Woman gives birth after finishing Chicago Marathon

[CAW]

"I started contractions 28 hours before my baby's birth so it's ok that she was out on a marathon course."

NO.

My logic is that people should not change their mind about their original opinion just because they read that she had contractions, because...contractions do not always mean imminent labour. (sometimes they do...but sometimes they don't)

See the logic?

I don't give a rats yoohoo that she was out there on a marathon course, at the mall, camped out in a hospital lobby or having tea with her midwife.

Would I do it? No freakin way! But I'm 50 lbs over weight, and not fit enough to walk a full in 6.5 hours let alone if I were pregnant...not that I'm likely to get pregnant anytime soon either. I wouldn't do it...and my doctor (if I had one) would tell me not to anyway.

MY logic is that she checked with her chosen medical professional with whom, we can all assume she has some sort of relationship with, and made an informed decision to procede. Neither she, nor her medical professional were concerned for her health, that of the unborn baby or were worried that she'd be stranded without access to emergency personell were anything to happen.....I will not villainize or judge someone because they did something I couldn't see myself doing. She made an informed choice. She completed a marathon. She had a baby. Those are the facts. Her perceived danger or risk is purely speculative. Did the marathon put her into labour? We don't know. Was the birth a coincidence? We don't know.

Frankly, I'm surprised she lasted 39 weeks and hadn't already HAD that baby, given that it wasn't her first...and the odds of going early increase with each pregnancy.

[fstreet]

OK, maybe I'm exaggerating, but having experienced the other side of it, where my baby was born within a few hours of THE FIRST SIGNS of contractions, it makes me uneasy to hear of a woman taking such risks for something that's only for her own enjoyment. My baby's birth ended up being intense, quick, and uncomplicated; meantime a friend down the hall had serious complications, her baby almost died, and now is severely disabled despite being at one of the best hospitals in Canada. There are SO may unknowns in childbirth--- why take a risk like that when it isn't necessary?

You're right - it's not very logical.

As for the extra risk - people in your corner are arguing from the point of view of risk aversion. The "we don't know the risks so why take a chance" side.

People on this side are arguing that we don't know the risks but we bet the risk of her getting into a car and going for a drive on the highway is probably (statistically) a higher risk than walking 42.2k, so what's the big deal?

Also, I wonder what happens to women in North America when they spontaneously have a child without immediate medical help.

I mean, what are the statistics on that?

Is it really that riskier compared to sitting in a lazy boy, going into labour, calling/driving over to the hospital and having a child?

[FishPants]

Frankly, I'm surprised she lasted 39 weeks and hadn't already HAD that baby, given that it wasn't her first...and the odds of going early increase with each pregnancy.

tangeant - my OB told me if you go late with your first, you are likely to go late with your subsequent children. Damon cooked 2 days longer than John did.

And for the record, it is only my opinion that she is a crazypants. However, I am an equal opportunist, and she is not the first or last person I will call a crazypants. Heck, I call myself a crazypants sometimes.

I found my pregnancies put a lot of stress on my body. I could not have walked 1 km at 39 weeks much less 42 of them. But I am not her, so there you go.

[Darth Tater]

I don't have an issue with her starting the marathon - she checked with her doctor and all that. I do think she should have stopped as soon as she felt contractions of any kind. No way of knowing if they could have meant imminent labour/delivery or not. No two pregnancies are the same, so she should have erred on the side of caution at that point. Luckily for her, she had a few hours before delivery. It could have easily went the other way though. You never know.

[Mich]

Good on her for being that fit to cover that distance when that many weeks pregnant..... Would I do it.... Hell No! Can only imagine what the parents thought (unless of course they are runners too). Do I think it was a wise decision, absolutely not. Your body is working overtime to provide for baby and mom, never mind adding the additional stress of a marathon distance.

I guess the fact that I delivered our first within 5 hours of my contractions starting (8 hours after my water broke) has me thinking she should have gotten off the course once she felt hers, even just to relax a little before having to give birth.

On another note, after running with a full term baby in her I hope she has a strong pelvic floor or running may not be so enjoyable after.

[HCcD]

Ok I admit to not having any knowledge of pregnancy , but my initial instinct is to call the woman an idiot for risking her health and more important, the baby's. Something does not sit right with me on this one.

