HELP! Cruising pregnant (and flying)- what am I not thinking of? UPDATE and thanks!

[DisneyCowgirl]

I was barely showing last cruise--if you didn't know me you wouldn't have known whether I was pregnant or just a little pudgy unless I was in my suimsuit. There was a form I got from the cruiseline which I had my doctor sign saying how many weeks along I was which I showed at the port.

My husband asked at Castaway Cay if there were any excursions I could do pregnant, and the CM said, "all she can do is be here and be pregnant." We agreed that was a pretty good deal.

 

[jahber]

YES!!! Who is in your party? I've tried to join the meets, but never got a response on the DIS thread OR the FB page... and then I got too busy to worry about that!

Yay! It will be me and my husband and our 3 kids (10y, 7y, and 5m).

We have a meet up at 3 at Shutters on embarkation day if you want to come meet some instant friends

 

[MousseauMob]

Congratulations, be sure to relax and enjoy yourself. The first time I ever cruised, I was pregnant. A tip I received from a crew member for nausea was green apples! I was shocked at how well they worked, and they were easy to find on board.

The best thing I did for myself was a foot massage, not sure if DCL does these, but boy did that help my swollen ankles.

 

[Imedley200]

We cruised Alaska in May and I was 19-21wks pregnant during the trip. We flew and I politely told tsa I was pregnant and wanted to decline the whole body scanner. That was no problem and went through the metal detector. I took sea bands and my zofran prescription but thankfully didn't need either. We booked all our excursions independently and just verified with the owners about a pregnancy policy. I took a Dr note with a mini history and physical report just in case I needed it for DCL or had medical problems & had to go to some clinic (before or after cruise).

Tell your server that you're pregnant and they'll take care of you. I'm not a "weird" cheese person so I normally avoid that but they made sure my meats were fully cooked and let me know about ingredients in sauces. Bummer was not eating all the delicious seafood!!

Drink plenty of water! Enjoy, you'll have a blast!

 

[hamm1207]

Do you think travel insurance is a necessity when cruising at the end of first trimester/beginning of second?

 

[Flhokie]

Do you think travel insurance is a necessity when cruising at the end of first trimester/beginning of second?

Absolutely! Hopefully you won't need it during the trip, but it is definitely a good idea.

We cruised in Europe when I was at that same point. Luckily I didn't need it, but it was a relief to know that if anything did happen I'd be covered.

 

[lanejudy]

Do you think travel insurance is a necessity when cruising at the end of first trimester/beginning of second?

Hopefully it won't be necessary but be sure any insurance includes a pre-existing condition waiver!

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[tankin]

Make sure that any policy you get will cover pregnancy. Some don't!

 

[lmhall2000]

Haven't had a chance to read all suggestions, so I might be repeating. As a pregnant flyer who went into labor after a cross country flight (Seattle to Newark) the key is HYDRATION!! A few days before traveling make sure to stay hydrated, drink water on the plane and when you land. It's easy to do a lot of walking and forget to hydrate, but you need to make that a point and cut down on the salty stuff. Get up and walk if it's a long flight to prevent clots....I flew in my last trimester...you should be good to go in your first And Congratulations!!!

 

[Crisi83]

First off, I did Disney World at 18 weeks which involved flying across the country. I went to AAA and got an inflatable back support and inflatable foot rest and that made flying so much more comfortable!

Second, I notice several people mentioning not doing excursions because of pregnancy - why not? Is that a policy thing or just because of what the excursions entail? I'm signed up for a summer europe cruise, and if things go according to plan I will hopefully be early pregnancy (under 18 weeks), so I guess I need to take that into account when thinking about port adventures? Most of the things I'm looking at are bus tours to museums and that sort of things.

 

[icesk8abc]

Thank you, yes, I will refuse the scanner and do the manual screen!

My husband works for the company that designed the scanners. He is very protective, but sent me right on through them when we flew for our cruise. I was 21 weeks pregnant at the time.

 

[dyalizers]

Ask for some motion sickness bags on the flight and keep them stashed in your bag. I just flew at four-months pregnant and turbulence + pregnancy nausea = vomit - and there were no air sick bags in the seat back pocket, so it really didn't end well. These would also be helpful for the ship. Plus on the flight home, when I actually made sure to ask for the air sick bags, I, of course, didn't need them.

