hey, you gotta go for it sometimes as long as you're being safe and protecting your belly. Not falling is the name of the game these days. As is tons of breaks for water and food. But, I learned some new techniques so I'm happy about that to.

In the end it's more about what climbing does for my mental health. Spending a day at the crag in times like these is exactly what you need sometimes. Staying inside day in and day out really is a test on your mind and your mental health. Finding ways to stay healthy in mind and body is key right now all while social distancing and staying safe of course. My stress levels are significantly less and that's because I take time to focus on my needs. I hope you are to. Happy climbing!