ACK! Just found out I am pregnant!

[momofmab]

I saw probably 4 or 5 women on my cruise that were obviously way past 24 weeks. They didn't try to hide it all, and since I saw them throughout the cruise, NCL didn't throw them off :rolleyes:

 

It's a decision only you can make. Good luck with it.

[kmacht]

I went to insuremytrip.com and found this on their exclusion policy:

 

Part V. GENERAL PROGRAM EXCLUSIONS

 

 

These exclusions apply to all program benefits and services. In addition to any exclusions that apply to a particular benefit, no coverage is provided for any loss arising directly or indirectly out of or as a result of the following:

2. Normal Pregnancy, fertility treatments, Childbirth or elective abortion, other than unforeseen complications of pregnancy, of You, a Traveling Companion or a Family Member;

 

 

 

It sounds to me like we are covered if there is a complication with the pregnancy during the cruise but not if we were to give birth under a normal pregnancy. Am I reading this right? If I am reading it right then that is pretty much all I am looking for. If the doctor says that we shouldn't go I don't have a problem loosing the money from the cruise. I just want to be sure that if the doctors says ok, we are still very early in the pregnancy with no chance of pre-mature birth, but some complication happens that requires a medical evacuation or hospital visit then we are covered. I plan on calling a few companies this weekend to confirm but I was just looking for peoples opinion to see what they though.

 

Keith

[seahorse]

Once you pick which ins. co that you want, call them and have them explain it to you before you book.

 

Good Luck and have a happy pregnancy and a healthy baby:)

[life is good]

Sorry folks, but I can't believe that anyone would consider putting themselves in this type of situation during their pregnancy when they are carrying such precious cargo. I would seriously consider any scenario. A baby is a miracle and there are so many people who never experience the miracle of having their own children, that this seems almost silly to me discussing what issues could arise while you are cruising. If a medical emergency came up with with the OP while she is on her cruise, and chances are nothing will, BUT if it does she is the only one who will end up having to relive her decision over and over. BTW, now that she has made her situation public, we know NCL reads these boards and chances are they already know.....

 

Good luck whatever your decision is.

[garycarla]

Gee, I think that last posting was a bit harsh, preaching and insulting.

 

Having babies is pretty common stuff. Yes, there are at times complications, but way more people suffer heart attacks while on a cruise and that does not seem to slow them down.

 

What kind of guilt trip are folks trying to lay on this person? Maybe she should just head to the hospital now. Better safe than sorry, right? You never know. Why take chances? Things happen!

 

Gee whiz already.

 

And, as to NCL watching these boards. If they really did follow them, there might be a few changes. And even if they do, do your really think they know who this person is?

[Jenninhawaii]

Pregnancy (Birth) is NOT an illness and should not be treated as such!! My word, should we tell pregnant women not to go more than 30 minutes from a hospital for the entire 40 weeks of their pregnancy?? Should we tell people who cruise with their children that they are "silly" for putting their "precious cargo" at risk? What would happen if they got sick? Would they have "relive their decision over and over"? And even if NCL reads these boards they will have no idea who the original poster is. Though I highly doubt they read these boards much because I don't see them correcting the problems that are stated here. :rolleyes:

[beachchick]

A few thoughts.

 

First, we know NCL reads this forum, but how exactly will they know precisely whom the OP is? I seriously doubt that CC would give personal information to the cruise line. Unless the OP herself gives her name, cruise date, etc., NCL has no way of "policing" her choices.

 

Second, all women show and carry differently. It's entirely possible that the women who were "obviously" past the cutoff date were not. One of my friends is extremely short-waisted and curvy. She looked 8 months pregnant at about 5 months. Another is tall and carried kind of "inward," so she looked about 4 months pregnant at 7 months. You just never know.

 

Third, for most insurance you MUST purchase within X number of days of initial deposit in order for pre-existing conditions to be covered. So, a woman who is already pregnant would have to make sure to get the pre-ex coverage. This does not apply to women who become pregnant later: For example, initial deposit on 1/1/06, final payment due on 5/1/06; buy insurance any time after about 1/15/06 but before 5/1/06 (no pre-ex coverage in most cases); pregnancy occurs 6/1/06. Complications from pregnancy would be covered because it was NOT pre-ex before policy purchase. (Does this make sense or am I rambling again?)

 

Also, check the medical evac coverage to make sure it's sufficient. Evac is usually pricy, many regular health insurance policies don't cover it if you are outside the US, and most evac companies make you prove you can pay in advance ($$$ upfront).

