Splash Mountain and pregnant...

[momto2nenas]

Are there restrictions for SM? I'll be 29 weeks (and quite large, lol) next week during our visit and have never ridden SM but WANT to! DD#2 is finally tall enough and we'd like to ride it all together. Its just 2 drops right? Nothing like a BTMRR or Indy as far as roughness and speed..

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm 99.99% sure there's a restriction on it. I'm pretty liberal (or as I call it, non-American, LOL) when it comes to pg restrictions, but there's absolutely no chance you'd catch me on Splash while pregnant. Especially that far along.

OK maybe I'd go on it at 42 weeks as I tire of a long pregnancy (they run in mine and hubby's families...hubby himself was a 44 week baby), but not anytime before I wished to go into labor. Not that the forces would absolutely do that, but just in case it did. You know what I mean.

Then again, I really am not a huge fan of Splash to begin with.

 

[disheadz]

Go for it! I dont see any reason why not, unless you are especially litigous, I would hate to see park prices go up.

 

[sonnyjane]

According to the Disneyland website:

Splash Mountain - For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride.

 

[disheadz]

Those warnings have very little to do actual concerns over people's safety. They are purely legal. Use your own common sense and you should be fine either way. I mean, how many with high blood pressure ride every hour?

 

[JadeDarkstar]

ask a doctor

 

[jenpace]

I see these kinds of questions posted from time to time and it always makes me ask the same question: why would anyone risk it? If the restrictions/warnings are posted it should be clear.

Enjoy your pregnancy and stay safe, you're carrying precious cargo. Disneyland will always be there waiting for you.

 

[mechurchlady]

Those warnings have very little to do actual concerns over people's safety. They are purely legal. Use your own common sense and you should be fine either way. I mean, how many with high blood pressure ride every hour?

Actually the problem is that the pregnant mother is in a squatting position and the position of the mother can cause stress on her insides. There are other factors like the bumping of the boat and the g-forces. I read about this way back over 5 years ago.

Disney does not cover itself just to cover itself but does have to look into health risks and warn guests. Disney would not put such a warning unless there was validity to the warning either from medical research, common sense, or documented cases where a person of that classification got hurt.

I have scoliosis and a disintegrating disc in my back. I would love to ride Indiana Jones again but I know that I could end up in severe pain or possibly do so much damage as to be disabled worse than I am.

That said I would say that I cannot condone breaking Disney rules and do tell people to do as I say and not as I do. As I stated above I rather skip a ride than pay for it later. It is up to you on whether you want to take the risk. Also what if you ride and nothing happens but some other event or nature cause the baby to have some sort of damage? Would you want to go through life wondering if the baby's damage was from that ride even though it was not? It is up to you.

 

[Minuet888]

what the above person said is correct. I was only 2 months pregnant with our only child on a trip to disneyland and I didn't even ride Splash Mountain no matter how much I wanted to. Not worth the risk for such a precious gift.

Plus at 29 weeks and, uh, definately showing as you are I am almost positive a CM will stop you. Disney doesn't want lawsuits.

 

[fairycat]

I would ask your Doctor since they will know best what you should and shouldn't do. If your Doctor says no, then you will just have to have a special future Splash Mountain trip!

 

[mechurchlady]

It is company policy and any employee violating a safety rule can kiss their job good bye. Even though there is no law does not mean that CMs can and do get fired for breaking the rules. If it is worded as a suggestion then a CM might let you ride but if it is a set rule they are not supposed to let the person ride.

Remember that CMs are people just like you and they often have people depending on their paycheck.

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

No way would I risk that. Even if they allowed it. I'd stick to the kid rides, no ride is worth that. As someone else said, Disneyland will always be there for you!

 

[LuvEeyore]

If you called me at work (labor and delivery) we would reccommend that you not ride at 29 weeks gestation!! Take a trip after your normal ******l delivery!!

 

[alvernon90]

Plus at 29 weeks and, uh, definately showing as you are I am almost positive a CM will stop you. Disney doesn't want lawsuits.

This seems like the correct answer to me, but I could be wrong.