 

[tee11]

Hi everyone!

I wanted to thank all of you SO MUCH for all your replies and advice! I wanted to check back in earlier, but got so got up with personal stuff, the holidays, etc. - I haven't been on the boards at all! 3 months have passed, but I wanted to make sure I report back with my "pregnant on cruise" experience, hopefully it will help someone.
We had a fantastic cruise!!!
I couldn't read the last replies to the thread - Jahber - we would have loved to meet you and your family, but we were already traveling when you posted, so I missed you guys!

So here are my personal observations and opinions:

Prep:
-I did get a last minute note from my OB stating how many weeks pregnant I was and that I was OK to travel.
Nobody ever asked to see it. (but I would take it again, just because you never know)
-We did already have travel insurance, and pregnancy conditions were included (I had shopped on insure my trip dot com and we picked "travel insured" - it was a great plan including medical and medical evac and hurricane/severe weather, and the price was very low in my opinion)
-I had filled prescription nausea medication from my OB as a standby, and I also had some over the counter remedies that were recommended here and elsewhere, like the seaband, and some ginger lozenges... etc. I ended up needing none of it! We were very lucky with the weather. It was stormy when we arrived in Florida, but cleared when the day to board came and the cruise was super smooth.

Airports and Flying:
-I kindly refused the full body scanner, and was instead singled out for a triple manual inspection in two different locations with chemical clothes analysis and what not. Great! My toddler was screaming in the distance wondering where I had disappeared to - not a nice start to our vacation, but in the end the TSA apologized and said the initial equipment that had alarmed on my manual was apparently not working right - after they brought in new wands etc. voila - I was clear. The rest of our air travel was uneventful. I didn't have the bags someone recommended, but plenty of plastic bags, and ziplocs, and the flight was calm, thank goodness.

Cruise:
-as mentioned we were lucky with the weather and the seas were calm - no nausea meds were needed
-I just avoided some foods that I was careful about anyways - cuts of deli meats, and some things like that, and foods that make me queasy, but of course there was plenty of foods to choose from, and plenty of drinks (yes, lots of tea choices as well - thanks to the poster with the pictures!), and all was delicious - and well I gained 5 pounds!
-we did our own excursion on Cozumel - we took a cab to one of the resorts there. The stretch of beach we ended up at was not my favorite, but they had a great pool. It ended up raining and we went back to the ship - I was glad we hadn't paid for a full day beach day excursion
-on castaway I went snorkeling (without diving) - and I overdid it a bit physically - the distances are deceptive, it's quite a large area! ...and people are so right to be extra mindful of hydration, that's true anyways on Castaway, but especially when your pregnant!
So I took it really easy the rest of the day, and made sure to drink a lot of water.

I can't think of anything else particularly related to traveling and cruising pregnant, but if anyone can think of any other questions, I will gladly check back here to answer!

If anyone is interested in our take on the Port of Miami/transfers, or how we experienced the kids' club with a 'just turned three' year old, I can maybe relate it here quickly as well without straying too far off topic...

 

[jahber]

Hi everyone!

I wanted to thank all of you SO MUCH for all your replies and advice! I wanted to check back in earlier, but got so got up with personal stuff, the holidays, etc. - I haven't been on the boards at all! 3 months have passed, but I wanted to make sure I report back with my "pregnant on cruise" experience, hopefully it will help someone.
We had a fantastic cruise!!!
I couldn't read the last replies to the thread - Jahber - we would have loved to meet you and your family, but we were already traveling when you posted, so I missed you guys!

So here are my personal observations and opinions:

Prep:
-I did get a last minute note from my OB stating how many weeks pregnant I was and that I was OK to travel.
Nobody ever asked to see it. (but I would take it again, just because you never know)
-We did already have travel insurance, and pregnancy conditions were included (I had shopped on insure my trip dot com and we picked "travel insured" - it was a great plan including medical and medical evac and hurricane/severe weather, and the price was very low in my opinion)
-I had filled prescription nausea medication from my OB as a standby, and I also had some over the counter remedies that were recommended here and elsewhere, like the seaband, and some ginger lozenges... etc. I ended up needing none of it! We were very lucky with the weather. It was stormy when we arrived in Florida, but cleared when the day to board came and the cruise was super smooth.

