Traveling to the Carribbean while pregnant - reality check

[Anonymous]

I did it (St Martin) at 32 week and it was marvelous. A really nice break just before chaos starts.

I just went to my obgyn the week before to check that all was fine and got a lot of suntan lotion for my big belly!

Go and enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just went to Puerto Rico at 32 weeks and it was great, once I got over my self-consciousness in a bathing suit Assuming your pregnancy is healthy up until that point, the odds of delivering at 27 weeks are very very slim.

At any time in your life, you could break your leg, have a brain aneurysm, get hit by a bus, etc. and require emergency medical treatment. If I lived my life worrying about all of these things, I would stay home all the time. As long as your doctor is on board (which I'm sure s/he will be if all is good up until then) I say get out and do it--who knows when you'll have the chance again?

Only reason I would not go is if you are the type of person who will stress so much while you are there that it will make your family CRAZY. (And you know who you are.....)

Yes, yes, yes! I'm 27 weeks now and I would go there in a heartbeat. Being pregnant is not a disability, nor a reason to live life in a bubble.

[Anonymous]

I have a slightly different perspective because I went into labor a 32 wks, but I also understand that is a rarity. GO! In my experience (my husband and I used to go on fairly frequent tropical getaways), if you don't go before the baby you may not do it for many, many years after. And what a generous gift, by the way, great family!

[Anonymous]

Totally go! We went to london at 26 weeks with the blessing of my ob. Her one admonition was to schedule some downtime and not plan on spending entire days traipsing around sightseeing, but that's not as much of an issue in the Carribbean. Go, float, enjoy.

[Anonymous]

I totally agree with those who say do it. We did our "babymoon" in St. John (one of the US Virgin Islands) when I was 30 weeks and it was fantastic. I cleared it with my doctor and took my records just in case something happened but I felt totally safe the whole time and had a really wonderful relaxing time (perhaps the last relaxation I'll have for a long while!)

[Anonymous]

I did Brazil at 25 weeks and had no issues. I would definitely do it again.

Like PPs suggested, get some travel insurance/medical insurance just in case. Otherwise, go for it.

[Anonymous]

I am the PP who had the baby in the NICU while traveling...I wish I could tell you to go without reservation but I saw too many babies in the NICU born to parents that had no idea why or what caused their early labor. The emotional and financial stress is hard to describe. Good Luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Yes. Go.

[Anonymous]

I did Grand Cayman at 6 mos (don't remember weeks...had trouble keeping track of it when I was pregnant too!) I asked OB, who said it was fine and a good idea. I didn't do anything special except really relax and enjoy myself. We had a great time and are so glad we did it. As for bathing suits, I wore my old bikinis without shame. My husband loved how my boobs filled out the bikini in a way they never did before and I got over the feeling that I looked like a whale!

Have a great time.

[Anonymous]

We went to Hawaii at about that time with the first pregnancy and it was great!! The only issue is that I couldn't do some of the more demanding hikes or go to the top of the volcano. I've been to Turks & Caicos recently, and it's more of a sit and relax sort of place than Hawaii, so it should be great. When I tried to go back to Hawaii again at about the same time in a subsequent pregnancy, the OB nixed it even though I always carry to term. His rationale was that I have very quick labors and there would be no time to get a plane down or get to a place with a NICU in time, whereas with most first labors there would have been time.

[Anonymous]

I went to Rome at 32 weeks, and it was great. I think your timing is very good -- likely you'll be in that happy second trimester phase, where you look pregnant, and not just like you've gained a bit of weight. Nausea should have cleared up if you have any. Your energy levels should still be pretty high (mine have just tanked at 34 weeks and I'm back to constant sleepiness of the first trimester, but before that, I had plenty of energy). And, while it is possible to go into early labor at that stage, it's super unlikely.

You might want to get trip insurance in case you have to cancel (although be aware that most hotels will let you cancel until 24 hours prior, and as for airlines, you're usually only out $100-$150/ticket, so sometimes the cost of insurance isn't really worth it). Also medical coverage in case you're insurance wouldn't cover things while you're in another country, or, if you're really nervous, so that you can be flown out to an American hospital (if there's time or when things are stable enough). Take medical records and make sure you know where the best nearby hospital is.

[Anonymous]

Unless you are having a high risk pregnancy then go ahead.

[Anonymous]

It depends on your comfort level. Odds are everything will be fine and you will have a great time, but there is a small chance that you can have some kind of complication (pregnancy related), including early labor and even if you have medical coverage, would you be ok dealing with doctors over there? Or having to stay 6 + weeks while your baby is in a NICU if you deliver early?

I went to Florida at 27 weeks and had a great time, but I must confess and I was a little bit concerned...

[Anonymous]

I don't know. I went to Africa at 20 weeks but I've had two early labors so I would hesitate at 27 weeks.

[Anonymous]

I went to St. Maarten at 28 weeks and loved it. But how far along are you now? If you haven't told family yet, I'm guessing this trip is a few months away. If I were you, I'd plan on going but stall for as long as possible on a definite commitment.