would it be ridculous to go to alton towers at 6 weeks pregnant and go on rides, in terms of the baby only being a embro?

[whiteandyelloworchid]

im not going ot do this, as im a worrier, just wondering if it is actually a risky thing to do

would there actually be any risk going n rollercoasters at such an early stage, obviuosly i could see there would be from when it is a actually fetus or baby, say from maybe 8-12 weeks,incase it got suahed but if it is only the size of a poppy seed or something is it risky?

I presumed it was something to do with your ligaments being loose and at more risk of injury, also blood pressure changes and making you pass out that type of thing.

Also you do get rattled around a lot so generally being bashed and bumped isn't going to be that great either.

I went to Alton Towers at c. 5 weeks pregnant. The product of that is downstairs ransacking the kitchen cupboards, so I'd say you'll be fine.

Don't a lot of the rides have signs telling you not to go in if pregnant? I don't know as haven't been to Alton Towers since 1984. I wouldn't have gone on rides at that stage of pregnancy purely because I had morning sickness so bad I felt like I was on The Corkscrew all the time anyway.

Ah, idiot didn't read thread. You're not actually going to do it so why are you worrying?

TBH, it didn't even occur to me to be worried. As someone else said, I don't worry about my liver or kidneys on such rides. I did feel mightily sick though!

Lots of people undertake activities that risk pregnancy when they do not know they are pregnant. However, once you know you are pregnant if you undertook a risky activity and then lost the baby you would always wonder if it was what you had done that had caused the miscarriage. Yes you will probably be fine (I say this as someone who calved cows till I was 6 months pregnant), but if something did happen you would always wonder. If I had my time again I wouldn't keep calving cows as I reckon DD picked up some tips from those calves that lead to a 40 hours labour whilst she tried every position know to man and then had to be dragged into the world - did she believe that it was normal to have ropes attached to your front limbs to be dragged by a winch into the world?

@WhiteWidow. All the people I know who were put on strict bed rest during pregnancy had it in the third trimester, generally because the cervix was showing worrying signs of opening too soon, once or twice because of blood pressure problems. As far as I'm aware, neither of these problems can occur in the first trimester.

I've never heard of anyone being put on bed rest in the first trimester, and several of my friends have had pregnancies after multiple miscarriages. Probably the women on the programme you saw had some very specific problem.

@oreocrumbs. The ligaments won't be loose at 6 weeks pregnant will they?

If a random loon told me not to wear yellow - then no, I wouldn't blame myself or connect her words with an unfortunate MC.
If I went to a theme park plastered with warning signs advising people with high blood pressure, heart problems and pregnant women not to go on the rides and then I ignored that advice - well then I might be blaming myself (however unreasonably).
Would you also use a sauna or hot tub during pregnancy, even though the advice is not to?

In common with a lot of people, I went to Alton Towers earlier this year when I was about 6 weeks pregnant, although I didn't know it at the time. I was fine, had a good day, but unlike earlier visits I had a vile headache at the end of the day. Not sure if that was pregnancy or just lack of sleep!

I wouldn't have gone if I had known though. Yes, I'm now 20 weeks and baby is (apparently) fine. However, a lot of the rides put serious pressure on your body, and that can't be good. I'm happily cycling everywhere at the moment, so I don't think I'm being precious about it.

I would be cautious if I were pg & doing physical activities/certain things just because of the lack of research into how it affects a pg woman.

I've been fine in the past with random strangers telling me they hope my children die of cancer/get raped etc so I don't think I'd take old lady loon threats to heart.

I remember my mum being on bedrest in the 1st/2nd trimester (this was early 90's so things might be different now?) because she'd had lots of bleeds? She had problems going into labour early with her pregnancies so it could'vebeen something to do with that?

Bed rest would depend on the problem.

I have incompetant cervix, so if my cervix started to fail I'd be put on tilted bed rest. If you had high bp you might be advised bed rest or if you were bleeding due to problems with the placenta.

However it would usually be in the 2nd and 3rd trimester not the 1st.

With ds2 I bled from 13-22weeks and wasn't advised to go on bed rest.

However having been through early mc and one second trimester mc at 20 weeks I think many doctors and consultants seem to feel that unless the pg is viable so 23-24 weeks not alot can be done.

