I am almost 35 weeks pregnant, and a few days ago I went cold water swimming for the first time in a while. Last year, I tagged along with a fantastic group of ladies to go cold water swimming all throughout winter. I even managed to complete 1000m of ‘wild’ swims every month throughout winter – I have my ‘Penguin Challenge’ Gold medal to prove it!
This winter has been quite different thanks to pregnancy. While there is evidence to show that cold water swimming throughout pregnancy isn’t risky as long as you take the usual safety precautions, I just haven’t had the strength or the stamina to swim when the water has been very cold. Saying this, after being cleared to do so by my midwives, I have been for dips periodically throughout winter, with water temperatures dropping into the minuses and ice smashing sessions necessary to even access the water! I have definitely felt the benefits of cold water dipping, but it’s a whole different ball game to actually taking the plunge and staying in the cold water for a prolonged period of time to properly swim.
When the weather finally warmed up last week, I took it as a sign to get back into the water. While the water was still below 16 degrees, it had warmed up considerably. The air temperature reached almost 22 degrees which helped a lot too.
My struggles throughout pregnancy
I have been suffering horribly with pelvic girdle pain throughout this pregnancy, as I did with my twin pregnancy. It makes it incredibly hard and painful to move, and I generally feel incredibly immobile. The shift in weather was exactly what I needed to go for an outdoor swim and give my poor hip joints some much needed relief. I appreciate that I have a handful of indoor pools fairly close by, but there are a number of reasons I’m simply not a fan. The overbearing smell of piss, the enclosed, indoor nature of the whole thing, the lack of things to look at, the lack of nature around you as you swim, the grotty changing rooms, the non-existence of accessibility when almost totally immobile… I could go on.
My visit to Pool Bridge Farm
So I headed off to York to visit Pool Bridge Farm – a similar ex-fishary set up, similar to my beloved swimming lakes at Whitmore Lakes in Stoke. On arrival at Pool Bridge Farm, I was able to park in the disabled access bays, which is about two meters away from the steps into the ‘Horseshoe Lake’. Having to do minimal waddling and shuffling around in order to get into the water was truly ideal, and as much as I love Whitmore Lakes down in Stoke, it sets the two cold water swimming venues apart quite drastically when facing mobility challenges.
On my arrival there was a sign near the entrance that said 13.8 degrees, but as I lowered myself into the Horseshoe Lake, I spotted a floating thermometer that said 15.8 degrees. Either way, a very reasonable temperature to swim in once acclimatised. As usual, it took me ages to properly acclimatise to the water – probably at least ten minutes. In this time, I didn’t go far away from the steps and stayed where I could easily touch the bottom of the lake. Once my breathing had steadied, I was off to swim, very slowly, around the lake.
There were a handful of other people around – mostly solo swimmers and a small group of what seemed to be uni students. It wasn’t long before I was truly basking in the ability to move my body more than I have been able to in months and months. The feeling of weightlessness was glorious and I relished every second. My hips didn’t hurt and I was able to swim around the whole lake without any pain. The water was warm enough that I was able to take off my neoprene gloves and stay in the water for almost an hour – something I would never do in colder water.
There reached a time when I had to get out in order to get home to the children, and it was with great sadness that I paddled myself back to the steps of the lake. With every step back to dry land, I felt the extreme heaviness return to my body, as if being weighted down by some invisible anchor. By the time I reached the top of the steps, I could have collapsed into a heap on the floor – the difference in the weight of my body and the strain on my hips was so profound.
Thankfully as the car was only a few meters away, I summoned up the strength to get dressed at a picnic bench before heaving myself back to the car.
As the shock of the weight change lessened over time, I found myself feeling somewhat renewed and restored. The swim in no way ‘fixed’ me, but it certainly helped with my general morale and somehow, with my energy levels. Being able to spend an hour moving around totally freely was simply marvellous and was definitely beneficial.
The weather has taken a bit of a downward turn this week, but with daytime temperatures still reaching up to fifteen degrees in York, I am tempted to go back for another swim this week. I don’t anticipate being able to stay in the water for as long, but if I get half as much relief from my sore joints, it will be worth it!