 

Fourth, this part is my opinion (and only my opinion). I think that it is a risk to travel when pregnant. That's pretty much a given. It's a risk to do anything when you're pregnant, so there are many factors to be weighed.

 

Is it a first pregnancy? It's hard to predict how your body will react or what kind of issues you will have (such as, are you prone to early labor, gestational diabetes, and the whole host of medical possibilities). I would be more cautious during a first pregnancy. Have you had health/pregnancy complications in the past? If so, it's definitely a more considered risk. Will you be so far along that a premature delivery could happen? Ships do not have facilities (such as NICU or anything even remotely resembling it) to take care of a super-preemie or preemie. It's a real consideration and is a good reason for all the cruise lines to have cutoff dates. I cannot imagine what might happen in such a situation; it is scary, IMO.

 

Personally, I would not push it (but then I'm finished with that phase of life, so take my opinion with a grain of salt). The bottom line is that only a woman and her OB can decide if taking a cruise is an acceptable risk. (No, I don't think that dad should have the final say in this issue, but he must be involved. A DH who is concerned and would prefer not to have his DW cruise late in pregnacy should be taken seriously because this is his baby too, and no doubt he is also concerned for the health of his DW.)

 

As always, JMHO.

 

beachchick

[newmexicoNita]

Sorry folks, but I can't believe that anyone would consider putting themselves in this type of situation during their pregnancy when they are carrying such precious cargo. I would seriously consider any scenario. A baby is a miracle and there are so many people who never experience the miracle of having their own children, that this seems almost silly to me discussing what issues could arise while you are cruising. If a medical emergency came up with with the OP while she is on her cruise, and chances are nothing will, BUT if it does she is the only one who will end up having to relive her decision over and over. BTW, now that she has made her situation public, we know NCL reads these boards and chances are they already know.....

 

Good luck whatever your decision is.

i agree with you 100%. I understand what the OP is going through, but there is no way I would risk it, especially knowing the rules NCL has. NMNita

[newmexicoNita]

Pregnancy (Birth) is NOT an illness and should not be treated as such!! My word, should we tell pregnant women not to go more than 30 minutes from a hospital for the entire 40 weeks of their pregnancy?? Should we tell people who cruise with their children that they are "silly" for putting their "precious cargo" at risk? What would happen if they got sick? Would they have "relive their decision over and over"? And even if NCL reads these boards they will have no idea who the original poster is. Though I highly doubt they read these boards much because I don't see them correcting the problems that are stated here. :rolleyes:

I think that statement is rediculous: Of course pregancy is not a sickness, but it is a condition and cruise lines have reasons which have been explained why they discourage any woman past a certain stage to cruise.

 

I wasn't going to bring this up, but my second pregnancy progressed quite normally. I felt good, kept my weight under control, had no signs of problems and then: bam, 28 weeks into my term I went into premature labor. This was several years ago, before so many modern techniques; our baby girl lived 2 days. It was considered a freak thing, there is a medical term for what happened, but this board is not the place to discuss medicine; anyway one year later, almost to the day it happened again.

 

I do not beleive in babying someone who is pregnant. It is a natural, beautiful and wonderful part of life for most woman, but to take undue chances is another thing. BTW, they do read these boards and many issues have been addressed. NMNita

[etoile]

I have a fabulous well behaved 15 year old son with ADD. I ask myself regularly would he be this way if I had breasfed? Labor was induced after I went 16 days past my due date. He was born two days later. Would he have ADD if he wasn't so late or if we had waited and not been induced. The intelligent part of me says we made the right decision, but I always wonder.

This is not quite related to cruising, but I was diagnosed with ADHD almost 20 years ago, so I have had a long time to think about this and do some reading. ADHD is one of those things that we will never know why it happens. It is not clear whether it is something that babies are born with or if it is something that develops after birth, but oftentimes it is said that multiple factors may have contributed to it, whether it is present at birth or not. Personally, I don't think you are at fault. It's true that we will never know for certain but individual decisions made by mothers (to induce, not to breastfeed, etc.) are not likely related. ADHD has been shown to have somewhat of a familial connection, though a direct genetic connection is unclear.

 

Basically the bottom line is that even though it is impossible to know for sure, there is no point blaming yourself because it is not likely that you did any specific thing wrong to cause it. It sounds like your son's ADHD is particularly severe, like mine is - you should know that people with ADHD are eligible state Vocational Rehabilitation services to help learn strategies to be successful in the modern workplace, which is not yet kind to people with ADHD.