Thoughts on cruising/flying 5 months pregnant?

[oceanmarina]

Hi everyone. We are thinking of taking a cruise on Presidents Day week in Feb. At that time i'll be 21 weeks, around 5 months pregnant. Has anyone ever flown or cruised at that time in their pregnancy?
I'm really divided about it since this will probably be our "last hurrah" for a while, but at the same time I would'nt want to do anything to jeapordize my pregnancy.

I'm going to ask my doctor next week when I see him, but I wanted feedback from anyone who has ever vacationed while pregnant. I usually am a nervous flyer & I know I cannot take a valium on this flight!! But I flew 6 times last summer, and I think that really helped me dispell my fears. I actually miss flying a little!

I really would like to go away since DH feels that he would prefer not to vacation with a little one untill they are around 4 or so!

Any advice would be appreciated,
Marina


Celebrity~Horizon~Bermuda 6/03
Carnival~Paradise~Exotic West. Carrib. 8/03
Disney~Wonder~Bahamas 4th of July Cruise, 2004
RCCL~Explorer OS~ West. Carrib. 7/04
Princess~Golden~ South. Carrib. 8/04

 

[JenGang]

I've never cruised before while pregnant but I have gone on vacation at 27 weeks. It really wasn't bad. My best advise would just be to make sure you drink enough fluids so you're well hydrated.

 

[Julanne]

I haven't cruised pregnant (yet - will be next month!), but I did go to WDW at 5 months pregnant 3 years ago. I was flying from California, so it was a bit of a distance. My best advice about the flight is to drink plenty of water and get up and walk around a few times (you'll have to anyway if you drink enough water!). As for vacationing, try to plan in naps/rest time. I just remember being pretty wiped out by the early afternoon. Also, keep water and snacks with you, and be sure to stop for meals! Some of this doesn't apply to the cruise, as much as to the rest of your trip.

Good luck!

 

[tigger24]

Last Sept. my husband and I did our last hurrah trip, I was 20 weeks and 1 day when I boarded the ship for 7 great days, then we went to WDW for a week, it was wonderful. We flew with no problems. I asked my dr and she said it was no problem, as I had a normal preganancy. I napped a lot, but that's what vacation is for.
Have a wonderful time!

 

[disneyholic family]

i flew around the world when i was 5 to 8 months pregnant (we were traveling for 3 months, from when i was 5 months to when i was 8 months pregnant)...
lots and lots of flight time as you can imagine....(we started in the mideast, had to fly backwards to switzerland, then on to hong kong, then taiwan, then korea, then back to taiwan, then back to hong kong, then to japan (where we spent a day in the brand new tokyo disneyland), then on to detroit, then to new york, back to switzerland and finally back to the mideast.....
my daughter is now 20 years old, and i doubt i could blame her hormonal rages on the fact that i flew her around the world while a fetus....

as for cruising, that i haven't done while pregnant, but i don't think it would be a problem....i know they have a time limit, but i don't know what it is.....

 

[Masonpips]

I went to Hawaii while pregnant and was exactly where you are - 20 to 21 weeks. It was a fabulous vacation because I was at the happy point in the pregnancy (not sick and not huge) and we had a GREAT time. Drink lots of water, rest when you feel like it and ENJOY!

As long as your dr. has no problem with it, you should go and have a great time!

 

[Sarahsal]

I was 5 months pregnant on my first cruise-it was a work bonus (free) so we went. I was very worried because I tend to get motion sickness-but I was fine on the cruise. The only trouble I had was one day when I had a very rich meal-something I hadn't had since getting pregnant. Other than that it was great! And FWIW, some of our best vacations were when my dd's were very young.

 

[Speedy2]

I cruised last month @ 23 weeks pregnant. I had a wonderful time.. even felt better than I do back at home! As the others mentioned, keep hydrated and check with your OB professional.

There is a "Medical Clearance" form that Disney wants you to fax in prior to your embarkation date. Your OB professional has to fill it out.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[mackymaddyconnorsmom]

I traveled when I was pregnent with 2 of my pregnancies. The first one I was only about 3 months pregnant and we went to Hawaii(from NJ). The next pregnency , we went to California for 2 weeks and I was 7 1/2 months pregnant and we had our our 10 month old baby with us. I was never tired or really had no problems. The only thing that went wrong is I got car sick once but that was because I was sitting in the backseat and we were going doing Highway 1 and it was so twisty.

 

[castlegazer]

I cruised at 23 weeks pregnant. I had a good time and it was a long time till we could cruise again so definately go. But I also agree that we had some great vacations with the baby too - so its not like its the last time you will get to vacation. It may be a long time till you cruise again. We are finally going again and my son will be four. But we have taken many vacations including three to WDW.

Cruising while significantly pregnant was fine EXCEPT:
1) You need to keep very hydrated. I brought along a Brita Sports Water Bottle that has a filter in the nozzle so you can fill it in sinks on the islands and on the ship when not at the water fountains. You are saying, yeah, yeah, I know, but really, its harder than you think to stay as hydrated as you need to be while on a cruise.
2) You will not be able to stay awake for any evening activities. I was a gonner by 8:30 every night as you are doing more activities during the day than you are used to normally - we toured a lot of islands on the cruise we were on.
3) You may have issues like acid indigestion.
4) You may gain a lot of unwanted weight as you may want to eat the entire ship. I thankfully craved salads and fruit with my son's pregnancy, but I know this is not the case with all women.
5) A bummer for me was not being able to have a daily Pina Colada by the pool. WARNING: Virgin drinks cost almost as much as regular drinks on the ships and when I switched to Pelegrino Water it also racked the bills up. I just had a hard time sitting and just drinking water or juice all day long, I needed variety. But that variety was costly.

and finally my biggest word of warning that I am sure your doctor will also tell you:
6) You will definately be more off-balance and therefore prone to some accidents like slips and falls and your ligaments are very spongy and this needs o be taken into consideration too. I severely spraigned my ankle in Barbados simply coming off the ship and spent the next four days in either a wheel chair or crutches. I had heard the warnings, but nothing can prevent the misstep or lost footing due to rough seas.

 

[MarcyIn Florida]

We went on the Wonder when I was 23 weeks (I think . . . I was pretty far along). We had a great time! I had a lot of food aversions, though, and had some issues on that front.