Woman gives birth on carnival cruise

[clawmachine]

Oh and there are a lot more articles about this event out on the net now. The woman who gave birth on Carnival was a 30 year old passenger and there was a reference in one article I read that she stated that she did not know how far she was in her pregnancy. Both mother and baby are fine and there are some very happy pics of mom, baby (I think she named her "Cara Paradise" for "Carnival Paradise") and smiling crew out there if you are interested and want to google it.

 

[plyeng2ff]

Remember DCL's "little souvenier" commercial?

That was the best commercial

 

[Skylarr29]

Remember DCL's "little souvenier" commercial?

Sure do! I'm expecting one in about 10 weeks

 

[tvguy]

As promised, the REST of the story.

Apparently......she just found out she was pregnant the week before, and scheduled an exam the week after the cruise. So she thought she was weeks, not months along.

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/...ned-of-pregnancy/95951/1?loc=interstitialskip

 

[Maza]

When I put on my doctor hat, I think DCL's policy of 24 weeks is very reasonable.

While survival of an infant born before 24 weeks gestation does occur, it is incredibly rare even when the infant is born in a tertiary center with all the best equipment and staff to care for mom and baby.

Cant speak for US stats...but in the UK its 80% survival...but with significant disabilities in most.




27 weeks--YIKES!!!! Since more than 50% of babies born at 26 weeks in many tertiary centers ultimately go home healthy but that figure drops to less than half of that for a child born in a primary hospital, I'd hate to see what the numbers might look like for a ship! This is an area of medicine where the healthy take home survival rates are changing rapidly and the ability to prolong a pregnancy by even 1-2 days can make a difference in the infant's survival.

The first hour is crucial...where ever you are born prematurely. Doubt DCL or any other cruise line have the ability to stabilise a pre term infant!

 

[kcashner]

The first hour is crucial...where ever you are born prematurely. Doubt DCL or any other cruise line have the ability to stabilise a pre term infant!

My point exactly. I'm very pleased with the quality of the medical care I've seen on the ship. They are well equipped and the personnel are well qualified BUT we are all best at things we do on a regular basis.

I specialize in Maternal-Fetal medicine; I've done my rotations in the neonatal intensive care unit, have intubated premies, etc. BUT when I'm delivering a premie, I want the neonatologist there. I've got enough to do with taking care of mom, and the baby deserves the best training and experience available!

 

[Tneah]

Have you seen a picture of the Baby??? Uhm....that baby is not a premie. It's at least 38-40weeks old. No tubes or anything on it and the picture was taken right after the birth give or take several hours.

 

[kcashner]

Not trying to say that This baby is a premie; defending DCL's policy of not allowing pregnant women to cruise past 24 weeks.

This situation is ludicrous, but apparently Carnival doesn't have the same regs as DCL. If they did, the woman couldn't have cruised without having the needed documentation of how far along the pregnancy was...that would have required ultrasound dating which would have eliminated the "surprise" factor. That or some doc just measured her belly and wrote whatever on the form (yeah, there are sloppy people in every field!)

 

[Tneah]

Not trying to say that This baby is a premie; defending DCL's policy of not allowing pregnant women to cruise past 24 weeks.

This situation is ludicrous, but apparently Carnival doesn't have the same regs as DCL. If they did, the woman couldn't have cruised without having the needed documentation of how far along the pregnancy was...that would have required ultrasound dating which would have eliminated the "surprise" factor. That or some doc just measured her belly and wrote whatever on the form (yeah, there are sloppy people in every field!)

Kcashner, my comment wasn't directed at you. It was just a general statement I made regarding this topic. Sorry about that.

Carnival and Rccl do also have the 24 week rule. Some woman show and some women don't. But would you (Carnival or any cruiseline) stop a woman and question if she was pregnant or just fat? Sometimes it's hard to tell.
What if this woman was just heavy???? She would just be insulted and then be embarrassed if she wasn't pregnant. I'm guessing that this woman must have been pretty heavy to only suspect that she was just a few weeks pregnant.

Or she lied and didn't care or consider the consequences of her actions.

 

[mirandag819]

Ok she said she was afraid the baby was going to be stillborn? So obviously she realized she was in labor, yet she choose to sit on the toilet to deliver for 10 hours, and for her baby to fall into her stateroom toilet? Ummm if she cared at all she should have at least gone to the ship's doctor. What did she believe the old rumor that if you give birth on a plane you and the baby fly free for life.... did she think the same was true on cruise lines lol.... I mean if she knew she was in labor for 10 hours why didn't she attempt to get help? or the ship could have docked somewhere in that amount of time I would think.

