Thread: Cruising pregnant

My older sister and her husband celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary with their son on a Disney cruise (don't know the ship or itinerary) last month. Right after Memorial Day, she called me just to say she is 10 weeks pregnant with twins. In other words, she cruised pregnant without knowing it. Has anyone else done this? I know women who know they are pregnant need written permission from their doctors to go on cruises, so I wondered if that is bad for her babies.

Cruising itself shouldn't have a negative effect on the babies.

The major concern is for the emergency that might occur for the pregnant mother to be. Ships are not equipped to handle those kind of emergencies and that is why they have the requirement for a letter from the OB that she is healthy enough to cruise. The cruiselines also limit how far along in the pregnancy that they will allow a mother to be to sail.

And unless you are using extremely reliable forms of birth control, you can be pregnant for a few weeks without knowing it. During the first few months, a woman is at the highest risk for miscarriage. I've had two of those (that I know of -- sometimes you don't always know that too) and my gyno assured me that once it starts, there's nothing you can do to stop one. The after care for that is to get a special two-part blood test and then try not to obsess on it, unless you have several instances.

The only other thing is if you're actively working on getting pregnant is to quit drinking and caffeine, pre-conception. Also good is to get your husband on board with quitting bad habits such as smoking, according to one book I've read (it can sometimes affect those little swimmers in a bad way).

But being on a cruise isn't harmful in itself to a fetus. In fact, when I asked my ob-gyn about going on a cruise in my second trisemester, he was all . That's the best time: you're past the danger time for miscarriage and most likely won't go into labor. You just have to avoid certain seafood and soft cheeses and drink lots of water. Keep exercising (walking is best) and anything else the doctor wants you to do (or not do) on land. There's maternity swimsuits and even nice outfits for formal nights.

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

My older sister and her husband celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary with their son on a Disney cruise (don't know the ship or itinerary) last month. Right after Memorial Day, she called me just to say she is 10 weeks pregnant with twins. In other words, she cruised pregnant without knowing it. Has anyone else done this? I know women who know they are pregnant need written permission from their doctors to go on cruises, so I wondered if that is bad for her babies.

Below is Disney Cruise Lines Pregnancy Policy. Your sister was fine as she is 10 weeks pregnant. Some cruise lines such as Carnival would have required her to submit a letter from her attending physician if she was 25 weeks or less, certifying that her gestational status is in accordance with this policy, and she was fit to sail.
It's not bad for her babies, Char gave an excellent explanation of why the cruiselines have those policies.

Q. Can I sail if I am pregnant?

A. Women who have entered their 24th week of pregnancy as of their embarkation date will be refused passage due to safety concerns. Neither a physician's medical statement nor a waiver of liability will be accepted. In addition, Disney Cruise Line cannot be held responsible or liable for any complications relating to pregnancy at any stage.

Looks like it could have been bad because she sailed when there is a high miscarriage risk. If that is true, especially considering she drinks wine and coffee, I have to consider her lucky. But it is great to know cruising itself did not hurt the babies.

Andrea, I'd say her risk of something happening while being on a cruise was no greater than being on land. There are probably many people out there that have no idea they may have a medical condition when they were on a cruise since it's not mandatory to get a complete physical prior to sailing.

Most women I know who became pregnant also drank coffee and wine before they knew they were pregnant. Some of them even drank beer and other liquor before knowing. Not everyone who is pregnant planned it.

I was 3 mos pregnant on our first cruise on Carnival's Mardi Gras and never had a care in the world about it...that was 25 years ago and I think things have changed a bit since then but at that time the only thing that happened to me was trying to decide if it was morning sickness or sea sickness.

When I became pregnant, my mother gave me the baby book that she used as a reference (and noted down our milestones in the notes section). One can tell this book wasn't written after the 60s (it was published in the 50s) as there's references to drinking alcohol and smoking in moderation while preggers.

I imagine your sister's OB-GYN has reassured her that the baby is okay. Most women don't have high-risk pregnancies (and considering that I was in my 40s while pregnant, and my doctor wasn't worried about me at all).

Originally Posted by cruisin' chick

When I became pregnant, my mother gave me the baby book that she used as a reference (and noted down our milestones in the notes section). One can tell this book wasn't written after the 60s (it was published in the 50s) as there's references to drinking alcohol and smoking in moderation while preggers.

I imagine your sister's OB-GYN has reassured her that the baby is okay. Most women don't have high-risk pregnancies (and considering that I was in my 40s while pregnant, and my doctor wasn't worried about me at all).

Cruising, this one is a high-risk pregnancy (according to my mom) because 37 is considered "old" and she is carrying twins. But so far, so good, and she is 11-12 weeks along now.

Unless you cruise in an area known for bad weather, cruising is probably less dangerous than flying for a pregnant woman. You don't experience any change in air pressure, and the food is better.

In fact, not having to clean or cook for several days in a row might be excellent for her.