Airports and Flying:
-I kindly refused the full body scanner, and was instead singled out for a triple manual inspection in two different locations with chemical clothes analysis and what not. Great! My toddler was screaming in the distance wondering where I had disappeared to - not a nice start to our vacation, but in the end the TSA apologized and said the initial equipment that had alarmed on my manual was apparently not working right - after they brought in new wands etc. voila - I was clear. The rest of our air travel was uneventful. I didn't have the bags someone recommended, but plenty of plastic bags, and ziplocs, and the flight was calm, thank goodness.

Cruise:
-as mentioned we were lucky with the weather and the seas were calm - no nausea meds were needed
-I just avoided some foods that I was careful about anyways - cuts of deli meats, and some things like that, and foods that make me queasy, but of course there was plenty of foods to choose from, and plenty of drinks (yes, lots of tea choices as well - thanks to the poster with the pictures!), and all was delicious - and well I gained 5 pounds!
-we did our own excursion on Cozumel - we took a cab to one of the resorts there. The stretch of beach we ended up at was not my favorite, but they had a great pool. It ended up raining and we went back to the ship - I was glad we hadn't paid for a full day beach day excursion
-on castaway I went snorkeling (without diving) - and I overdid it a bit physically - the distances are deceptive, it's quite a large area! ...and people are so right to be extra mindful of hydration, that's true anyways on Castaway, but especially when your pregnant!
So I took it really easy the rest of the day, and made sure to drink a lot of water.

I can't think of anything else particularly related to traveling and cruising pregnant, but if anyone can think of any other questions, I will gladly check back here to answer!

If anyone is interested in our take on the Port of Miami/transfers, or how we experienced the kids' club with a 'just turned three' year old, I can maybe relate it here quickly as well without straying too far off topic...

I'm glad you had a good trip! Sorry I couldn't catch you in time to tell you about the meet up.
It was out first cruise with a baby (he was almost 6 months when we sailed). I've discovered that pregnant, not pregnant, babies, or no babies--cruising is the perfect vacation for our family. It was one of the best we've ever taken, actually.

As for the PP who asked about excursions when pregnant, I guess it depends on the person. I was very active with my last pregnancy (I ran a half marathon at 19 weeks), but when we were in Alaska I basically only hiked up a mountain (ok, only partway )and did a bit of walking to the Mendenhall glacier. On the other cruise I just hung out on the ship. I think part of the problem is you just get tired and dehydrated so quickly. And the effects last longer. Who wants that on vacation?

 

[Melissa S]

preggie drops and pops are awesome for nausea. They sell them at babies r us and pharmacies. Basically the healthier version of sour hard candy.

 

[TimeAndTide]

Thanks for the update! I'm so glad you had a good time!

I'm also glad that some people updated about available anti-nausea meds during pregnancy! As a two time hyperemesis mom (second time with twins), I was getting a little twitching in the older posts about anti-nausea meds being nixed during pregnancy. Lol. Of course there is a difference between OTC meds and prescribed ones. Zofran was the magical one for me. If I cruised pregnant, I would absolutely take it along just in case. A pregnant woman needs to have an anti nausea option available to avoid dehydration in case of motion sickness. The ship's doctor can be very pricey. (Actually with three small kids, we always have it in our travel kit anyway just in case of the rare, random vomiting episode. Totally saved us on a road trip several months ago when one of our four year olds caught a stomach bug.)

Also, as far as air travel goes, I flew in my early third trimester with twins - with doctor approval. While I had a few airline staff "casually" ask me when I was due - because I looked very, very pregnant-, no one asked for a doctors note. They seemed satisfied that my enormous girth was because of the twins. Cruising would likely be a different story, and I would get a note if I were showing at all.

I would also advise pregnant women to be especially cautious about following the "rules" about deli meats, raw fish, unpasteurized cheese, etc., while off the ship. For better or worse, it's not the time to try the local street vendor food. Sanitation and food inspection may be different and the consequences could be catastrophic. And I would be careful about drinking only bottled water even on board, but drinkng lots and lots of it.

I'm really posting this just in case future pregnant cruisers stumble onto this thread.