Pregnancy Policy

[Mom_of_2_boys]

It was one week where I didn't have to get up, go to work, cook, clean, etc. etc. all while being exhausted. I felt so much better after that week on the ship.

 

This is SO what I'm looking forward to! Amen sister!!

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Absolutely NO ONE asked you for your opinion!!!!!

 

Your post was completely worded in a way that would make OP defensive/feel like she had to defend her decision...shame on YOU!

 

I SAID I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHEN I ASKED MY QUESTION THE FIRST TIME. SO BACK OFF!!

[sharktums]

Wow, some crazy stuff going on here!

 

I don't understand how you can say things like "why on Earth would you do that?"

 

Why on Earth would you get in a car, I bet that's about a million times more dangerous while pregnant than being on a cruise! Or if you're still working and stressed out, it's also probably better for you to go on a cruise while pregnant!

 

To the original poster, have fun, don't worry! As you can see many of us have cruised pregnant and our kids are just fine!

[Kerry's Girls]

I realize that Carnival's site says that they won't allow anyone who's in their 27th week of pregnancy on board, but I have a question ...

 

The last two cruises that I was on, I noticed more than a few pregnant women on board that looked like they were ready to pop those babies out.

 

Is the policy strictly enforced? What sort of "proof" do these women need to bring in order to still be allowed on the ship? Does Carnival just not pay attention to the bellies when these women are boarding?

 

A lot of questions, I know, but I'm very curious since I'll be 25 weeks along when I board the Liberty on 12/8/07.

 

I ddin't read all the posts here, since I can guess where this thread went - but I just wanted to answer the question about women you've seen on ships who look ready to pop - they may have been pregnant with twins (I know from experience!).

 

Best,

Mia

[TropicalSnowflake]

...pay attention to the exact dates, it is not just that you can't be 27 weeks at boarding, but, from my understanding, you can't be "in your 27th week" at any point on the cruise.

 

This is correct. We planned to cruise when I was pregnant and I was going to be exactly 27 weeks on the day we returned to port in the itinerary we really wanted. We called Celebrity ahead and they said NO. We chose to cruise a few weeks earlier to be "clear." and I had my doctor write a note on her letterhead for same reasons, to have her info handy. We faxed this to Celebrity a head of time.

 

Guess what! They Care!! When we got to our room the steward knew I was pregnant because he had it on my file. He congratulated me and paid me special attention because of my condition. Anything I asked for (extra pillows, for instance) was taken care of immediately and other nice touches (it could have been because of Celebrity, too...but I still think it was my condition). Our waiter told me that pregnant women were well taken care of in his village--the whole village doted on mommy during her special time--and he certainly did his best to live up to that reputation, as well.

 

Of course, by the time I got to the cruise, I barely looked pregnant at all (benefits of first pregnancies) and probably could have gotten away with no note at all. But I liked the "extra" attention from everyone.

[larronry]

Wow, some crazy stuff going on here!

 

I don't understand how you can say things like "why on Earth would you do that?"

 

Why on Earth would you get in a car, I bet that's about a million times more dangerous while pregnant than being on a cruise! Or if you're still working and stressed out, it's also probably better for you to go on a cruise while pregnant!

 

To the original poster, have fun, don't worry! As you can see many of us have cruised pregnant and our kids are just fine!

 

I for one am glad they allow pregnant women to cruise because I wouldn't have met the couple we are cruising with this time. I kept running into this woman and she was obviously pregnant and we talked in line to get of the ship at ports, or in the lounge before dinner, our while our husbands ate sushi, we even ran into each other in port. We have talked to each other almost every week since that cruise in October of 2004. She was 5 months pregnant and I was trying to get pregnant. We have vacation and cruised together since.

 

As for the above that I quoted I often wonder if I had cruised during my second trimester and had taken the time to relax and taken some time off of work and some time off the road and time away from driving from client to client maybe my blood pressure wouldn't have sky rocketed and maybe I wouldn't have spent the last 3 months of my pregnancy on bedrest. Maybe it would have happened anyway or maybe it would have been delayed but it was most obvious stress that caused my high blood pressure because whenever I layed down it dropped.