I heard this waking up this morning and I was cursing like a sailor. She is not my hero, priorities are all messed up.

Just think, she could have been doing something truly dangerous like driving around in traffic.

Funny that you should make this comment, fstreet ..

Mom brought to hospital after roadside labour scareMother and baby are healthy after OPP escorted a woman to the hospital after finding her in labour in her car on Highway 417 on Oct. 11.

Officers approached the stopped car in the eastbound lanes of the highway, just west of Woodroffe Avenue and called an ambulance.

After deciding that the labour was too advanced and the ambulance wouldn’t make it in time for the unexpected passenger, an officer decided to escort the woman to the hospital.

The woman arrived with her police escort at the Ottawa Hospital, Civic campus and was admitted at 8:27 a.m. Baby Tanner was born a mere two minutes later.

Weighing in at seven pounds, three ounces, the baby mom and mom are doing fine.

[AndyM]

So who's going to be the first RM'er to go run a marathon while in labour?

[mcshame]

Ok I admit to not having any knowledge of pregnancy , but my initial instinct is to call the woman an idiot for risking her health and more important, the baby's. Something does not sit right with me on this one.

I heard this waking up this morning and I was cursing like a sailor. She is not my hero, priorities are all messed up.

Just think, she could have been doing something truly dangerous like driving around in traffic.

Funny that you should make this coment, fstreet ..

Mom brought to hospital after roadside labour scareMother and baby are healthy after OPP escorted a woman to the hospital after finding her in labour in her car on Highway 417 on Oct. 11.

Officers approached the stopped car in the eastbound lanes of the highway, just west of Woodroffe Avenue and called an ambulance.

After deciding that the labour was too advanced and the ambulance wouldn’t make it in time for the unexpected passenger, an officer decided to escort the woman to the hospital.

The woman arrived with her police escort at the Ottawa Hospital, Civic campus and was admitted at 8:27 a.m. Baby Tanner was born a mere two minutes later.

Weighing in at seven pounds, three ounces, the baby mom and mom are doing fine.

lol, if that had happened in Montreal, she would have never made it to the hospital.

[HCcD]

Ok I admit to not having any knowledge of pregnancy , but my initial instinct is to call the woman an idiot for risking her health and more important, the baby's. Something does not sit right with me on this one.

I heard this waking up this morning and I was cursing like a sailor. She is not my hero, priorities are all messed up.

Just think, she could have been doing something truly dangerous like driving around in traffic.

Funny that you should make this coment, fstreet ..

Mom brought to hospital after roadside labour scareMother and baby are healthy after OPP escorted a woman to the hospital after finding her in labour in her car on Highway 417 on Oct. 11.

Officers approached the stopped car in the eastbound lanes of the highway, just west of Woodroffe Avenue and called an ambulance.

After deciding that the labour was too advanced and the ambulance wouldn’t make it in time for the unexpected passenger, an officer decided to escort the woman to the hospital.

The woman arrived with her police escort at the Ottawa Hospital, Civic campus and was admitted at 8:27 a.m. Baby Tanner was born a mere two minutes later.

Weighing in at seven pounds, three ounces, the baby mom and mom are doing fine.

lol, if that had happened in Montreal, she would have never made it to the hospital.

Based on some of the discussion above ... why on earth is a pregnant woman, in labour, driving on the 417 ??

j/k ...

[HCcD]

So who's going to be the first RM'er to go run a marathon while in labour?

It depends, AndyM .... What kinda of cr@zy prize / contest will you be offering to the Maniac who takes you up on this Shallonge ?? Don't think the Spud Shallonge Trophy is a good enough prize ... thousgh, been wondering where it has been hiding, over the past couple of years, however ....

[Strider]

Question: Was she wearing an iPod, or even worse an iPhone and talking/texting while on the course?

Seriously - Good for her. She knew the risk, of that I am sure, and she also had the option to stop at anytime. She completed it because she was able to, don't think for a second she would have put herself or the baby at risk just to say she finished the marathon.

[HCcD]

Question: Was she wearing an iPod, or even worse an iPhone and talking/texting while on the course?

Seriously - Good for her. She knew the risk, of that I am sure, and she also had the option to stop at anytime. She completed it because she was able to, don't think for a second she would have put herself or the baby at risk just to say she finished the marathon.

ditto, Strider ... Just a reminder that, she also ran a marathon while pregnant with her / their first child, as well, so she must have known what her limits were ... but, then again, what was that old saying ... "hindsight is ... " ???

