Have you been on a cruise while pregnant?

[Chirpy]

My family is going on a cruise next month -- it's a last 'hurrah' before our kids are not available for family vacations. My oldest son and his wife are expecting their second child... she will be 4 months pregnant while on the cruise.

My husband has been working on this cruise for 10 years and it is really important to us that our whole family does this together.

She decided yesterday that she does not want to go because she's been having some morning sickness (no throwing up just a lot of nauseousness) and is sure that going on the cruise will hurt or kill their unborn baby! She's afraid that she will get sicker and that will be detrimental to the health of her baby.

Anyone here been on a cruise while pregnant or know of someone else that has done so and hasn't had problems?


If she doesn't go then she doesn't want our son to go either even though she could stay with her family while we were gone. He really wants to go badly but understands that she is his first priority as family now.

Any helpful thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks ---

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

is sure that going on the cruise will hurt or kill their unborn baby!

There you go.

I firmly believe that the mother-to-be knows best.


(I have been on a cruise while not pregnant, and have flown to other countries while pregnant.)

 

[newfoundland]

I can't think of anything worse if she feels sick. Can you imagine how horrible that would be what with the motion of the ship? If she fears for her baby then she should not go. Whether your son goes or not is between them. Would he be able to enjoy it if he was concerned about his wife anyway? I know I would be bitterly disappointed in my son if he chose to go on holiday without his wife under these circumstances. No cruise, however long planned is worth damaging the relationship between yourselves and your daughter-in-law, who has a perfectly valid reason for bowing out. Worse still, it could cause trouble between the young couple and that would be awful.

 

[Mattemma]

She should not go if that is her choice,but she should encourage your son to go.


Given the recent mess up with that one ship.Days of overflowing toilets and also the ocassional food poisoning..... I would not go even if I was not pregnant,lol.

 

[cassie]

She is pregnant. She is not a delicate flower. She shouldn't expect to be treated like one. The cruise isn't going to hurt her or the baby. If she goes on the cruise and miscarries, it won't be the cruise that caused it. If she is concerned about seasickness, have her pack some gingerroot. That is what the old time sailors used to take for motion sickness. I saw a segment of Mythbusters and they found the gingerroot worked better than the stuff you get at the drug store for seasickness. If she really doesn't want to go, she shouldn't go. But I can tell you this. I regret far more the things I didn't do than the things I did.

 

[Godsgrl]

My dh and I cruised in 2010. I wasn't pregnant, but it wouldn't have bothered me if I was. You really can't feel the ship movement, at least I didn't. The only drawback I could see would be abstaining from alcohol. If a catastrophe like the recent one happened with the ship, I would assume expecting women would be given special attention. What does her OB say about her going on this vacation? If she doesn't go now, it may be years before she gets another chance. Our cruise was our first vacation without kids, and it was a 20th anniversary gift. I hope it all works out for you.

 

[redhen]

Shes a VERY selfish person to not want your son to go even if she doesnt want to go.. IMO. There is no reason to not go on a cruise at all.. the ships are so huge you barely feel the ship move..and its very rare to get sick on them. There are also sections/cabins on the ships where (if you are SUPER prone to motion sickness), that are better to be in. Call the cruise and ask them which rooms are better for motion sickness people, and then ask for a cabin transfer for her. I'm probably mistaken, but i think the middle section of the ships may get get less motion while moving.. so you'd want a cabin in the middle of the ship *just call cruise and ask them..* Also, a room with a balcony/window may help with the motion sickness...
What shame shes going to ruin this for your family..

 

[cafarmgirl]

To be honest, I totally understand where she's coming from. When I was pregnant with my second one I had terrible nausea, no vomiting but I just felt like I had the flu all the time. I was tired and felt sick all the time, the last thing in the world I would have wanted to do would have been to have to pack up and go on an extended vacation. So I get it. If she doesn't want to go and it worries her, fine, I wouldn't make a big deal out of it or pressure her. It's silly to let the thought of her staying home ruin it for everybody else, everyone else can still go and have a good time. I do think it would be nice if she would encourage her husband to go however.

 

[ntink17]

Coming from someone with three pregnancies where I was nauseous from the time I woke up til I went to bed, to me it's completely understandable that a vacation at this time would not be enjoyable or fun or relaxing, in fact, it sounds pretty bad. Plus there is always that fear of what if something goes wrong... you aren't at home or near your doctor. And she's not being a "baby" for being worried. Bad things do happen, coming from a family with a pefectly healthy 8 lb infant died that in childbirth four years ago and twins that were born at barely two pounds and survived & are completely fine. Absolutely disappointing for the family I can understand, but in the end no one will have fun when they are worried about someone feeling icky the whole time.

 

[UrbanChickenSF]

I've been on a lot of cruises and I can't recall anywhere I actually was aware of the movement of the ship. Perhaps if she is out of her first trimester her nausea is diminished. I've seen a lot of pregnant women on cruises and they seem to all be having a great time. If I were pregnant, I would love the opportunity to go on a cruise before my baby is born. It would be one last blast of freedom!