Pregnant at WDW....? about rides

[hygienejean]

Hi all,

I will be 19 weeks when we go to WDW NEXT Thursday!!!! Sooo excited!

I was wondering about some of the rides. I asked my OB and the answers were vague. She had never been to WDW so I couldn't ask for specific rides... She of course stated that roller coasters are definitely off limits. Spinning no good either. I asked about a flume, specifically Splash Mountain. She said that as long as it doesn't stop suddenly than it might be okay. She was also vague about Test Track. See I don't remember TT being too rough but perhaps my memory deceives me. A little bumpy and fast in the last part. I don't remeber it being jerky. Anyway I would like to know if any of you have gone PG and how was it. Did you skip TT and SM? What did your OB's say about the WDW rides? Thanks!

 

[runner26.2]

My DW was pregnant on 2 (if not 3) of our trips to WDW. I think she was in first trimester on one occasion and second on another. She wouldn't go on either TT or SM, altho she'd had some difficulties along the way so made her extra cautious.

Seems to me there is some hard braking on TT and a quick drop or two on SM.

I remember DW being very frustrated about not being able to go on even the simplest of thrill rides and missing out on seeing our oldest DD experience these rides first hand.

However, she'll get a chance to make up for that next month

 

[DISLOVE]

I'm bumping this because I'm very curious... I am not PG now but we are trying. I have a girls weekend planned with friends in the beginning of September.

My question is... if you are so early in the pregnancy that most people don't know it, could the baby be hurt by a ride? I've always wondered...

 

[Colinsmom]

I just came back and am 18 weeks pg. Splash Mountain and Test Track are not recommended for expecting moms (signs say so). I just followed the Disney recommendations and didn't ride those rides; I'm sure that plenty others have ignored them and been fine, but it wasn't worth it to me - we go often enough that I didn't feel deprived.

 

[ahutton]

On Test Track there is a section that is a brake check that is an abrupt stop, and the road test that goes over bumps, neither of which would be comfortable when pregnant. What I was told was to avoid ride with height restrictions. The only one I did ride (and I wouldn't do it again) was the safari. I was there in the early 3rd trimesters of 2 pregnancies, and once in the 19-20 week area.

 

[NotUrsula]

I've done TT pregnant, but only in the first trimester. It's really no more a thrill ride than driving 60 mph in a convertible on a bumpy road. That said, I think it could get uncomfortable later on, when the "bump" is bigger and more likely to get squeezed too tightly by the seatbelt, etc.

In my case, since I'd been on the ride many times, I knew where the sudden stops, etc., were, and I was able to brace myself so as to avoid being jostled badly at all.

Unless you are having bleeding issues, even coasters are usually not going to be dangerous before about 10 weeks. The baby is just too tiny, about the size of a walnut at most, and floating in a liquid cushion.

 

[GUNER]

You are pregnant and about to have a miricle happen to you!!! It is not worth the risk to go on a few rides. I would not take the chance on any of those rides. To me the baby deserves to have you sit and watch. Give your head a shake!!! Not your belly!!

 

[hygienejean]

I will be 19 weeks with my 3rd. Actually I don't really have much of a bump. I am still in my regular clothes at this point. I am not really concerned about my comfort so to speak but the safety of the baby. I don't want to risk anything but if there is a ride I can do safely, I would like to. When push comes to shove I am sure I will chicken out and stay on the sidelines. There could be worse things. I'll be there next year and I was there last year.

I notice that Disney does post a lot of signs for people with medical conditions. Now I am just wondering this out loud but isn't Disney just covering their rear ends with those signs? Kind of like when the woman who spilled coffee on herself (through her own stupidity!) and then sued McDonalds? It just makes me think, Are these things REALLY a hazard or did they Disney lawyers advise them to do this. I would be interested to know how many people with those very conditions ignore the signs??? or followed them??? and what happened to those that ignored them? Just a thought.....

 

[JenniferW]

This is only my 2 cents...

The first time I was pg, I miscarried and asked my doc about what could have caused it (hadn't done rides or anything really). He said that in the first trimester there isn't a whole lot that will "make" you miscarry, obviously big bumps, jumps, etc aren't good.