 

Go on the cruise, relax, get pampered, put your feet up, and enjoy.

[CC Help Michell]

What if something goes wrong? Chances are you'd be in a foreign country. Would they have adequate healthcare? The child would then be a citizen of that country if born there, not a U.S. citizen, right? How would you get the child back into the U.S.? You'd have thousands of people peeved because the ship has to make an unscheduled stop to let someone off. I don't know if I'd trust someone in some other country with something so important. It's not smart. Flame me or not, that is my opinion and I'm sticking with it.

 

Funnily enough, families of US military and diplomats actually do have children while stationed overseas, so it's not some whacko thing that "never" happens. The oldest of my younger brothers was born in Taipei, Taiwan. Amazingly enough, they let him back in the country along with the rest of us when my dad's tour was up. :)

 

The rest of this post is absolutely no different that would be the case for ANYONE taking a cruise on an international itinerary. ANY of us could have a medical condition/emergency crop up, which might involve a re-routing of the ship. It happens ALL the time -- helicopter evacuations, accidental injuries, heart attacks, strokes, etc. The cruiselines know how to deal with it, and so do travel insurance companies (I do recommend coverage for medical evacuation (hefty coverage -- $200,000 or so -- it can be breathtakingly expensive) for ANYONE taking a cruise, whether they have a "known" condition or not).

 

I won't flame you for voicing your concerns, but they are YOURS and your comfort level won't be the same as someone else's.

[rebeccalouise]

I had no idea in 2000 that cruise lines prohibited women from cruising after 27 weeks. I had a planned a large group cruise to Alaska long before I was pregnant. I had no intention of missing the cruise- even though I would be almost 7 months pregnant by the time of the cruise.

 

One week before the cruise, my brother in law noticed the max. week clause. I called Norwegian and they did allow me to sail with a doctor's note and a $ 250 insurance policy, which would cover the cost of being airlifted off in case of an emergency.

 

First day of the cruise (out at sea) they stopped the ship to airlift a pregnant woman off. That afternoon, after all was said and done, the people in the buffet line said "Oh, we thought it was you. When we heard someone was airlifted off". Because I looked 7 months pregnant (there was no way to disguise it.

 

Anyway, a woman in her first trimester did miscarry in Vancouver and she was airlifted off by herself. No family members were allowed to go with her.

 

I also traveled when I was five months pregnant with my first child with no ill effects.

 

But the first trimester is probably the worst time to travel. You will be alternately nausciated and sleepy. And most women do miscarry in the first trimester.

[larronry]

I have to say I wouldn't have wanted to cruise in my first trimester I was so exhausted anytime I sat down or stopped at a red light I fell asleep. And I couldn't keep any food down all day long. The ship would have thought I had Noro virus.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We went on a cruise when I was five months preggers. We figured it would be our last chance for a vacation for a while (turned out we waited until our girl was 23 months old before we did go somewhere...and it was a cruise, of course, for the three of us!)

 

I had checked things with my ob-gyn who was very enthusiastic about my going on a relaxing vacation like a cruise (he likes going on cruises too). I had two miscarriages just prior to this pregnancy, but I was told once I hit a certain time, there should be no problems -- and aside from a little heartburn late in the 9 months and some leg cramps, everything went great. Worked until a couple of weeks before the due date and didn't go into labor until the 41st week. And the only danger I encountered was from ditz gabbing on a cell phone who decided to make a double lane change at the same time I was trying to get on the 405 freeway after work.

 

In fact, isn't cruising a better choice than schlepping here and there going from one hotel or another? You even get away from cooking and cleaning for a while, and can put on a maternity swimsuit, without worries. My only problem was that I had a temporary crown, which didn't seem to want to stay on. My tablemates didn't even know I was pregnant until I mentioned it (turning down a glass of wine). There were several other moms-to-be onboard too. I don't know how far along the others were, but as others said, you just shouldn't assume.

 

I didn't have any morning sickness at all, but I heard that women in their 40s (I was 43 when I gave birth) usually don't feel sick during a pregnancy. Was the healthiest I ever was. And my girl was born with an APGAR of 9, with the followup score a 10.