I'm just utterly shocked that her DH would leave his loving 39 week pregnant wife, who was in contraction, on the course at the 1/2 way point, to finish up running/racing his own marathon race ...

Wonder if they were txt'ng one another ??

j/k of course ...

[PinkLady]

Wow this debate has gotten quite polarized! Personally I don't feel I agree with either 'side', I'm still kind of in the middle....

I don't have an issue with her starting the marathon - she checked with her doctor and all that. I do think she should have stopped as soon as she felt contractions of any kind. No way of knowing if they could have meant imminent labour/delivery or not. No two pregnancies are the same, so she should have erred on the side of caution at that point. Luckily for her, she had a few hours before delivery. It could have easily went the other way though. You never know.

I agree with this. Were they likely Braxton Hicks (false)? Perhaps, yet since she DID have the baby, they obviously were actually early labour. Physical activity in early labour speeds along the process - rest can stop early labour, which is why ladies who show signs of too-early labour are put on enforced bedrest. Continued activity, like walking for 6 hours, could definitely speed things along where otherwise the contractions might have gone away if she were resting.

IME, unless my pregnancies were full term (and I only went full term with my third! Go figure! My first was 37 weeks, my second 39 weeks, and my third 43 weeks), I was told to sit my butt DOWN and rest at any contractions, mild or BH type or not. If they went away with rest, then I could resume normal activities. If not, I was to head to the hospital/midwives to get evaluated. Clearly, sitting down for a few hours is not possible on a race course. And, 39 weeks is borderline for 'full term' gestation. I wonder would her doctor have approved of her continuing to finish the course after the onset of contractions mid-race?

On another note, after running with a full term baby in her I hope she has a strong pelvic floor or running may not be so enjoyable after.

Oooh, yes. I cringe at the thought and just crossed my legs! Course, I was doing the waddle-and-limp-of-shame for weeks after all of mine. *shiver*

[purdy65]

I'll say it again. I WOULD NOT DO IT, BUT, she was not miles away from medical. She was on a marathon course for heavens sake, in downtown Chicago! Medical and Ambulance EVERYWHERE!

Part of me thinks she's nuts, part of me applauds her.

Frankly, I think the 4:30 marathon she ran at 17 weeks was more risky.

[turd ferguson]

My logic is that people should not change their mind about their original opinion just because they read that she had contractions, because...contractions do not always mean imminent labour. (sometimes they do...but sometimes they don't)

See the logic?

...

Chest pains do not always mean a heart attack. (sometimes they do...but sometimes they don't)

See the logic?

[CAW]

My logic is that people should not change their mind about their original opinion just because they read that she had contractions, because...contractions do not always mean imminent labour. (sometimes they do...but sometimes they don't)

See the logic?

...

Chest pains do not always mean a heart attack. (sometimes they do...but sometimes they don't)

See the logic?

ya got me.

[La]

I'm not in the camp that is impressed with what she did. I also don't think she's evil for doing it. I do think she was a bit misguided and selfish, but that's just my opinion. We all do selfish and misguided things from time to time, especially where marathon are concerned (who here has ever done a race when not 100% healthy just because you trained for it and paid for it?).

A chacun son gout.

[babysteps]

At 39 weeks any contraction I got would have resulted in me walking as much as possible to try to get things moving along. Of course, I only made it to 39 weeks once. My last was born at 37wks 2 days. I was miserable with being so pregnant, had BH for days and days, couldn't sleep, retaining water.etc. My doctor told me to walk, walk, walk to encourage labour. My docs told me the same thing with my other 2 pregnancies as well. The way I see it, she ran for a while, had contractions and switched to walking. The only weird part to me is the running first part, not the finishing up part. Oh - and I was told 37 weeks is full term not 42. None of my kids made it to 40 weeks and none were considered premature.

I know I wouldn't have the energy or desire to do it, but she obviously felt fine and the docs always say to listen to your body when you're pregnant. Which, she did. She walked. She was near ambulances the whole time. It's not like she went for a hike in the woods. I really don't see the big deal. (Of course, if I tried this I'm sure my loved ones would have a complete cow).

