[name_m]Hi[/name_m] all! We’re probably TTC our first in [name_f]May[/name_f]/[name_u]June[/name_u] this year, and my husband sprang on me recently that he really wants to go on a holiday before we do, ‘because we won’t be able to for a long time’. We live in Australia & both of us are very into roadtrips & domestic travel (and there’s lots to see here) but we’ve only ever been overseas together once, for our honeymoon. It’s the only time I’ve ever left the country.
I’m interested, but we’re not wanting to spend too much money so looking at cheaper deals - which for us, mostly apply to south-east [name_f]Asia[/name_f] and south [name_m]Pacific[/name_m] Island destinations. I would so love to explore any of those, but we’re probably looking at [name_u]July[/name_u], so if we are lucky enough to get pregnant right away, I could potentially be in my first trimester then. I’m very wary of travelling in a country where the culture & food is so different, we don’t speak the language, and medical care is not as accessible - while in the early stages of pregnancy. I’d do it if it was just me and my husband - not sure about an unborn child.
So I thought about a cruise instead. Neither of us have ever been on a cruise, and we’d be able to explore the [name_m]Pacific[/name_m] Islands while on an Australian ship, with doctors on board, Westernized food, and in our native language. I’m finding the idea much less stressful.
Have any of you ever been on a cruise? While pregnant? [name_m]How[/name_m] does seasickness & morning sickness act together? What advice would you give?
Note: I’m fully aware that there’s a big chance I won’t get pregnant straight away, and this worrying is unnecessary. But… it could happen.
I wasn’t pregnant when we went on our cruise, but I think it would make for a great baby moon! If you’re going early at least. I know a lot of cruise lines won’t let you go past a certain point when you’re pregnant, probably just because if you were to go into labor they’re not really equipped to handle that well. But I would think first trimester would be fine? I didn’t get seasick at all on mine though, and I also didn’t have any morning sickness in my first trimester, so if you’re susceptible to either it might be bad. But they’re really nice because you can make it as active or relaxed as you’d like, if that makes sense. I was very exhausted during my first trimester, so I probably wouldn’t have been up for any of the super active excursions that they offer for shore days, but I could’ve handled getting off the boat and hitting the beach or walking around the cities we stopped in.
I would go for it! You’re right, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be pregnant at that point anyway, and even if you are, I’m sure you could work out any issues you had! We had a blast on our cruise. We would probably be thinking about doing another over the summer, but I’ll be too pregnant!!
Thankyou so much @shalexis! I know there are seasickness tablets that are very popular, but I’m not sure if you can take them while pregnant. I’m susceptible to carsickness, which is why I’m thinking about it so much.
Another part of the reason we’re so keen on a cruise is that [name_u]July[/name_u] is our mid-winter, and even though it will be cold (and potentially rainy) I think we’ll be able to enjoy an island holiday more if we only have one day at each place and stay the night on the ship where it’s warmer. [name_u]July[/name_u] is bad timing for the holidays we’re into, but it does make it cheaper which is nice. A summer cruise for us in [name_u]December[/name_u] or [name_u]January[/name_u] is sooo expensive and very crowded!
Thanks @tilelli - I do want to hear honest opinions. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think your first pregnancy would have been different if you were in a cold climate? It will be our winter after all…
Each pregnancy is different of course, but the problem is you can’t know in advance… [name_m]Just[/name_m] going off of my experience, a cruise ship in any of the first 20 weeks of pregnancy would have been honestly hellish for me. I had very bad morning (but really all day) sickness up to that point, and though some doctors do feel comfortable giving anti-nausea medication during pregnancy, mine did not, and I generally tried to steer on the side of as little medication as possible, so I didn’t seek a second opinion on that.
I also found I had very, very little energy during my first trimester. [name_m]Just[/name_m] getting off of the couch was a challenge, so it wouldn’t have been a very nice time to sightsee for me.
That said, I do know some women who have happily traveled during their pregnancies, but for me the whole “babymoon” idea is a bit mystifying as I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] traveling, but those nine months were probably the worst for traveling–even worse than after the baby arrived, in my opinion.
On a more positive note, how lovely that your husband wants to make a special time for you as a couple before you expand your family. Would your schedule allow you to travel pre-TTC?
If not, if you’re able to put off the planning/booking until after you are pregnant, maybe it will turn out that you are one of the lucky ones who feels GREAT during pregnancy, in which case a cruise might be just fine for you.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] thought I’d put in my 2 cents, since in retrospect I was unprepared for how bad I would feel during a totally “easy” (medically normal) pregnancy! Best wishes to you!
In theory it sounds really nice, but reality could be very different. I have personally experienced four first trimesters and have been on my fair share of cruises… You could not pay me to combine the two! With all four of my kids I have been sick from about week 5-17. Food smells/sensitivities and motion are a couple of my triggers and those are in abundance on a cruise! And the previous poster had a good point bringing up the possibility of complications. Again, a cruise sounds wonderful, I would just recommend going before TTC. Or, if you are pregnant, going someplace on solid ground that you have some more control over the situation. [name_m]Just[/name_m] my opinion… Whatever you decide, I wish you lots of luck!
I was pregnant when we went on our honeymoon cruise. I get sea sick on cruises, so my doctor told me that I could take motion sickness medicine. That, combined with the cooler weather (we took an [name_u]August[/name_u] cruise through the British Isles which was much cooler than the summer heat in [name_f]Florida[/name_f]), actually made the cruise the best part of my first trimester!
Thanks everyone! Lots of good advice here. I’m still not entirely sure what to do, but I think we’ll book a short cruise and maybe TTC a little later. See how we go!