 

As for that one person who seems to be "an expert" ("I asked a fricken question.. YOU are the one that's turning this into a bs fest. Take your ***** and give it a rest already."): Maybe you should take some ***** and stop passing judgement. How a pregnant woman spends her time is between she and her doctor!

[westboroatty]

Funnily enough, families of US military and diplomats actually do have children while stationed overseas, so it's not some whacko thing that "never" happens. The oldest of my younger brothers was born in Taipei, Taiwan. Amazingly enough, they let him back in the country along with the rest of us when my dad's tour was up. :)

 

 

Let me provide a small distraction from the current flamewar in the thread and put the above quoted concern to bed. I practice US immigraiton and nationality law for fun and profit. :) It helps fund my cruise habit. US diplomats, US military personnel, missionaries/religious workers, and members of the US expat community have children overseas all the time.

 

Birth abroad to TWO US citizen parents transmits US citizenship at birth. The paperwork that is required is to register the birth with the closest US Embassy/Consulate. The parents hand over the local birth record and evidence of the parents citizenship (usually their US passports). The consul issues a Report of a Birth Abroad of a US Citizen and a US passport to the kid.

 

Birth abroad to ONE US citizen parent and one non-citizen parent is a little murkier. There are residency requirements that must be met (currently, the US citizen parent must have resided in the US for five years, two of which must be after age 14) and either mom must be the US citizen, or if Dad is the US citizen, the child must be born in wedlock or otherwise "legitimated".

 

BTW, the child born abroad may also have a claim to the citizenship of wherever they were born, which leads me to a story about a friend of mine from college who had three passports: Canadian, US, and Swiss.

 

Finally, mere birth in the US is not sufficient to transmit citizenship. The 14th amendment states that one must be born in the US and subject to US law to acquire citizenship at birth. Foreign diplomats posted to the US and their spouses have diplomatic immunity and therefore are not subject to US law. Their children that are born in the USA are not US citizens. Anti immigrant groups want to expand the interpertation to include the US born children of illegal aliens, but we should probably samfe that flamewar for another board.

 

OK Back to the show.....

 

Rick

[Zukeeper4]

I'm glad all the CNM and certified (Non nurse) midwives had their say about normal pregnancy and cruise travel. Normal pregnancy is great until it's not normal anymore!

 

I am a registered nurse certified in high risk obstetrics. I work in a large high risk regional referral obstetrical unit. I care for many families who had "perfectly normal" pregnancies up until they show up on my unit!! We care for many women who develop all kinds of problems with their pregnancy health - their own or their unborn child. We deliver many babies at very early gestational ages including 23 - 28 weeks (someone made it sound like these rarely survive or would be only one of hundreds to survive :eek: you are very wrong - where did you get those stats???) Many of these babies would absolutely not survive if they were not born at a technologically advanced environment.

 

One post asked for evidence to suggest pregnant women should not cruise beyond a certain gestational age. Interestingly there is a discussion amongst cruise ship companies to change the limit of gestational age for pregnancy travel to the current established point of viability (23 weeks gestation).

 

Cruise ship doctors are the ones urging this change. They have produced many records of treatment of pregnant women for dehydration, nausea, vomiting, falls, ruling out bleeding, ruling out rupture of membranes and dealing with preterm contractions. The medical crew does not want to be responsible for a very fragile viable fetus in the middle of a cruise and I don't blame them!

 

The 27 - 28 week cutoff established was based on point of viabilty many many years ago. Viability now is 23 weeks. It is untrue for anyone to tell you that a baby under 27 or 28 weeks will most likely not survive!! We do it everyday. We live in a country blessed with great technology to care for these babies.

 

I believe that comments made by concerned posters/cruisers urging pregnant women to think twice before cruising and to seek out their own doctors advice is absolutely correct!!!

 

Our care providers (including certified nurse midwives), do not recommend travel to any areas of the country that put your or your baby's health in jeopardy at any gestation. After viability, they recommend that travel be limited to places where availability to adequate medical care is available. Again, at this time that is 23 weeks. Maybe that is a cruise, depending on where it's going, how far from shore etc.

