Music festival at 14 weeks pregnant- how to get through it?

[FestivalScrooge]

Help!

I'm going to a music festival this weekend. It's going to rain, I'll be camping.

I'm 14 weeks pregnant- so on the plus side I ddon't have a bump and am still as mobile as normal. On the downside, I currently I go for a wee at least four times a night and I'm lucky if I'm awake past 10pm. Plus my nausea, though fading, is bound to flare up at the sight of those minging portaloos!

I don't want to stay at home as I paid loads for the ticket and don't want to miss out or become "that" pregnant woman who doesn't do anything but lie around on the sofa. But I don't know how I'm going to get through it either.

Any tips/words of encouragement? Any of you survive Glastonbury- if so, how?

Or am I simply doomed to a dreadful weekend?!

[FestivalScrooge]

Anybody? Please?

[Spidermama]

You'll be fine.

I've been to loads of festies pregnant. You need to make sure you are comfy as poss (really good air beds and or self inflating mattresses.

[MrsFawlty]

Ah, give it a go, but just do what you feel you can, don't kill yourself trying to stay up all night and party because you feel you should. And enjoy it - it'll be a whole different ball game when you try to do it next year!

Which one are you going to?

[Spidermama]

As for weeing in the night, get yourself a jug for the purpose so you can just do it in or just outside the tent then tip it either in a wet pit or somewhere a bit further away from the tent.

Portaloos are a false economy. DH bought one for our family and I'll never forget the hideous trips he had to make to and from the toilets to empty his great big bucket full of all our family shit mixed with horrific chemicals.

Oh, and don't get hung up on the toilet stuff. Remember the rest will be fab!!

[MrsFawlty]

Interesting Spidermama - we were just thinking of getting a portaloo for the Big Chill next weekend!

[Spidermama]

Who would be charged with the task of swilling it out?

I went to the BC last year, but I was in the Sunrise field almost the whole time.

Have a good one Fawlty.

[FestivalScrooge]

Off to Kendal Calling. Last year the mud was horrendous and the toilets were worse. But it must have been good if we're going back!

Thanks for reassuring me ladies. You've made me realise that I had become fixated on the toilet issue and forgotten about the good bits!

I have invested in a "sheewee", which I figure will help me aim into the bucket we are going to keep in the porch of the tent at night and empty in the morning.
Who says romance goes out of the window when you start a family eh?

Am also going to take lots of snacks, warm clothes and nice soft drinks. If necessary I'll retire at 11pm each night after the headliners have played (The Streets, Ash and The Zutons- not bad).

Some people seem horrified that I am taking my unborn child to what is to them a huge swine flu party... fascists I say.

[Spidermama]

Fascists indeed.

You're exposing your unborn to unbridled joy and excellent music. It will pick up your happy hormones and you may even find yourself having a bit of a dance. Fabulous for the baby.

I hope you have a great time.

Also, why not check out hotels near the site just in case.

[barbie1]

i have just got back from oxyen in ireland, my first festival and 11 weeks pregnant with my first!

Fab time though, i did the whole peeing in a cup in the night and throwing it out in the morning went to the toilets first thing in the morning before the crowds so they were clean and not smelly...although staying in the vip camping section helped some what.

Had an afternoon sleep about 2pm and then managed to stay up until the last act finished.....took hand sanitizer and toilet roll, not to mention sweets for my morning sickness in my bag.

Booked into a fab hotel after the three days and have to say it was the best bath and night sleep in my life...

Oh and if you have showers there and they have timings beg to go in the family time since you are preggers, worked for my and i had the whole showers too myself every morning, all 20 of them!

[MrsFawlty]

Spider - deffo DH or we're not getting one! We're taking DS1 (nearly 3) and DS2 (nearly 1) in a camper van and I thought that having a loo in the awning would be more civilised than dragging a toddler to skanky portaloos in the middle of the night. But yeah, don't fancy the dealing with sewage part much.

Which do you think is the lesser of two evils?

[JemL]

I went to Glastonbury at 26 weeks pregnant and had a great time. The toilets were horrible, and we were camped near them but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would (they are much cleaner nowadays than they used to be, although how people shit up the walls is a mystery to me) - take loads of wipes and hand gel.