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

Ok she said she was afraid the baby was going to be stillborn? So obviously she realized she was in labor, yet she choose to sit on the toilet to deliver for 10 hours, and for her baby to fall into her stateroom toilet? Ummm if she cared at all she should have at least gone to the ship's doctor. What did she believe the old rumor that if you give birth on a plane you and the baby fly free for life.... did she think the same was true on cruise lines lol.... I mean if she knew she was in labor for 10 hours why didn't she attempt to get help? or the ship could have docked somewhere in that amount of time I would think.

I agree- I thought that was odd..

...and the article said the baby was a 30 weeker? I had a 30 weeker and had been given steroid shots for his lung development for a week or so prior (we knew there was a strong chance he would be very early) and he still was in the NICU for 6 weeks (had trouble breathing, jaundice, brain bleeds, temp stablization, etc). And this was with a carefully monitored pregnancy.

Every pregnancy is different but I am in awe if this really was a 30 weeker and it didn't need major medical assistance.

 

[Tower]

Ok she said she was afraid the baby was going to be stillborn? So obviously she realized she was in labor, yet she choose to sit on the toilet to deliver for 10 hours, and for her baby to fall into her stateroom toilet?

I don't know the mom's actual citizen status, but she could also have been a nanny for one of the families travelling aboard. She was along for the ride and, only recently discovering she was pregnant, thought she had a lot of time.
The Philippines being a very poor country with only 20% employment would mean little in medical care as a precedent for a non-USA national. She was probably also afraid to lose her job because of this.
Only speculation on my part.

 

[clawmachine]

It is a developed world way of thinking that babies must be tracked at every stage of their fetal growth and then born in a hospital-like environment, but thousands of babies are born every day in many parts of the world without the benefit of those things...
As the PP said, if in fact this lady was more familiar with a different culture than ours in the U.S., it may have not seemed odd to her at all..

 

[tvguy]

The Discovery Health Channel show " I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" some how finds enough women who didn't know they were pregnant every week to fill a 30 minute show. Most deliver full term babies. So it certainly is more common that I would have ever throught.

 

[Maza]

Soryy...but i have been a Midwife for 20 years and have never bought into the whole 'i never knew i was pregnant' nonsense. I can understanding ,maybe , getting most of the way through...but by 28-30 weeks that sucker is moving! and if you dont think that is weird enough to see a doctor then you need your bumps felt as for going into labour...well...it hurts, and surely to heavens if you didnt know you where pregnant ,you would be freaked out by labour!
Concealed pregnancy, a whole different ball game. I have had the misfortune to deliver a few babies in A and E that where concealed...but thats more to do with social pressure/fear that actually not knowing your pregnant.
And was this baby 30 weeks...coz again...i have never known a 30 weeker that didnt need some special care, even if it is just help with temperature control or feeding. NEVER!
And whilst i am far from an advocate for the medicalisation of childbirth,and agree that it is very much a 'developed world' phenomonon that childbirth is a medical emergency, any woman stupid enough to labour for 10 hours then give birth down a toilet isnt responsible enough to be a parent.
Just my 2 pence worth

 

[Jennifer in MI]

Soryy...but i have been a Midwife for 20 years and have never bought into the whole 'i never knew i was pregnant' nonsense. I can understanding ,maybe , getting most of the way through...but by 28-30 weeks that sucker is moving! and if you dont think that is weird enough to see a doctor then you need your bumps felt as for going into labour...well...it hurts, and surely to heavens if you didnt know you where pregnant ,you would be freaked out by labour!
Concealed pregnancy, a whole different ball game. I have had the misfortune to deliver a few babies in A and E that where concealed...but thats more to do with social pressure/fear that actually not knowing your pregnant.
And was this baby 30 weeks...coz again...i have never known a 30 weeker that didnt need some special care, even if it is just help with temperature control or feeding. NEVER!
And whilst i am far from an advocate for the medicalisation of childbirth,and agree that it is very much a 'developed world' phenomonon that childbirth is a medical emergency, any woman stupid enough to labour for 10 hours then give birth down a toilet isnt responsible enough to be a parent.
Just my 2 pence worth

\
I used to think the same thing. Until my pregnancy with my dd. My placenta was anterior (right? In the front) and she just didn't move around much. I really had to be paying attention to her to feel it. Also, I didn't get very big! She was my fourth \. I would've thought I'd have been huge! But, people didn't even realize I was pregnant with her until I was 9 months/36 weeks along.

Anyway, I knew we were pregnant right away. But, I continued to have my cycle (light) for the first three months. So, I can see how it could happen.

 

[Alexander]

I understand, but don't agree with the arguments against the cruiseline rules for sailing while you're pregnant. If you have any type of health condition and decide to cruise, knowing that the best medical care is not going to be available, that is your choice. However, a pregnant woman would also be making that choice for another human being, and that is not fair.