Mountain Girl Turned Mother

By Kelley Bennett

The Expectations I Had Going Into Pregnancy

I had really big expectations for myself going into pregnancy. I pictured backcountry skiing at seven months pregnant, hitting a power clean PR hours before going into labor, getting in the trail miles — pregnant belly be damned. Sure, maybe I’d size up my running shoes and upgrade to a more supportive sports bra, but otherwise, I’d be out there, business as usual. After all, I am a hardcore mountain woman, and this is what I do… right?

I was so wrong.

A little bit about me: I was born and raised in Tahoe, and I am the type of athlete who is entirely average by Tahoe standards. I ski, run, bike, and say yes to pretty much anything in between. Anywhere else in the world, my lifestyle would probably be considered borderline obsessive. But here in Truckee, where somebody sets a new FKT before they even get to work, I’m pretty unremarkable. Still, my expectations were shaped by people like Julia Mancuso, Annie Thorisdottir, and local badass mountain chicks ripping it up on Instagram at eight months pregnant. Yes — typing this now, I see how I set myself up for disappointment. Hindsight, right?

When Reality Hit Hard

Here’s what actually happened: at just 12 weeks pregnant with my daughter, Kate, the equivalent of a cartoon piano was dropped on me and all of my “fit-girl pregnancy” dreams. Sciatic pain and my new, enormous boobs made running and high-paced workouts feel impossible. Weightlifting became a much sketchier affair after my core separated.

And of course, my brain had to jump on the bandwagon too, feeding me thoughts like, “You thought you were a hardo, but you’ve actually been faking it this whole time.” Not a great time. All this — and just in my first trimester. It was a real kick in the teeth.

Something had to change — and fast. I quickly realized that if I wanted to take care of my body, put myself in a good position to have the labor and delivery I wanted, and recover as well as possible afterward, I was going to have to adapt.

Looking back, I’m happy that this all happened in the first weeks of pregnancy, because it gave me a much-needed ego check early on. Once I got over the initial self-pity, I approached the rest of pregnancy and postpartum with curiosity and adaptability. That shift made the whole experience much more bearable, and it’s ultimately what led me back to feeling strong and athletic again.

Learning to Rebuild

I won’t bore you with the details (you’ll have to come to my class for that), but I’ve learned so much about what our core and pelvic floor go through in pregnancy and birth — and how small, intentional changes allow us to train safely and effectively through it all.

I overcame my sciatic pain, learned new breathing and core strategies so I could keep lifting, rebuilt my core after giving birth despite a significant diastasis, and started reclaiming my strength. I also shifted my mindset in a huge way: to be kinder to myself without losing the intensity that makes me, me.

You know what? I’m still a hardo.

For Every Mountain Girl Turned Mother

It’s my hope that every mountain-girl-turned-mother, every self-proclaimed hardo, every badass skier, biker, and climber can feel empowered to rebuild after pregnancy. Many of us took for granted how capable our bodies were before — I know I did. But we’ve gained so much more than we’ve lost.

Life with kids is technicolor, and we deserve to move through it feeling strong.

Let’s ditch the idea of “getting back” and focus on where we want to go next. Let’s stay fit enough to chase our kids around the mountain, lift them onto the chairlift, and spend hours bent over teaching them to ski, bike, or walk — without having to go get a new spine after.

5 Lessons That Changed My Postpartum Journey

1. When you train like you are not the exception, you have a higher likelihood of becoming it. (Credit: Brianna Battles)
2. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. (Credit: my husband) Trust that what you’re doing is enough for where you are right now.
3. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It’s not the season for pushing the limit — that will come.
4. Expectation management is everything. Adapt, adapt, adapt — and then adapt again.
5. Don’t quit before you start. Babies might scream — and they might pleasantly surprise you.