 

I agree with the poster that said being in the middle of the ocean and airlifted off the ship could take HOURS. And then you may be looking at a rural hospital that lacks the training/equipment necessary to care for you. (Been there, seen them!! Hospital mission work was an eye opener) Would NOT want to be a patient in some of those hospitals for anything.

 

IMHO, why risk it?? If you baby is viable (23 weeks), pick a vacation that allows you to seek out and obtain adequate health care should a problem (however unexpected and unanticipated) arise.;)

 

***It will be interesting to see if the cruise lines decide to change the gestational age - won't it??

 

Stepping off the ol' soap box now,

Jan

[Baxter]

Let me provide a small distraction from the current flamewar in the thread and put the above quoted concern to bed. I practice US immigraiton and nationality law for fun and profit. :) It helps fund my cruise habit. US diplomats, US military personnel, missionaries/religious workers, and members of the US expat community have children overseas all the time.

 

Birth abroad to TWO US citizen parents transmits US citizenship at birth. The paperwork that is required is to register the birth with the closest US Embassy/Consulate. The parents hand over the local birth record and evidence of the parents citizenship (usually their US passports). The consul issues a Report of a Birth Abroad of a US Citizen and a US passport to the kid.

 

Birth abroad to ONE US citizen parent and one non-citizen parent is a little murkier. There are residency requirements that must be met (currently, the US citizen parent must have resided in the US for five years, two of which must be after age 14) and either mom must be the US citizen, or if Dad is the US citizen, the child must be born in wedlock or otherwise "legitimated".

 

BTW, the child born abroad may also have a claim to the citizenship of wherever they were born, which leads me to a story about a friend of mine from college who had three passports: Canadian, US, and Swiss.

 

Finally, mere birth in the US is not sufficient to transmit citizenship. The 14th amendment states that one must be born in the US and subject to US law to acquire citizenship at birth. Foreign diplomats posted to the US and their spouses have diplomatic immunity and therefore are not subject to US law. Their children that are born in the USA are not US citizens. Anti immigrant groups want to expand the interpertation to include the US born children of illegal aliens, but we should probably samfe that flamewar for another board.

 

OK Back to the show.....

 

Rick

 

 

Thanks for sharing your knowledge...I found that very interesting (even as a Canadian).

 

That's why I love this board...I learn so much!

[chelle74]

I went on my first cruise while 15 weeks pregnant... nobody asked for any sort of documentation, though I brought a doctor's release form along with me. I had a great time, too... snorkeling, swimming, even climbed Dunn's River Falls. The extra attention from the staff and the guides on the tours was very nice! :) I highly recommend cruising while pregnant!

 

Oh, and for those who are unaware, pregnancy is a completely normal, natural state... it's not a disease or disability.

 

Have a wonderful time!

[sas80]

I went on my first cruise while 15 weeks pregnant... nobody asked for any sort of documentation, though I brought a doctor's release form along with me. I had a great time, too... snorkeling, swimming, even climbed Dunn's River Falls. The extra attention from the staff and the guides on the tours was very nice! :) I highly recommend cruising while pregnant!

 

Oh, and for those who are unaware, pregnancy is a completely normal, natural state... it's not a disease or disability.

 

Have a wonderful time!

 

I was 21 weeks pregnant when I cruised. For some reason all I wanted to do was float in the water. I didn't have a backache, didn't feel particularly large, heavy or encumbered but it was a drive I could feel within me....I wanted to float. I wanted to be in the water.

 

Once I was in the water, floating, snorkeling, swimming, etc., it was heaven!

[lovesublime]

Let me provide a small distraction from the current flamewar in the thread and put the above quoted concern to bed. I practice US immigraiton and nationality law for fun and profit. :) It helps fund my cruise habit. US diplomats, US military personnel, missionaries/religious workers, and members of the US expat community have children overseas all the time.

 

Birth abroad to TWO US citizen parents transmits US citizenship at birth. The paperwork that is required is to register the birth with the closest US Embassy/Consulate. The parents hand over the local birth record and evidence of the parents citizenship (usually their US passports). The consul issues a Report of a Birth Abroad of a US Citizen and a US passport to the kid.

 

Birth abroad to ONE US citizen parent and one non-citizen parent is a little murkier. There are residency requirements that must be met (currently, the US citizen parent must have resided in the US for five years, two of which must be after age 14) and either mom must be the US citizen, or if Dad is the US citizen, the child must be born in wedlock or otherwise "legitimated".