I know that if my bleeding had continued past 24 weeks or if my cervix had failed at 23 weeks I would have been kept in hospital

Everyone needs to find their own threshold of what "risk" or perceived "risk" they want to take in their own pregnancy. Some will choose that they want to drink alcohol, some will choose to go white water rafting, some will go to Alton Towers. As long as you find out the risks, preferably from a doctor, and make your own decision (disclaimer, and by this I mean reasonable decision, not decision to neck a bottle of vodka every day), that's fine.

Totally different if you don't know youre pregnant and do something. I was devastated that I'd been on a massive bender weekend when I was six weeks pregnant and didn't know. There was no "choice" element to that...had I known I won't have done it. Horrible feeling.

I wouldn't but it probably wouldn't do any harm as it is so small. I think they cover themselves by putting the signs up but a definate no to few months gone.

@Awomancalledhorse. But there are plenty of problems associated with a lack of physical activity in pregnancy, as well, why would cutting out the physical activity be the "safe" option ? Gestational diabetes, in particular, affects a lot of pregnancies, as does high blood pressure.

I wouldn't. I'm quite sure the baby would be fine at that stage, however should things go wrong (although probably totally unrelated to the rides) I would blame myself forever. It's shitty I know, but I always think "I have the rest of my life to do x y and z, so why risk it?

I was told you shouldn't go on in case the ride has to make an emergency stop which increase the risk of a miscarriage. I went to a park on a school trip when I was about 8 weeks and this was the advice I was given.

I had to make up excuses for why I wasn't going on any of the bigger rides as didn't really want to tell my class I was pregnant.

If you are not planning to do it, why are you even asking?
Personally I wouldn't choose to do it if I knew I was pregnant - but I am looking at it from a different perspective as someone who has been unsuccessful in TTC for 3 years, so I think a pregnancy would be so much more precious to me that I will barely be able to leave the house if I do ever get pregnant! Some may think that is ridiculous, but thats just my opinion/feelings!

Kirsty, perhaps I should've qualified what I wrote, I wouldn't do anything I perceive to be a risky physical activity (be it rollercosters, sky diving, bungee jumping, horseriding or taking driving lessons) whilst pregnant.
I'm probably the furthest away candidate for GD or HBP as I've got low blood pressure (which is one of the reasons I wouldn't do anything strenuous when pg, because I'd hate to faint & fall on bump, although my bloody pressure was in the normal range when I was pg for the first time in my life!!) & don't have any of the risks associated with either.

I guess like everything to do with pg/children it's a very personal thing & what I might think is normal someone else might see as crazy, like Keepthechange said.

probably outing myself a bit here, but my dad was a consultant obstetrition and i remember discussing it with him when i was first pregnant about 3 years ago when i was going to a theme park in the early stages of pregnancy. he said don't do it, something to do with the quick acceleration (he explained it a lot better but i can't remember what he said now). he passed away suddenly a couple of years ago so unfortunately i can't ask him now.

I remember in South Africa in the 80s you use to get that ride where everyone stands up against the wall and the ride starts spinning while the floor lowers and you're left spinning round stuck to the wall. Abortions are illegal in South Africa and that ride was banned too because women were using it to intentionally abort.

There's a ride like that called Hearts And Diamonds, the travelling fair bring it every year and I won't go on it it's horrible.

Can't believe that's what they'd do! It sounds awful to ask but did it actually work then damsel?

It's really sad that that's the lengths they would goto

My baby is precious too, I waited 10 years for this baby. I still went on the rides though, because life is one big long risk.

Re: emergency stops. I think there is more chance of doing an emergency stop in a car, than a ride.

WhiteWidow, I can only say through second hand news that it did work, which is why it was banned.

Life may be one big risk but we're supposed to do things to minimise those risks. It's like saying, oh I won't look when I cross the road because life's one big risk after all whilst winking and clicking ones heels.

I wouldn't do it because if I lost my baby for whatever reason, I couldn't cope with the 'what ifs'.

I do it now. I miscarried, without even knowing I was pregnant to begin with. I still think to myself 'what if I'd have know, would it be alive? What if I hadn't have had that glass of wine' etc etc.

damsel oh that's awful:( those poor women.