Then second pg, I went to Disneyland when I was 9 weeks along and announced to my hubby I was pg, and we were very cautious not going on any roller coasters or anything. I felt like better safe than sorry. I would have a hard time if something happened. We had a happy, healthy girl Feb 2003.

Now, I am pg again and will be 12 weeks when we go to WDW and plan to ride almost everything asuming I feel up to it. ( I can feel those flames comin', but here is goes...) I will skip TOT since I don't like it that much and it is a bit jerky and at Universal I am skipping quite a few rides, but at WDW I plan on going on everything. Test Track usually is a long line so we often skip it naturally.

Think about how comfortable you feel and hear your doctor's advice and I'm sure you will make the right decision for you.

Jenn

 

[SueM in MN]

One concern that has been posted about Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain is that the sudden drop could theoretically cause the placenta to detatch. So, even though they are not really "bumpy", a lot of people have posted in the past that their OBs who were familiar with those rides said not to ride.

 

[NotUrsula]

Some of the signs are there primarily in case of litigation, it's true; even the tiniest risk will merit a sign just in case. However, in the case of pregnancy there is a huge difference between 3-4 weeks and 34 weeks; some things that would be very dangerous in the third trimester are just no risk at all very early on in a healthy pregnancy. Now, if you are at high risk for some reason and know that you are, that is very different, of course. I also think that if you have never before ridden a given ride, you should naturally exercise more caution than if you know it very well.

The only WDW rides I personally would definitely steer clear of at EVERY stage are MSp and RNRC; both of them pull fairly strong G-forces, which can cause a fast blood pressure drop in people who are susceptible. Since your vascular system is very much out of normal sync when you're pregnant, that's a great recipe for fainting and possibly giving yourself a skull fracture. Feet-first water slides are also not good, because of the risk of infection if water is forced into the ******.

I've miscarried early several times, but never when I had been on an amusement park ride. Force is just a really uncommon reason for it. Trust me, I've seen some of the best specialists in the country, and all of them tell me that an early m/c is almost always the result of genetic or developmental abnormality. Even bed rest wouldn't prevent it when that is the reason, which means that skipping rides when you're "trying" is not at all necessary.

 

[kimpossible]

I went when I was 9 weeks. The only ride I did do that was against the reccommendations of Disney was the Safari at AK. However, I asked to sit in the front where it was less bumpy. My OB had been to Disney and knew the rides.

But, keep in mind that I was only 9 weeks, not nineteen. Also, I am not into the thrill rides.

The big concern was that I drank PLENTY of water, and got up and walked around once and awhile on the plane ride.

Have a nice time.

We leave in less then 3 weeks with both DS's (including the one who was in utero).

 

[txgirl]

One in three pregnancies end in miscarriage and the vast majority of those are due to a problem with the growing baby and nothing external.

With that said, if you have ever had a miscarriage you would agree you have this guilt of "what could I have done differently" and most times you are assured that there was nothing you could do to prevent it. BUT if one of my miscarriages had followed me riding a ride at Disney that I was warned against riding I would really ache about that choice.

I don't think the risk is necessarily high for the baby but the "what if" is not worth the anxiety for me?

As a side note I rode every single roller coaster in the park at Six Flags when I was 6 weeks pregnant with my second child (I had no idea I was pregnant). She turned out fine (loves gymnastics ) but I would never had made that choice knowingly.

Best wishes and have a wonderful pregnancy!

 

[disneygoof]

If you go to the official wdw site and search for the word "expectant", it will bring up a list of every ride that Disney recommends pregnant women don't ride. Get the list in advance and you won't be disappointed when you get there (just like the kids that are under the height limit, right?).

My doctor would say, "If you vacuum your house, you probably won't cause a miscarriage, but if you have a miscarriage, you will torture yourself wondering if the vacuuming was what did it." Why take that risk?

 

[nemomama]

You are pregnant and about to have a miricle happen to you!!! It is not worth the risk to go on a few rides. I would not take the chance on any of those rides. To me the baby deserves to have you sit and watch. Give your head a shake!!! Not your belly!!

I totally agree! WDW isn't going anywhere, you can always go back when you are not pregnant. Personally I think it's really selfish to put your own enjoyment above the life that is growing inside of you.

I say enjoy your trip but take it easy! Think about how much fun you'll have enjoying all the rides when you are not pregnant, and when your beautiful child can enjoy the vacation with you.