 

BTW, the child born abroad may also have a claim to the citizenship of wherever they were born, which leads me to a story about a friend of mine from college who had three passports: Canadian, US, and Swiss.

 

Finally, mere birth in the US is not sufficient to transmit citizenship. The 14th amendment states that one must be born in the US and subject to US law to acquire citizenship at birth. Foreign diplomats posted to the US and their spouses have diplomatic immunity and therefore are not subject to US law. Their children that are born in the USA are not US citizens. Anti immigrant groups want to expand the interpertation to include the US born children of illegal aliens, but we should probably samfe that flamewar for another board.

 

OK Back to the show.....

 

Rick

 

You're absolutely right. My son was born in Germany and we were issued a Report of Birth Aboard of a US citizen. We obtained a US passport throught the US Consulate. As far as US citizens obtaining dual citizenship of sorts-I thought US citizens who do that lose their US citizenship. Do you know if that's true or not?

 

Just my two cents on pregnancy and cruising. Why not? As long as a woman isn't having complications. Pregnancy is not a disease as someone stated. However, personally- I would be a little nervous being 23 weeks pregnant and being out in the middle of the ocean or no where near quality medical facilities. So I probably wouldn't cruise, but that's me.

[J Mack]

We just returned from a short cruise and I'm 22 weeks pregnant. My PVP told me to get a note from my doctor, but nobody ever asked for it and I'm HUGE already. I agree that with all the pudgy women, they don't want to offend anyone by asking point-blank (there were a few at the pool who made me feel much more comfortable in my bathing suit, baby bump and all!)

 

I'm glad I had the letter from my doctor, just in case though.

 

I'm so glad that we got away for a little vacation before our newest arrival comes. Of course, I'll be more glad tomorrow when we're unpacked and the laundry is caught up and we have a long weekend to recover from our vacation. My doctor thought that taking a vacation was a great idea and said she wished that everyone was able to travel (assuming healthy pregnancies, of course). I'll admit, I did get a little worried about "what if something bad happens", but I'm pregnant and hormonal and I think that even when I'm driving to work ;)

 

I hope you have a great vacation and enjoy every moment of peace and relaxation you can get!

[xcarebearxoxo]

to the op:

i just got off the liberty two weeks ago and i was 26 weeks when i went..

carnival knew in advance that i was and my dr wrote a presciption stating how many weeks and his number.it was a great time to travel because i wasnt puking and i wasnt tired and no wobbling around lol so it was easy to walk around the ship and differnt ports. this is my second pregnancy and my dr felt i was in no risk of going in labor, trust me you will sleep great in those beds

i felt great and relaxed, and my hubby gained more weight then me. during the muster drill they let me sit, they even let us check in vip at embarking. the airlines never asked for a paper from me but a few weeks ago it was questionable if i was fat or preggo lol dont u love that

carnival did not allow me to go to the gym and naturally no hot tub but everything else was fine.

some tips in the back of the ship by the pizza is a pool noone goes in and its great because you can go in and just relax. there are alot of stairs on the lideo deck near the pool and go to dinner as soon as it opens so you dont have to stand in line.

the staff on the liberty is great and they will accomidate you(they had friut ready for me everynight at dinner)and just think your child will already be hooked on cruising

[rebeccalouise]

sometimes you can't tell but believe me I looked like I had swollowed a beach ball by the time I was seven months pregnant. The rest of me looked normal size but my stomach was really big and round- there was no disguising it. This was in early July of 2000 and I delivered on September 2 (less than two months later). I had the best time on that cruise. The cute cabin stewards would say good morning and one said "You are a very strong woman"- which I took as a compliment by the way he said it. I relaxed, was pampered and swam alot! It was a great getaway before all the sleepless nights!

[westboroatty]

You're absolutely right. My son was born in Germany and we were issued a Report of Birth Aboard of a US citizen. We obtained a US passport throught the US Consulate. As far as US citizens obtaining dual citizenship of sorts-I thought US citizens who do that lose their US citizenship. Do you know if that's true or not?

