The Labor (and Delivery) of a CrossFit Mom

Your pregnancy has reached full term. It’s summer and very hot and humid out. You are ready to meet your baby, face to face, and you will try anything. Acupuncture, hot peppers, Nigerian tea made from the mother’s milk gods, a bumpy car ride, etc. You truly are desperate and give zero cares about how any of this sounds or looks.

Zero.

Then, you go to CrossFit OC3. You do some rowing, snatching and line hops. About 120 line hops. It may sound very specific, but for one OC3 mom, it worked!

Elizabeth Richmiller, a.k.a. EB, showed up for her regular workout on Wednesday morning. It was a more pleasantly hot day than usual for the Quad Cities, but HOT nonetheless. She completed the workout and then her 5am class graciously gifted her and her husband, Jon, the pictured barbell of diapers. Before the clock struck noon, EB found herself in labor! With very little fuss, baby boy Jack made his debut at 2:59PM…only NINE hours after finishing that day’s WOD. Labor and delivery went fast and this new mama credits her regular CrossFit workouts, “It must have been those line jumps that finally did it,” she said.

SUMMARY of EVENTS on 7-27-16

6am – EB finished working on her fitness.
11am (ish) – EB started working on her contractions.
3pm – baby Jack is HERE!

OC3 head coach Brock Aunan describes EB as small but mighty and an absolutely amazing athlete with lots of heart. “She pushes hard with a great attitude. You knew the pregnancy was making workouts hard, but she made great choices every day to make sure each workout made sense and was safe but also provided a challenge. It’s no surprise that she worked out right up until the birth! That is just EB for you,” he said. The gym ensures safety first regardless of member constraints.

We are all pretty amazed by this progression of events and also very excited for our members and new parents. The entire #OC3Family sends huge congratulations to EB and Jon on their first CrossFit baby!

UPDATE: EB is back at it after less than four weeks off. Baby Jack is still her gym companion, and biggest fan, going wherever she goes. We appreciate the example she sets, though we understand every situation is different. We hope you find some encouragement in her story, too!

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