Taking a 12 day old baby on holiday ?

[Jencottage]

Desperate to get away as feel like I've been exhausted all third trimester, have a 8 year old daughter who would love a holiday, hubby coming along too. I've found an amazing deal in Sardinia, 7 nights at half term, full board and kids club for the 9 year old and golf for hubby. Me and baby could be on the beach all day chilling ! It's a 3.5 hour flight, shall I book it or is baby too young ? What would you do ?!?

I went to the local supermarket at 10 days pp (with my DH I should add) and as we got to the till realised I was EXHAUSTED and began to regret my decision to go out. But luckily I was home in 20 mins. Don't do it OP!!!

Too many "what ifs" in addition to the potentially serious health risks to you and your baby. Not trying to be funny, but if it's a Ryanair special, that adds even more concern. If it was first class with BA then maybe.....IF you could get all the paperwork and passport etc on time.

Have you actually done a quote for travel insurance .....i could imagine it would end up more expensive than the holiday!

It’s a lovely idea but I’d personally book for a few weeks later minimum. You could have a hard recovery and not feel up to the flight or even enjoy the holiday so give yourself a bit of time at home first.

It wouldn’t be the holiday you picture in your head.

I would do it but make sure to have travel insurance that could cancel the holiday in case you aren't coping well 12 days after your cesarean.

We plan to travel about a month after our twins are born

You're also at a heightened risk for blood clots after a c-section - I would not risk sitting in a cramped airplane seat for hours just days after that kind of surgery.

I don't know about you, but I find the week or so leading up to a holiday a bit manic. Getting everything washed and ready for packing, packing, buying extra bits and pieces, tidying house, securing house, being sure I'll forget something important, realising I have forgotten something, etc. Leaving the house with the thought of having forgotten something/not locked up properly hanging over me. Yes a few hours into the holiday those stresses fade away and I start to enjoy it enough to forget what a PITA it all is until the next time I'm getting ready to go away. But the thought of coming home from hospital after a c-section with a new born and 9yo who's world may be about to be rocked completely and having to dive right into pre-holiday prep sounds like genuine hell.

That's even before the reality of travelling and being out of my comfort zone with a new born while recovering from major abdominal surgery sets in. I actually moved country when my DS was 10 days old after a complicated EMCS and it was only possible because my DS was the easiest most chilled out, non-crying baby and the nearest I came to a problem with breastfeeding was an over-supply.

Holiday sounds nice in theory but the practical will be entirely different and it is way too risky for your and your babies health.

I wouldn't take any baby on a plane till they'd had a load of immunisations. The closed atmosphere on a flight even for 3 hours could be very dangerous.

Spend the money on booking a fews nights in a b&b no more than an hour from home, making sure you find one with a cancellation policy that gives a full refund if cancelling as little as 24hours in advance so that you can see how you feel on the day. And can get home quickly if it all goes pearshaped.

It's all just unneeded stress isn't it? Rushing to get a birth certificate and passport for the baby, packing for a newborn, two adults and a nine years old, getting to the airport and travelling with a newborn, 3.5 hour flight with a healing abdominal wound. Presumably your DH will have to struggle alone with the aforementioned luggage plus associated baby crap, which doesn't sound too relaxing for him. If you have any complications (even minor) or baby is collicky or has any niggles you will want to be at home with access to your own GP and midwife.

Your DD might enjoy the kids club but she would also probably enjoy a local kids club over half term, with the added bonus that she can come home to her new sibling in their own home after.

I can understand wanting to get away, but maybe look at deals over July/August and give yourself a fighting chance at recovering and getting used to being a family of four before international travel.

No way would i do that. I think you’re crazy for even considering it.

Couldn't think of anything worse, I mean you'd still have lochia, still be pretty sore and potentially still establishing BF, baby won't know the difference between day and night and is unlikely to be sleeping.

I was going to say go for it if you want but then thought about c-section scar - what if it needs midwife aftercare?

How fluent is your Italian? If you do feel unwell, or the baby does, are you confident that you could effectively communicate the nuances of your concern? After a c-section, if you experience pain later, it’s unlikely to be sufficient to say ‘it hurts’, you need to say whether it’s a dull ache or a sharp pain, constant or only when you do certain thing etc etc.
Equally if baby seems unwell, perhaps lethargic, could you communicate what was worrying you? It just all seems risky although I have every sympathy with the sentiment.
Couldn’t you find a nice spa hotel in the UK for a few days? It’s probably a different price bracket altogether though, I guess.

It took over three weeks to get an appointment to register the birth.

I had a section and would say I recovered well. I was driving before 12 days pp. But no way would I have been doing airports and moderately lengthy plane journeys then.

I would. I think it would be easier to take them at that age than when they are mobile. Especially if you are BF. Just sit on a lounger by the pool and relax with your new baby.

I had a nightmare recovering from csection. In and out of hospital every other day with ecoli infection and having it specially dressed.

Also had a longer stay in hospital due to suspected sepsis. All because my temp was about 1 degree too high. I wouldn't risk it if I were you.

Good luck with the new arrival.

This has the potential to go very, very wrong OP.

You're not acknowledging the real, major risks here and are just hoping it'll all work out.

Complications in baby during delivery, DVT risks after sitting still on a plane for hours after surgery, infection risk to the wound, issues with the post-birth key milestones for baby (weight gain, jaundice)... I mean, if it went the way you've got it in your head it would be a miracle!

Add to that fact - even if you can get comprehensive travel insurance for a planned medical event like major abdominal surgery bookedbefore you book the holiday/medical cover... You may end up in a very scary situation where there are exclusions that apply, specialist newborn medical needs that aren't available in your location or (even at a basic practical level) being in a situation where you or baby need medical help but can't even speak easily with the local hospital staff due to language barriers! Hardly the relaxing club time for your daughter or golf trip for your husband....

If this goes wrong, you will be facing a very traumatic episode abroad. Why why why would you risk it for so little gain??

Just book for a few weeks later or do somewhere in the UK to reduce the risk here.

All the sensible reasons everyone else says. But the final straw for me would be that I couldn’t swim! Being in a hot place and not able to have a cooling dip would be torture! So unnecessary go another time

You seem fixated on holiday clubs are there not fun clubs your 9 year old could go on locally?

Bed. Hotel beds are 50/50
50% bliss
50% of them are like fucking concrete
Same with pillows
Hotel room - all 4 of you waking every two hours
Beach - leaking nipples and fanny
Toilet - bleeding piles

Lol. Book a Lodge in the UK or stay home!

How the hell are you going to register the birth, then obtain a passport in 12 days?

12 days post c section I was still leaking lochia all over the place.

I wouldn't do it OP.

The only way I would consider that journey with one that little would be for a funeral or other emergency. Consider.

I wouldn't fly anywhere approximately 12 days after birth. I might book a few days in a holiday cottage for a break but that would be about it.

For context, I had a planned c section this time last year and my recovery was brilliant.

But at 12 days post partum, going for lunch/coffee, short potter around town was absolutely enough for me. It’s a huge adjustment, don’t be tempted to overdo it.