Pregnant on a cruise

[ncfd32]

My DH and I are sailing on the Liberty March 21. I will be in my 21-22 week during the cruise. There is NO WAY I could hide this pregnancy. I know all women carry differently but gambling that you can sneak by could be a costly mistake. My midwife wrote a note and we faxed it to RCI. The info they want on the note is rather specific and most OB/Midwives have a preprinted form that they use. Even if the OB were to fudge the note, they have to keep a copy of everything they give you in your medical file. They chances that they will do that is slim.

 

I have worked in Labor and Delivery for years. While most pregnancies are 'boring', they can become 'exciting' very fast. Since your baby will reach viability during the cruise, it is a bad idea. Chances are she would be fine but the consequences are very high if she were to deliver early.

 

RC has a special needs department. I am sure they will work with you if you call and explain your situation beforehand. They might be less likely to be sympathetic if you try and 'sneak' onboard and are caught.

[skiiergirl]

It has been many years ago...but on one of our sailings a lady did give birth....to twins. Mr. Ski being a numbers guy likes to tell folks we were "net plus one" on that cruise as we had an elderly gentleman die and then the lady had twins. I don't know how far along she was or what the pregnancy policy was back then.

[mamaofami]

Since the OP hasn't come back to post, my guess is they are going inspite all these warnings. I hope not and hope he comes back and tells us he's called RCLL special needs department and explained what happened.

[jerin]

I cruised at 22-23 weeks with my youngest. I had a doctor's note stating my edd and the fact that I was healthy and cleared for travel. We had a great time. I even went snorkeling in St. Thomas. I am about 94 lb. when not pregnant, so I looked more pregnant than I was. Other than at embarkation, nobody asked to see documentation or hassled me about it. This was on Celebrity Galaxy on October of 04, I believe the cutoff was 25 or 26 weeks.

 

In spite of no previous indications, I went into labor at 25 weeks, exactly 2 weeks after returning. I was glad to be at home and not on a cruise ship then (we got the labor stopped and I was on bedrest until almost 39 weeks, when I delivered my now-5 year old).

[StaceyCT]

She is in awesome shape and NO complications. OB has already told us multiple times it's going to be a boring pregnancy. And she isnt showing that much.

 

thanks for your concern.

 

Yeah, I had no complications until my water broke six weeks early. After 18 days in the NICU, my baby came home quite healthy. Had be been born 16 weeks early on a ship far from a good NICU, the outcome probably would have been quite different.

 

The odds that your wife will go into labor on this cruise are low, but the decision is one of life and death. Please don't go. You would never forgive yourself.

[LovesCruising]

mamaofami, I think you are correct.

 

OP - please let us know how you made out after 3/13. Good wishes.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Ugh, I hope this thread wasn't even serious and perhaps just another troll to get us all excited.

 

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[adonisr]

No we can't....it's next week and we just found out when we got our cruise docs. We didn't know we thought it was just like flying.

 

You've known for 20 or so weeks, but never thought to check the rules on pregnancy until the week of the cruise? Seriously? And now you'll ask your OB to "fudge" a note? Seriously?

 

I'll go out on a limb here and guess you are also the same people who if something terrible were to happen with the pregnancy while on the ship - you'll be on the phone with a lawyer prepping a lawsuit to sue RCCL for failing to enforce the rules and the OB for fudging the note.

[JLC@SD]

Wife will be 23-24 weeks pregnant on our cruise, Has anyone had problems with the cruiseline giving them a hard time while boarding ?

 

Looking at OP's other posts, it appears this is for a cruise leaving March 13, 2010, so he can't leave any earlier.

 

.....sounds like the decision has been made already to board at 23-24 weeks along.....

[kath00]

As a medical professional I just want to say that if you OB was willing to "fudge" a note for something this silly, I would change doctors right away. Not only is it completely illegal and the MD could lose his/her license for lying on an official piece of paper, but it's completely unethical. Run the other way if your doc is allowing you to pressure them into lying!!!!!!

 

I would never do that -- even if my patient offered to pay for my cruise to accompany them.

 

Katherine

[Garyorient]

All I can say is that the irresponsibility of the OP knows no bounds.

 

Whether anything happens or not, clearly the implication that the holiday is more important than their unborn child (or at least less of a priority) defies any sort of comprehenson from this particular poster.

 

These rules are there for a reason.

[TAG2424]

Thanks too all, We are not going even know the OB said she was fit to travel. We are new to this and some of you were pretty harsh. I do appreciate your concern and thanks.

[bunny1954]

Thanks too all, We are not going even know the OB said she was fit to travel. We are new to this and some of you were pretty harsh. I do appreciate your concern and thanks.

 

Just a thought.....when your OB said your DW was "fit to travel", was he/she aware that your travel plans were for a cruise ship? If not, that might have made a difference.

[mamaofami]

Thanks too all, We are not going even know the OB said she was fit to travel. We are new to this and some of you were pretty harsh. I do appreciate your concern and thanks.

 

I am so relieved to read your post. Perhaps some of us were a bit harsh, but I believe it was out of concern for you, your wife, and of course the baby. There will be many more opportunities for you to cruise, but if something were to happen to your wife or your baby, you would never forgive yourself. Hopefully, RCCL will work with you on this and you can get a refund or put it toward a future cruise.

Good luck with the baby.

[whirlybird3]

Thanks too all, We are not going even know the OB said she was fit to travel. We are new to this and some of you were pretty harsh. I do appreciate your concern and thanks.

 

Your CC friends were just looking out for you, DW, and newborn. Enjoy your baby and plan on taking the family on a future cruise. :) And, congratulations!

[xxoocruiser]

I would be careful about having your ob?gyn "fudge" a note because if something were to happen and you needed to use your travel insurance, it could be considered insurance fraud.

 

Can you possibly move the cruise to a different date so that you fall within the guidelines?

 

Not to mention your OB could loose their medical license for assisting in the fraud. Any respectable OB, or any doctor for that matter, would not even agree to doing this.

[EugeneD]

There seem to have been a number of replies from the medical profession to this thread. Out of curiosity, can any of them speak to how exact the OB's age determination is, in the first place? And whether that's gestational age vs fetal age?

 

It seems to me many of the responses were quite harsh (re: illegal / insurance fraud / dump the OB immediately if they do this), only in light of how borderline the age would have been, at the time of sailing.

 

I would think the difference between being within vs. outside the 24 week guideline in this particular case, is within the margin of error of the age estimate, and therefore not necessarily quite as drastic as falsifying the records.

[EugeneD]

As for getting a credit to sail later, it may be a bitter pill to swallow. Even if they offer a full credit at this late stage, it's likely going to be a round number like 12 months.

 

Which is close, if you factor in another 3-4 months of pregnancy, + 6 months minimum age to sail for the baby (even if baby not coming with, then assuming 6 months breastfeeding, making separation until that time impractical).

 

Just thinking ahead -- but of course, to echo the sentiment of others -- a healthy mom & baby above all.

[mamaofami]

I believe that with sonograms and modern medicine, they have a pretty accurate way to determine the age of the fetus.