Cruising while pregnant

[tinkerbaby05]

Hi! We just booked our 4-night cruise for 7/17-7/21. I was wondering if anyone had been on a cruise while pregnant. When we go I will be 18 weeks. I already got the go ahead from my doc. I was just wondering if it at all effected your trip at all. I am so excited my three year old can not wait she can't wait to meet princess. Well thanks for any replies.

 

[tcmata]

We sailed when I was also 18 weeks pregnant and had a WONDERFUL time!! I didn't even have any feelings of being seasick- I felt great the whole trip and the food was awesome! DH even booked a "Mother's massage" for me and it was great!!! Looking back, I may have rested a little more than previous cruises, but can't think of any changes other than that! I would never hesitate to cruise while pregnant! Hope you have an awesome trip!!

 

[tinkerbaby05]

Carla, Thanks for the info. I am so excited. Maybe i will pass on that your husband booked a mothers massage to my husband, see if he gets the hint.

 

[flexsmom]

I was 14 weeks for our first cruise a few years ago. I was just past the queasy phase and it was great. I also did a massage at the spa - when I made the ressie for the massage I made sure to let them know I was pregnant, and when I checked in I also had a lengthy conversation with the masseuse about the details of the pregnancy so it was no problem. We also had DD3 with us at the time - it was kind of a nice last vacation with her before we became a full family of 4!

 

[moondance]

You may want to check with the cruise line. I was booking a cruise in 2003. I was going through the booking process with the DVC agent. At some point he mentioned if I were pregnant. At the time I wasn't pregnant but knew it was possible that I could become pregnant. I didn't book the cruise and waited until I knew I was pregnant. Once I knew my due date I took out the calendar calculated when I would be able to cruise per The Disney Cruise Line. I don't remember for sure when it is considered "safe" per the cruise line, it's somewhere between 20 and 22 weeks. I brought a letter with me from my doctor stating how many weeks pregnant I was and that I was in good health to travel.

 

[shelly3girls]

I thought I remembered 24 weeks being the cut-off.

 

[taeja71]

I brought a letter with me from my doctor stating how many weeks pregnant I was and that I was in good health to travel.

There is a form from DCL you have to get signed by your OBgyn prior to sailing. You must present the document once embarking. If you do not have the form DCL will not let you sail and none of the monies for you are refundable. I just found this out today as we are contemplating another child. DCL also stated you must be three weeks pregnant (that is the minimum). MY DH asked is that three weeks after the conception date or three weeks after you are able to find out???? So, I am not sure. Some people might have cruised and never knew they were pregnant until later.... Hmmmm, more things to think about. DCL also stated that the infant must be at least 12weeks old to sail. IF I AM INCORRECT on any of these pieces of information, please correct any info. Remeber if you have an infant you may need a passport for him/her in 2006.

 

[SueEllen]

I cruised right at 24 weeks pregnant on our first cruise. It was wonderful and I used the time to relax and enjoy myself. I even had a massage in the spa (but made sure they knew I was pregnant going in because some of the scented oils should not be used on a pregnant woman.)

Go and enjoy.
Sue Ellen

 

[mousebrat]

The official word is that you cannot have entered your 24th week of the date of embarkation. I barely made it...23 weeks and a few days.

 

[castlegazer]

I cruised at 22 weeks and would not do it again (but then again, I'm done having kids so the point is moot). It was nice to have that last cruise prior to a period of time when we could not cruise - but here's what happened to me:

I had terrible heartburn the whole pregnancy - this was brought on in true force by the rocking of the ship - I don't normally get motion sickness.

I poo pooed everyone who said while pregnant you get clumsy - for goodness sake I was playing soccer for a while while pregnant - so no way was I going to be clumsy. Well, as I stepped off the bus in Barbados as we getting off the ship (you have ot bus in from your berth at this port) I stepped down and went right into a hole severely spraigning my ankle and having to spend the remainder of the cruise in wheelchair.

I love having pina coladas while cruising - I had virgin ones and to change up the constant water routine, had some sparkling water. My bar tab came to almost as much as my husbands who drank a beer a day and wine with dinner.

Cruises always involve lugging a lot a luggage for us - I don't know about you, but for some reason we always have to take those huge suitcases. This became a huge burden on my husband because he had to be the one to lug everything. We sailed out of San Juan too, so it was stressful getting to the port for us (people who never buy transfers). It was also stressful because it was right after 9/11 and right after the plane went down in Brooklyn afterwards and they still didn't know if that was terrorism too. I looked down when we got on board our flight and it was the same type of plane andthere was beginning to be speculation about it being the type of aircraft. Needless to say, I was a bit panicked.

I did love having that one last great vacation as two before we became a family of three, but I could have had a better time doing something a little less taxing on me in my final weeks of pregnancy.

 

[castlegazer]

Oh, I just noticed someone got a pregnancy massage while on board - our cruise line would not even let me into the spa area. They were freaked by me being pregnant. I wasn't allowed into the spa pool even. We cruised on Celebrity. That also made it a big bummer - I was totally looking forward to having a massage. Make sure you check before you have your heart set on it that they will do a pregnancy massage - many will not.

I also could not stay awake past 8:30 at night so it kindof ruined the whole hanging out with your husband thing at night for us. During pregnancies I am always exhausted.

So overall, I thought we wasted our money a bit by doing a cruise. We really should have done something else (but we do love cruising) for our vacation. But we do look back at it as being a pretty nice vacation - just not the best cruise we have ever taken.