If you haven't used a sheewee before, practice, practice, practice - I really could not get to grips with mine, and I only used it once or twice before I went, I stupidly thought I would get the hang of it there...but I didn't! If I were you, I would just, ahem, assume the squatting position over the bucket!!

Don't worry about going to bed early either, if you force yourself to stay awake you'll only be surrounded by tons of people off their faces, which is no fun for pregnant women!

Have a great time!

[Spidermama]

We are a family of six which is a lot of shit.
I think as there are three of you, and DH is doing the sewage service, go for the portaloo.

Fab that you're in a camper.

[FestivalScrooge]

Loving all the festival-going parents and parents-to-be who have emerged! That's the spirit. It's making me feel much perkier.

Top tip re using showers during family time barbie- will try that one (if showers not seized up with mud and broken as they were last year).

spidermama you are so right- I am exposing my baby to fun and dancing and mama having a happy time (hopefully!)

I do have some family staying in a cottage a mere half hour drive from the site- so if I bail out, I've got somewhere to stay.

Feel much better now. Toilets schmoilets. Sleep Schmeep.

[Spidermama]

Top tip: Bring foam ear plugs. That way you can sleep.

I buy in bulk on ebay cos is loads cheaper.

[MrsFawlty]

Blimey - those porta potty things are £85! Might just take a £3.50 one from mothercare and hope for the best...

[Spidermama]

Good plan. You only really need it for the kids after all.

[Spidermama]

Actully if you are near Brighton you are welcome to take our porta potty. I have some of the nasty chemicals too but you may need to buy some more.

[MrsFawlty]

Thank you - that's really lovely of you, but am up in the NW so hell of a detour.

Are you going to any festivals this year? We've never done it with two children...it will be alright, won't it? Am so paranoid about losing one of them; DS1 is a bolter!

[raindroprhyme]

just back from the wickerman with my 2 kids and am 12 weeks preggers.
earplugs are a must!
use the disabled toilets if no queue (top tip for parents to as room to take little uns in with you, and disabled biddies let us jump queue couple of times too!)
have a fab time and enjoy dancing.

was great actually as taking tent down in the rain seemed less stressful with no hangover.

[Spidermama]

MrsF I've never stopped going to festivals and I have four kids now.

I remember smugly hanging cloth nappies out to dry during the Big Green Gathering a few years back.

DH and I go to one or more every year. We tend to go to the smaller family orientated ones, the hippy green type ones rather than the great big music ones. I like good jazz and house music though so we have to make sure we avoid pure folk music!!

This summer he's on tour so we have to wait until September then we're going to this little one. It'll be very family-ish.

For the past few years I've been to Sunrise, Big Green and Big Chill.

The worst big for me is being stuck in the tent because all the kids are asleep, lying there listening to child free people having it large. DH has constructed a cart type thing which two kids can sleep on. It has a pole with a torch at the top and feathers and flags etc so people can't miss it. We push the younger two around asleep, and the older two (10 and 9) stay up longer, then when we can't stand it any more we go back to the tent.

[babyball]

I can also recommend Off the Tracks as a family-friendly and chilled festival.

[DjangoTheDjinn]

You know it just gets better with children too... Their enjoyment of festies is wonderful. You've got years of fun ahead. DD went to her first as a newborn, well actually when I was pg, but nothing stopped us iyswim.

Have a great time.

Yours,

A Folk Purist.

[MrsMc82]

I went to my first glastonbury this year at 10wk had a fab time and even had a couple of weak (and i mean v weak before anyone freaks!) cider shandies whilst i was there so didn't feel i was missing out. Did cheat a bit a we had a caravan but still survived the long drop loos during the day! XX

[FestivalScrooge]

Well, I went and it was fun! The only downsides were feeling tired, people smoking everywhere, and of course not being able to drink. Oh and the toilets, of course! Other than that it was great to have a dance and a laugh, and feel like a normal human being!

Top tips:

• Swallow your pride and keep a bucket in the tent. Six pee trips to the minging portaloos per night does not a happy preggo make.
• Go to bed when you're tired. I was in bed after the headlining acts (ie before 11pm!) each night and felt much better for it. Glad I didn't try to brazen it out.
• Take the day off the day after you return. I haven't, and I can barely keep my eyes open at my desk today.