[DonnaRigs]

I think she took a pretty big risk and it's not one I would have taken - of course it's not one I could have taken. I was HUGE. Darby ws 23 3/4 inches long, 9 pounds 8 ounces when she was born and ended up being a c-section after 36 hours of hard back labour.

I could barely walk around the hospital, let alone run a marathon - but every woman and every pregnancy is different.

[Jwolf]

Just when I was ready to forget about this whole silly story on the front page of Letsrun.com, I saw this "Quote of the Day":

"What prompted her to run a marathon at nearly 39 weeks pregnant? Speculation was rampant, but to me, it seemed like Miller ran because that's what she does. She runs. This was neither her first pregnancy, her first marathon, nor her first pregnant marathon. As a local physician told me later that day, 'I don't think she's crazy ... it sounds like she's an elite athlete to be able to run that many miles this late in pregnancy.'"

- Chicago Tribune writer Ronnie Reese, reflecting on having to interview the Chicago Marathon mom - the morning after she gave birth and ran a marathon in the same day.

Elite athlete? Grrr....

[toobusy]

Just when I was ready to forget about this whole silly story on the front page of Letsrun.com, I saw this "Quote of the Day":

"What prompted her to run a marathon at nearly 39 weeks pregnant? Speculation was rampant, but to me, it seemed like Miller ran because that's what she does. She runs. This was neither her first pregnancy, her first marathon, nor her first pregnant marathon. As a local physician told me later that day, 'I don't think she's crazy ... it sounds like she's an elite athlete to be able to run that many miles this late in pregnancy.'"

- Chicago Tribune writer Ronnie Reese, reflecting on having to interview the Chicago Marathon mom - the morning after she gave birth and ran a marathon in the same day.

Elite athlete? Grrr....

See? it turned out fine - so celebrity

if it hadnt' - stupid.

[HCcD]

Just when I was ready to forget about this whole silly story on the front page of Letsrun.com, I saw this "Quote of the Day":

"What prompted her to run a marathon at nearly 39 weeks pregnant? Speculation was rampant, but to me, it seemed like Miller ran because that's what she does. She runs. This was neither her first pregnancy, her first marathon, nor her first pregnant marathon. As a local physician told me later that day, 'I don't think she's crazy ... it sounds like she's an elite athlete to be able to run that many miles this late in pregnancy.'"

- Chicago Tribune writer Ronnie Reese, reflecting on having to interview the Chicago Marathon mom - the morning after she gave birth and ran a marathon in the same day.

Elite athlete? Grrr....

See? it turned out fine - so celebrity

if it hadnt' - stupid.

Only time will tell ... All I am concerned about is the longterm health of the baby ....

[PinkLady]

Elite? Though to Joe Blow public who doesn't run, any marathoner is 'elite'....

Funny story - I had my fitness evaluated at my Club, and according to their machines/measurements I scored 81mg/L on the VO2Max. Oh rly?!? I had a really good laugh at that one when I got home and looked it up.....Apparently, one 5 time TdF winner 'only' scored 88mg/L. So, according to my Club I can now win the TdF! I'm elite, who knew?

[HCcD]

Elite? Though to Joe Blow public who doesn't run, any marathoner is 'elite'....

Funny story - I had my fitness evaluated at my Club, and according to their machines/measurements I scored 81mg/L on the VO2Max. Oh rly?!? I had a really good laugh at that one when I got home and looked it up.....Apparently, one 5 time TdF winner 'only' scored 88mg/L. So, according to my Club I can now win the TdF! I'm elite, who knew?

You sure it was 81 mg/L and not 8.1 mg/L, pinky ??

eta: If you are, Great !!! If not, your Club and/or the Personal Trainer, may have just lost it's credibiilty, imo ...

[purdy65]

Elite? Though to Joe Blow public who doesn't run, any marathoner is 'elite'....

Funny story - I had my fitness evaluated at my Club, and according to their machines/measurements I scored 81mg/L on the VO2Max. Oh rly?!? I had a really good laugh at that one when I got home and looked it up.....Apparently, one 5 time TdF winner 'only' scored 88mg/L. So, according to my Club I can now win the TdF! I'm elite, who knew?

When I had my body fat tested at my club it was 1% I'm alive! What did they use to test you at your club? It though VO2 could only be tested in a lab, and required blood work etc? Maybe I'm wrong.