 

[Jsme]

I cruised at 6 weeks and thought I would never want to cruise again. It took us 10 years for me to brave it again. I found out it was just being pregnant that killed me not the cruise. I was so sick the whole time, on and off of the ship. I stayed in our room by myself when we were not on dry land. My Dh had a ball and ranked up a bar tab of $700. I think if I was not going thru the morning sickness thing I would have been fine to cruise.

 

[HeelMD]

I'm an Obstetrician and here a few thoughts:

-Health-wise there is no problem with cruising at 18 weeks. I would recommend getting beyond around 13 weeks due to you being very prone to nausea prior to then and you may find that motion sickness is a problem even when it isn't when you're not pregnant.

-There are very few restrictions on types of massages you can have during pregnancy. DCL offers a pregnancy massage as well if I'm not mistaken. Be careful of a lot people telling you "you can't do that during pregnancy." They are usually basing it upon things like "my friend told me" or "I read on the internet." Just make an appointment with your OB the week prior to your leaving and talk about what you can and can't do.

-Avoid the large salt-water fish for meals like shark steak, swordfish, tuna steaks, etc. These fish are much older and larger when they are caught and have fairly high mercury levels compared to others. For the same reason, I would avoid filter-feeding things like oysters.

-Most cruise lines make the cut-off for going at 24 weeks. Any OB should have a form note stating what your due date is and how many weeks you will be.

-Drink, drink, drink. Your fluid requirements go up a great deal when you are pregnancy and you have a very low threshold for becoming dehydrated. Usually one of the first symptoms of dehydration is contractions. My rule of thumb for expectant patients is if you are not having to pee every 90 minutes while outside, you're not drinking enough. Try to make the majority of your fluid intake non-caffeinated and non-carbonated. Water is the best, but juices (as long as you're not diabetic) and sports drinks are good, too.

-Find shade. Avoid getting overly hot. Not only do you lose more fluids then, but the body's natural reaction is to shunt blood flow to the skin to dissapate (sp?) heat. This means you are shunting blood flow away from internal organs such as the uterus. This is also why hot tubbing is not a good idea. Adequate fluid intake will help with this as well.

-Enjoy each other. With the exception of a few conditions that your OB can tell you about, sex is very safe in pregnancy.

-Put others to work. Your center of gravity changes as your pregnancy progresses and you are more prone to falls especially when carrying big loads. Let someone else carry the big pieces of luggage.

Hope these tips help and have a great time and congratulations on the baby.

 

[crisi]

My sister cruised 20-some weeks pregnant. She had a lousy time.

No hottub. No alcohol. She was hungry all the time, but couldn't really enjoy the big meals - because she didn't have room in her stomach! She couldn't sleep comfortably in the bed. And her husband was in training all day (one of the Continuing Ed cruises) so she was stuck by herself - and cranky from the hormones.

But all pregnancies are different. Make sure to take out cruise insurance in case your OB tags you as high risk right before your cruise date and puts you on partial or full bed rest!

 

[castlegazer]

My sister cruised 20-some weeks pregnant. She had a lousy time.

No hottub. No alcohol. She was hungry all the time, but couldn't really enjoy the big meals - because she didn't have room in her stomach! She couldn't sleep comfortably in the bed. And her husband was in training all day (one of the Continuing Ed cruises) so she was stuck by herself - and cranky from the hormones.

But all pregnancies are different. Make sure to take out cruise insurance in case your OB tags you as high risk right before your cruise date and puts you on partial or full bed rest!

Oh, I forgot about that too. I totally could not eat the meal - there was no where to put it - but I was starving, but I was also paranoid I would gain a ton of weight too so I was trying so hard to be good too. No Hot tub stunk too. It was also so hot and heat and I did not agree while I was pregnant.

If you love cruising like we do, go for it - but as I said, there may be a more enjoyable way to spend some quality time together before you expand your family.

Oh, and I thought of one other thing that I distinctly recall - and this may only apply to other cruise lines and quite possibly only to my baby - but the music in the shows was sooo loud that the baby would kick the whole time and we would finally have to go because it made me so uncomfortable.

 

[TexasGirl]

I cruised when I was pregnant and not sure or not if I would do it again. I was about 4 months along. I did get sick on the boat a few times and twice in very public places. It was embarrasing.

I sailed in a hurricane too so that only worsened the situation.

I would do it again if
1. It was a 4 day or a 3 day NOT a 7 day. Too long when preg
2. Sailing in cool weather
3. Could expect fairly calm waters.

DD had a good time. She was 4 at the time and the reason we went. Now, that baby that was in my belly last summer onboard the ship is here and going on his first cruise in a week!

Good luck!

 

[JennsBabySky]

Everyone is going to have such a different experience while pregnant plus everyone has such different cruise experiences, it is so hard to predict how you will like it. I had a great pregnancy and a wonderful DCL cruise at 22 weeks. We went in September when it was hot and humid and although sticky, it was nothing horrible. I had an absolute blast on the cruise and on our excursions (mainly centered around the beach or the pool, I love the feeling of weightlessness when pregnant). I could eat lots of food and no longer had any morning sickness. The option of having room service or snacks from the counter service restaurants was heavenly and ice cream -- yum. I have no regrets and I would do it over again in a heartbeat! We even finished off with a day at Magic Kingdom in the humid September heat -- even that was fun!

Oh, but like the other poster said, get cruise insurance when booking the cruise. My OB wouldn't give me the official all clear to cruise until just before the cruise.