But if you take everyone's advice and voluntarily skip the ride, maybe you could take a cigarette break while your family rides. What bad thing could possibly happen smoking one cigarette, right?

Forget all this lawyer mumbo-jumbo. Just use your own common sense to decide whether you should ride Splash Mountain or smoke a cigarette (or possibly neither).

 

[alvernon90]

Take a trip after your normal ******l delivery!!

Ah, the downsides of the automatic swear word filter.

 

[jenpace]

...if you take everyone's advice and voluntarily skip the ride, maybe you could take a cigarette break while your family rides. What bad thing could possibly happen smoking one cigarette, right?

Thanks for that... Hey, can I be your new friend?

 

[LavenderPeach]

I see these kinds of questions posted from time to time and it always makes me ask the same question: why would anyone risk it? If the restrictions/warnings are posted it should be clear.

Enjoy your pregnancy and stay safe, you're carrying precious cargo. Disneyland will always be there waiting for you.

Yes, that is what I always think too when there are questions like this. Why take that chance? Most likely nothing bad would happen but you just never know. I have a DS with many medical issues and while I didn't do anything to cause those issues, I would hate to have done something that would always make me wonder if it was the cause of the medical problems. I probably have a more cautious (and possibly pessimistic?) view of pregnancy and babies because of my experiences and I'm not trying to scare you but there are so many things that can go wrong anyway that it just doesn't seem like a good idea to add an unnecessary risk.

Have a great trip!

 

[SeansMom]

From the American Pregnancy Association:

What is the concern with roller coasters and pregnancy?

The concern with roller coasters during pregnancy is associated with the rapid starts and stops along with jarring that occurs during the ride. This rigorous activity creates additional jarring forces within the uterus that may lead to premature separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus, which is called placental abruption. (my sidenote: Depending on how much of the placenta seperates, it can lead to fetal death, and in worse case scenarios death of the mother as well.) Of course, abruption just as often happens "randomly" as from an accident, and abruptions occur in about 1% of pregnancies.
Currently, there are no studies that document a problem with roller coasters while you are pregnant. Similarly, there are no studies documenting that it is safe either. Automobile accidents have caused placental abruption and other complications for women who are pregnant even when the trauma is not directly to the uterus.

Although there have been pregnant women who have ridden a roller coaster without complication, it is a risk that should be avoided. Amusement parks are good at identifying rides that pose risks to pregnant women.

The safest course of action is to play it safe and avoid the rides that pose a risk; you can always return to the park and ride things after you deliver.

 

[DangerMouse]

Just from personal experience, the CM cannot stop you from going on the ride. However, they will ask if you are pg, and then repeat the warning that DLR recommends that expectant mothers not ride. It is your choice after that what you do.

 

[momto2nenas]

From the American Pregnancy Association:

What is the concern with roller coasters and pregnancy?

The concern with roller coasters during pregnancy is associated with the rapid starts and stops along with jarring that occurs during the ride. This rigorous activity creates additional jarring forces within the uterus that may lead to premature separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus, which is called placental abruption. (my sidenote: Depending on how much of the placenta seperates, it can lead to fetal death, and in worse case scenarios death of the mother as well.) Of course, abruption just as often happens "randomly" as from an accident, and abruptions occur in about 1% of pregnancies.
Currently, there are no studies that document a problem with roller coasters while you are pregnant. Similarly, there are no studies documenting that it is safe either. Automobile accidents have caused placental abruption and other complications for women who are pregnant even when the trauma is not directly to the uterus.

Although there have been pregnant women who have ridden a roller coaster without complication, it is a risk that should be avoided. Amusement parks are good at identifying rides that pose risks to pregnant women.

The safest course of action is to play it safe and avoid the rides that pose a risk; you can always return to the park and ride things after you deliver.

Thank you for this info!

I really had no idea Splash was considered so rough, etc. I've ridden many a log flume ride (not pregnant before I get the FLAMES, lol) and they are all pretty tame w/ the exception of the drops and getting wet of course. I just assumed Splash was similar... I think I'll stick to Pooh and wait for the fam... (and pass on the cigarette).