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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think you don't go on holiday whilst having a high risk pregnancy and without adequate insurance

707 replies

Defenderwife · 04/10/2015 10:57

Woman gives birth after food poisoning whilst on holiday in the Dominic Republic.

She had a cervical cerclage so knew she had a high risk pregnancy.

Her insurance didn't cover her entire pregnancy.

They are now stranded with a premature baby in a foreign country with no financial help and are relying on donations and GoFundMe.

I have made a donation but inside I feel almost angry. Why on earth have they let themselves be in this situation? That poor poor child.

OP posts:
LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 04/10/2015 13:51

definiteissues - They chose to attend the wedding though. I think everyone understands it wasn't a holiday location they picked out of the blue. But the fact remains that they could have declined the invite and they were very, very irresponsible in choosing to go:

  • once they were aware of complications in the pregnancy;
  • without ensuring that they had cast iron insurance for the duration of the trip, which included the complications.

Personally, I wouldn't even have gone in my straightforward pregnancies, but I realise that is personal. To go in theirs and with such poor preparation is bonkers.

TSSDNCOP · 04/10/2015 13:51

If the insurance company pays out I would not use them again, their premiums will be high for the sake of a PR case created entirely by idiots that cannot count and banked on chance for their unborn daughter.

SuburbanRhonda · 04/10/2015 13:54

So if the insurance does pay out, will they also pay for the months of healthcare for the baby and living costs for the parents?

SoupDragon · 04/10/2015 13:57

The time zone is completely irrelevant.

I don't suddenly become younger if I go to a different time zone.
The mother didn't suddenly become less pregnant because she went to a different time zone.

BedTimeNow · 04/10/2015 13:57

they've raised over £44,000 in just 1 day so if the insurers do not pay they might have enough to pay themselves.

I hope people learn from others mistakes and make sure they take out the correct travel insurance for when travelling.

TSSDNCOP · 04/10/2015 13:59

Unless Sharon and Daniel are the "meet you half way" types Rhonda I imagine that's exactly what they're angling for.

Seriously, I would avoid such an insurance company like the plague.

Unless this woman had actually planned to fly home 12 hours before her policy expired shes not insured end of. That's not splitting hairs, that's just the way it is.

If my car insurance runs out at midnight and I hit another car tomorrow morning would that be the insurers fault?

TheStripyGruffalo · 04/10/2015 14:00

I wonder if they will donate the money raise to improve the standards in the hospital if the insurance company do end up paying out.

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 04/10/2015 14:02

Even if she planned to fly home 12 hours before the policy expired and all relevant complications had been disclosed it would have been daft. Flights can be cancelled and delayed. Your partner could have a minor accident that delays your travel by 48 hours and you may have to choose to fly on ahead to avoid the deadline.

Whilst not as daft as this situation, going right up to the deadline is always risky.

Thelushinthepub · 04/10/2015 14:06

I don't understand what happens in these cases. If you're not covered (mean insurance company or not) and you don't have the cash, what happens to you?

sleepyelectricsheep · 04/10/2015 14:08

"I've spent all my wages on chocolate and frilly knickers can you dig deep and feed my children please? And also pay my mortgage. I forgot about that.

Because, empathy"

milkmilklemonade12 that is the most shockingly cold hearted and downright evil post i've read on mumsnet in 7 years here.

The baby is very premature and presumably could die.
The parents must be out of their mind with worry.

Shame on you.

I don't think you understand either empathy or basic humanity.

milkmilklemonade12 · 04/10/2015 14:15

Oh no, shame on them for not having the empathy to care enough about their unborn child to either a) stay home during a high risk pregnancy or b) take out adequate insurance.

And evil post?! Don't make me laugh! Wise up, love.

People need to stop expecting every bugger to pay out for their screw ups.

cleaty · 04/10/2015 14:15

If you don't have insurance and don't have cash, you are on your own. That could mean that you will die. What usually happens though is that family take loans out.

Original poster
Defenderwife · 04/10/2015 14:18

*Stripy gruffalo
*
Absolutely no chance. It will go towards living expenses. Amazing what luxuries people will class as living expenses though....

OP posts:
milkmilklemonade12 · 04/10/2015 14:18

And funny how they weren't 'out of their minds with worry' when they boarded the plane during a high risk pregnancy.

Poor baby, she's been put in this position, thousands of miles away from home and extended family. The parents should have taken responsibility for their child, rather than going away on holiday. That is the most selfish thing going, it really is.

To screw up, so monumentally and then ask for a bail out because you can't get it together enough to pay for insurance, or hey, maybe just not go?! Ridiculous in a nutshell, right there.

Original poster
Defenderwife · 04/10/2015 14:19

I stopped following the story about the baby born in New York, what happened there does anyone know?

OP posts:
Thelushinthepub · 04/10/2015 14:19

But I mean literally what happens? Presumably the hospital give you some form of credit for life saving treatment? I mean if I had run up a £100k bill in the Dominian rep and my baby was healthy enough to fly home and I could afford the flights (well, I'd have to be able to afford flights it would be a sorry state of affairs otherwise) I would just leave. But would it be possible to get to that point I wonder?

multivac · 04/10/2015 14:21

"Absolutely no chance. It will go towards living expenses. Amazing what luxuries people will class as living expenses though...."

You have no fucking idea. None. How much better does it make you feel about your own life to imagine the very worst possible about other people's? Why do you think you need to do that?

definiteissues · 04/10/2015 14:22

Yes, I'm aware they could have (and should have) chose not to go.
My comment was in response to comments like "they could have gone to the canary islands" well no, they couldn't, because the wedding wasn't there.
I disagree with their decision to go, but I can disagree and still be able to point out facts :)

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 04/10/2015 14:24

Sorry, I had missed that sort of comment. I didn't realise anyone had suggested an alternative destination. I agree that is daft.

milkmilklemonade12 · 04/10/2015 14:27

They were dicks. It's biting them on the arse. The only empathy I have is for the poor child born to such fools.

Completely agree procrastinator
This was totally avoidable, and now they've endangered their baby's life for completely non essential travel.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 04/10/2015 14:28

They really aren't Gruffalo, the couple flying to a different time zone does not make the woman less pregnant

That's like saying if you fly laps round the world you get younger!

If you were born in the DR at 10:45 and someone asked you what time you were born would you say I was born at 10:45 or would you convert to the time in the UK?

cleaty · 04/10/2015 14:30

It depends on the country and hospital whether they would allow you to run up lots of debt.

There are tales on the internet of people who had to remortgage their house, to get surgery when abroad.

definiteissues · 04/10/2015 14:32

That's OK, I should have quoted it, I don't know how to though, ha.

FreddoFrog · 04/10/2015 14:33

TheLush, I'd imagine it would depend on the country but you could risk being detained in the country until your bills were paid. I read about a U.S. woman, 32 weeks pregnant, flew to Hong Kong and unexpectedly went into labour. Her travel insurance wasn't sufficient to cover the huge hospital costs. The Hong Kong hospital wouldn't give them the baby's birth certificate until they'd paid, and obviously they can't get a passport for baby without the birth certificate so they were stuck there. They were crowd-funding too.

Guess you could seek help from your embassy?

NoArmaniNoPunani · 04/10/2015 14:34

I stopped following the story about the baby born in New York, what happened there does anyone know?

The insurance company paid out. The couple involved refused to confirm or deny whether they kept the money or gave it to charity.