 

 

Getting rid of US citizenship is like getting rid of a tatoo. It is difficult and painful. US citizenship statutes and the case law interperting them place a heavy bias against loss of citizenship. The only sure way to do it is to go to a US consulate overseas and renounce your citizenship. The consul will try to talk people out of this.

 

Citizenship law is a question of domestic law. US law extends citizenship to the children of US citizens born anywhere and anybody born in the US and subject to its laws. Ireland and Italy extend citizenship to the grandchildren of its native sons & daughters. If one of your grandparents were born in Ireland or Italy, you have a claim to Irish or Italian (EU) citizenship. Some counties sell their citizenship. Just google second passport to learn all about it.

 

My family is from Ireland. Suppose my grandfather was born in Ireland, and I applied for and received Irish citizenship, the US wouldn't care. The US considers me its citizen (and still wants a tax return from me) by virture of my birth. Ireland may consider me its citizen by virture of my heratige.

 

Rick

[katyf]

i went on a cruise when i was about 4.5 months along. it wasn't really an issue. there were actually tons of pregnant women on board.

 

As others have said, you have to get a note from your doctor stating your EDD and that you are medically fit to travel. I was on NCL and they had me fax this letter in in advance.

 

My doctor also had me carry onboard a copy of my medical records, just in case i needed to seek medical attention, they would know my history.

 

DH and I also made sure to purchase travel insurance just in case something did go wrong and either a) i couldn't go b/c of last minute issues; or b) i had to be removed from the flight for some reason.

 

i'm sure you'll be fine! and don't worry...just be smart. honestly i worry more about bringing my one year old daughter on a cruise (but i still do it). you can't live your life afraid of everything.

[calikak]

Before I had a preemie at 27 weeks, I would have never thought twice about traveling while pregnant. In fact, I went on a business trip (a day trip, but by plane) three days before my water broke. And I had been cleared by my doctor and was having a perfectly normal, healthy pregnancy, right up to the moment when my water broke at 26 weeks 6 days. I am really really glad that my water didn't break on that business trip, or my son might have been born and spent 2 months in a hospital in Utah instead of in Seattle, where I live. I know I'm the worst-case scenerio, but it's something to think about in making your vacation plans. If you feel comfortable with the risk, then go for it.

 

This will sound really sick, but I think the cruise lines' policies about how far into your pregnancy you can cruise are based on the likelihood that the baby will survive. Like, at 20 weeks, the odds of a preemie surviving are slim to none, so if you went into labor at 20 weeks and had to deliver on the ship, it wouldn't be the cruise line's fault if their medical facility was unable to save the baby, because the baby probably wasn't going to live anyway. I think it's totally a liability-based system. Whereas my 27 weeker is doing perfectly fine, because he got great specialty medical care when he was born, so had he been born on a cruise ship but then suffered complications, the cruise line figures I'd sue them and say they didn't offer adequate medical care or something. So the more likely the baby is to survive, the less they want you on the ship, because if something does go wrong, they could get sued. At least, that's what I think is going on. Policies like that are usually driven by lawyers and the fear of lawsuits (not to be badmouthing lawyers, because I am one!:D).

[sailinglisa]

Princess has recently changed their policy to say that you cannot cruise if you enter the 24th week of your pregnancy while on the cruise. It is totally a liability issue as at 24 weeks many preemies can survive with the right medical care. And I would never say never. Many women have perfectly normal pregnancies until something happens.......like calikak. Do you really want to take that chance, however small?

[sas80]

Princess has recently changed their policy to say that you cannot cruise if you enter the 24th week of your pregnancy while on the cruise. It is totally a liability issue as at 24 weeks many preemies can survive with the right medical care. And I would never say never. Many women have perfectly normal pregnancies until something happens.......like calikak. Do you really want to take that chance, however small?

 

Yes! As a matter of fact, I will be taking that chance in late January AND THEN AGAIN in early April!

[calikak]

Just wanted to add, I think it's up to the individual person to decide if they feel that taking the risk is justified. I realized my post might have come off sounding preachy, and I didn't mean to be--I really believe women should make their own choices about whether it's safe to travel. I just wanted to give my perspective based on my experience.