Snowmobiling While Pregnant: Understanding the Risks and Safety Measures

From the moment you discover you’re pregnant, numerous questions arise about which activities are safe and which should be avoided. While your healthcare provider will cover the basic dos and don’ts, some specific activities may not be addressed during your brief appointments. If your pregnancy coincides with winter, you might wonder about the safety of activities like skiing, ice-skating, and sledding.

As you'll learn, not everything is a straightforward yes or no during pregnancy. There's often a gray area, especially when it comes to winter activities like skiing. This article provides expert insights on engaging in winter wonderland activities during pregnancy.

Can You Ski While Pregnant?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) clearly advises avoiding activities that increase the risk of injury during pregnancy. However, healthcare providers emphasize that it’s not always a black-and-white issue, and timing is crucial.

“Early in the pregnancy isn’t an issue,” says G. Thomas Ruiz, MD, lead ob-gyn at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. “It’s really hard at that point to physically hurt the pregnancy.”

Jennifer Leighdon Wu, MD, an ob-gyn at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital, agrees: “If you’re a great skier and in the first trimester, it’d be reasonable to go skiing because the uterus is behind and below the pubic bone,” she says. However, as your pregnancy progresses, it’s best to avoid skiing, advises Tarnisha Hemphill, DNP, a midwife and assistant professor at the George Washington University School of Nursing. The big risk of downhill skiing is falling, according to ACOG.

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“During the second and third trimester, baby is no longer protected by your pelvic bones,” Hemphill explains. “A fall or collision, depending on the degree of impact and where the trauma occurs, could directly impact the uterus, potentially leading to complications like placental abruption or preterm labor.”

Risks of Snowmobiling While Pregnant

• Trauma: The vibrations and jolts from riding a snowmobile can increase the risk of trauma or preterm labor.
• Accidents: There's also the risk of tipping over or colliding.

Given these risks, snowmobiling is generally not recommended during pregnancy.

Safety Tips for Other Winter Activities During Pregnancy

If you choose to engage in other winter activities during your first trimester, consider these safety tips:

• Defensive Approach: If you’re in the first trimester and not showing yet, Ruiz says you’ll likely be okay to go skiing as long as you take it easy and look out for people around you. “You have to be a defensive skier,” he adds.
• Beginner Slopes: Hemphill also recommends staying on beginner slopes and avoiding crowded areas to lower the risk of a collision.
• Snow Conditions: “Avoid skiing and snowboarding when the snow is icy, slushy or heavy,” she says.
• Timing: If you’re able, it’s also better to go on off-hours when there are likely to be less people, like weekdays.

You may consider swapping out downhill skiing for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing on flat ground instead. “Although there is potential to fall, the risks of injury are much lower,” Hemphill notes.

And if you’ve never skied before? Wu suggests taking a pass.

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Healthcare providers generally recommend that you stop skiing when you enter the second trimester. “Do it in the first trimester,” Wu says. “You don’t want to do it later in the pregnancy. Any sort of fall on your belly could be a big danger to baby.”

Other Winter Activities: What's Safe and What's Not?

Here's a quick guide to other winter activities and their safety during pregnancy:

• Snowboarding: Again, snowboarding requires a lot of balance and coordination. It’s also a speedy, downhill activity. To that end-like skiing-it’s not recommended for beginners or novices. If you’re an experienced snowboarder, talk to your doctor about whether it’s okay to engage in this activity during the first trimester. Beyond that point, though, even regular shredders should retire the board for a while.
• Cross-country Skiing: You should be fine to go cross country skiing during pregnancy, if you’re up for it. “It’s relatively safe,” Ruiz says. Wu agrees: “Your chances of being hit by another cross-country skier are basically zero.”
• Ice Skating: Ice skating falls under ACOG’s umbrella of things that could lead to a fall. Wu says the advice around this is similar to that for downhill skiing. In other words, you're probably fine to do it in the first trimester if you’re a seasoned skater, but should take a pass beyond that point. Ruiz also recommends avoiding acrobatic skating and ice hockey. “We discourage contact sports in pregnant women,” he says.
• Sledding: It depends. Hemphill does not recommend riding a sled downhill. “High speeds and lack of control can lead to collisions and increase the risk of abdominal trauma,” she says. But, if you’re sitting in a sled and someone is pulling you gently over a flat area, Ruiz says you’re likely fine.
• Snowshoeing: Yes, snowshoeing is probably fine. “Although there’s potential to fall, the risks of injury are much lower,” Hemphill says. Wu points out that snowshoeing is “good exercise.”
• Shoveling Snow: Shoveling snow isn’t strictly off limits during pregnancy, but it’s probably not the best time to volunteer your services. For starts, shoveling snow is a physical exertion. And icy conditions could put you at risk of slipping and falling. Suffice it to say, you’ll want to be careful of your footing. That said, if you can delegate this task, even better. It’s generally considered safe, but you’ll want to take precautions. Wear appropriate shoes, stay on even ground, avoid going out in icy conditions (watch out for black ice!) and listen to your body.

Anything that comes with a risk of falls should be avoided, Ruiz says. But Hemphill specifically calls out a few sports. Finally, while you can enjoy an alcohol-free aprés beverage, you’ll want to skip the post-ski dip in the hot-tub. (This can raise your core body temperature, presenting a danger to baby.)

Just because you’re pregnant, it doesn’t mean you have to stay indoors all winter. You can still play in the snow. “Generally speaking, you want to be concerned about anything that may involve the reasonable probability of a hard fall or spill,” Ruiz says. “That’s really the biggie.”

To keep both you and your baby safe and healthy, take extra care to avoid stumbling on ice or snow or falling during winter activities. Your baby is cushioned, but a serious fall or sudden jolt can be dangerous, especially as your pregnancy progresses. Besides suffering injuries such as sprains, strains, and broken bones yourself, a hard impact - especially to your abdomen - may cause trauma to your pregnancy. The main concern is placental abruption (separation of the placenta from the uterus.) Preterm labor and premature rupture of membranes (PROM) are also risks.

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Some winter activities are worth skipping, while others only warrant caution. Here are some you may want to avoid.

Activities to Avoid During Pregnancy

The following activities should generally be avoided during pregnancy to minimize risks to both mother and baby:

• Downhill skiing and snowboarding
• Ice skating
• Sledding
• Hot tubs and saunas
• Shoveling snow
• Snowmobiling

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you go sledding while pregnant?

Zooming downhill on your Flexible Flyer is just too risky when you're pregnant. You need to avoid sudden stops and hard impacts, so you don't want to slam into a tree or another sled or fall off halfway. Cheer on friends and family from the top of the hill or go for a winter walk instead.

Can you shovel snow while pregnant?

Get someone else to do the shoveling this winter - call it a pregnancy perk. You might be fine in the first few months, but as your bump gets bigger, your center of gravity shifts. That plus icy ground increases the likelihood of slips and falls, which could hurt you and endanger your baby. In addition, with your looser ligaments and changing center of gravity, you're more likely to injure your back with repetitive heavy lifting. Volunteer to make the post-shoveling cocoa instead.

Can I eat from a holiday buffet while pregnant?

Not to be a total Grinch, but many experts say to avoid buffets completely during pregnancy because you're more at risk for serious foodborne illness. Even foods that are otherwise safe can pose risks if they're improperly cooked or left to linger too long. If you're going to a party, bring a dish to share so you know you have something that's safe to eat. Avoid sampling tempting treats like raw cookie dough, raw oysters, and homemade eggnog. Other foods that may pose pregnancy dangers often show up in holiday buffets, like deli meats and unpasteurized cheeses.

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