Surfing through pregnancy
“Surfing while pregnant” are the words I typed into Google on first discovering I was pregnant. My excitement had quickly been replaced by trepidation on realising that my relationship with surfing was going to dramatically change. I began querying all the surfing mums I knew about their experiences. Like everything to do with our bodies, I soon learned that surfing through pregnancy is simply a matter of choice and what you feel comfortable with. Hearing stories and experiences gave me the confidence to keep it up and trust myself and my body.
I had my last surf on a shortboard at about 25 weeks after a humbling session at Piha where I had grommets paddling circles around me. I soon realised that the people around me were my main concern for safety, so avoiding crowded line-ups and steering clear of beginners was important.
I continued to surf on my longboard, and as my belly grew under me, paddling became more difficult. I switched to knee paddling and only prone paddling to catch waves. Once I was on my feet though, I felt as graceful and beautiful as ever. When the swell was bigger and more challenging, I would swap my board out for some fins and a hand plane and go for a body surf instead.
Surfing felt like the best thing I could do for myself while pregnant. It kept me fit and strong, and the saltwater, fresh air, and sunshine all felt so nourishing. But most importantly, surfing reminded me of who I was during a time of rapid transformation where it can be so easy to lose a sense of yourself.
Surfing also gave me great happiness in knowing that I was sharing my most beloved passion with the little person growing inside me – and how many of us get to claim that we were surfing in the womb!
At about 35 weeks pregnant, I caught my last waves on my own. A month later, the day before my due date, my partner pushed me into some teeny tiny east coast wavelets. And two days after that, our healthy little boy arrived earthside.
