BJJ and Pregnancy

Everyone can remember there first true passion, i always thought mine was filmography - when i was 14 i would dream of becoming a music video director, that slowly changed and suddenly i didnt have a passion and thats quiet sad! Then not even my default, it was my boyfriend got into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which is a martial art and to begin with it was a 'Cant beat them join them' moment which quickly turned into an obsession, lifestyle and my passion!

None of these photos are of me before I was pregnant, this is me now doing what I love and trying my best to not use any excuses and pregnancy fall backs to keep me away!

On a Saturday morning at Andy Roberts BJJ in Farnborough, Hants is a women only BJJ/Self Defence class taught by one of my very good friends Helen who has been such a rock through my pregnancy doing Yoga with me every Saturday morning and keeping me going in class and allowing me to adapt and go at my own pace during class.

I did however stop for two months because tiredness was a main factor in my first trimester which meant i was sleeping from about 6 when i got home from work till about 8 every evening which was over the classes and waking up Saturday morning wasn't an option!

I went down for a Saturday class to see the girls and i was reminded immediately that this was such a huge thing in my life i don't want it to stop because i am pregnant! As Karl and I both train BJJ our baby will hopefully enjoy it as much as we do but it will be a huge factor in his life along with ours!

BJJ is a lifestyle unlike any other, it teaches respect, discipline and strength along with family, being humble and learning about yourself! one of the reasons why i decided to continue training was because i changed a lot as a person through BJJ and i noticed i was falling into bad habits without the influences of my friends and team mates at the academy to keep me balanced.

A lot of people have questioned me training because BJJ is a very physical sport and with reason are worried about my bump! but as long as your not an idiot (to be blunt) you can train! As you can see you can still arm bar, just don't put pressure on your tummy, you can do light throws - NOT THROWING OVER SHOULDER - but if you have a teammate who you trust and is willing to have a technique done which has been adapted to you then take advantage! I just make sure that there isn't any pressure on my tummy or straining around my back and front tummy and sitting down if i start feeling lightheaded.

You do what you can do, not what someone else can because your bodies are different! I was lucky training BJJ before i was pregnant because my body already knows what goes down in class.

I personally wouldn't advise BJJ if your pregnant and have never practised it before!

So i hope this was a nice insight to my love of BJJ and training through pregnancy!

Thanks

Kerry xoxo

Photo Credit - Daniela De Jong

Team - Andy Roberts BJJ