Glastonbury at 16 weeks pregnant

[DuelingFanjo]

If I stay pregnant I will be 16 weeks at Glastonbury. One option is to get a refund on the tickets but we only have a couple of weeks in which to do that and I don't want to. DH favours one of the options below, I favour another. One is a compromise. What do you all think? Am posting in here because I know it will get lots of views. If you want me to tell you which is my favoured option then I will but I would be grateful if seasoned Glastonbury goers could give me an opinion on each option below, or if there are other options we've not thought of maybe make suggestions?

Also - anyone been 16 ish weeks at Glastonbury? What's it like?

we have 3 options

1. Camp off-site and travel to and from the festival every day (in our car or taxi) but also pitch a small tent in the festival near family so I will have somewhere to rest in the day if I feel tired.

Pros - no lugging stuff from carpark to the camping areas as we will be able to park our car near our tent at the campsite.

• Showers
• Cleaner toilets
• less noise at night
• fewer rowdy people at night

cons - taxi will take us only as far as the main gate, we'd then have to walk a bit onto the site. this would be harder if very muddy or very hot or if we can only park our car in one of the furthest away carparks.

• only basic stuff in the onsite tent
• Not sure if taxis will pick us up to take us back to the campsite. Might have to rely on the car which would mean a long walk in the dark to the carpark.

1. Try to get hold of a campervan pass (they are sold out but more may become available if people cancel) and a campervan/caravan (We are watching some on e-bay and would buy it with my sister and boyfriend) and also pitch a small tent on site.

pros - no lugging stuff from carpark to the camping areas as we will be able to bring everything in, in the campervan.

• Driving straight in to the site
• altogether more civilised
• Showers (I think)
• Cleaner toilets
• less noise at night
• fewer rowdy people at night

cons - a long walk up hill to the campervan field and down hill to the festival. We would only do this once a day.

• sharing with more than one person who snores.
• Risky as we may not get a campervan ticket or a campervan.

1. Camp on site as usual in a tent with family, possibly in the family field.

pros - Will have somewhere to crash in a relative hurry if I feel knackered or unwell.

• If it rains I can just stay in the tent rather than having to walk back to campsite or campervan field.

cons - getting the tent, sleeping bags, blow up mattress etc onto the site from the carparks is quite a trek and I wouldn't be able to help at all.

• More drunk people at night and possible risk of people falling on me etc
• Difficult to get a good pitch unless we leave really early so could end up in less favourable rowdy area
• if we need to leave in a hurry for any eason we would have to spend time packing up.

thank you for reading.

Is there a family area you can camp in where it will be quieter? You could qualify on the basis that you do have a child with you!

Was reading today that if you're going to travel then the second trimester is the time to do it. I know that Glasto is not a normal holiday but if you're careful about slipping about in any mud you should be fine.

Oh and avoid the hash cakes.

Ive not been 16 weeks at glastonbury, but have been 30 weeks in a night club, and you'd think people would notice the great bug bump, but it didn't stop peolpe from bashing into me. probably my own stupid fault shouldn't have gone out

yes there is Challenging..., though it gets full really quickly and I know was full up by Thursday if not the Wednesday last year. I think I do qualify, they wouldn't kick me out.

I still felt pretty sick at 16 weeks - I didn't get to the blooming stage till about 20 weeks. So the problem is you don't know how you will feel at that stage!

On the other hand, you will be fine walking around and won't have a big bump at that stage so I think you will be ok camping as usual!

Wish I was going - maybe next year! I conceived this one at Womad last year!!

All lugging and carrying should be done by DH , - you can just be director of operations

Good luck - I seem to remember 13-about 26 weeks is a really nice part of pregnancy - over the sickness and yet not too tired

hmm, just one note of caution - i had dd after ivdf (congrats btw), BUT had quite a nightmare pregnancy & a lot of doc.s told me that they had observed this with ivf, although there are no stat.s to back it up as no research done.

are you still taking hormones? if not - skip this paragraph! i was on hormone tablets for 15 weeks, when i came off them, morning sickness kicked in BIG time (to the point it stopped me working for several weeks), and i had also been warned that some women miscarry at that point. i don't want to alarm you, but do just check all the info you have to see if it applies. i must add that i had had other complications v early in the pregnancy which meant that i was told 'not to expect anything', so again, this may well not apply to you.

Having said that, i could & did still spend every day carrying big bags of books around the school i taught in, so i think you can at least manage a sleeping bag & prob a few bars of chocolate, nothing too heavy though.

if it wasn't for the morning sickness, i'd have contemplated glasto when pregnant, but it clashed with school term time. i can understand your dh's concerns, but it's easy enough to enjoy glasto without it being much more strenuous than going shopping in town on a sat am. i would def try to get there early enough to get in the family field though - we always used to turn up on the weds. to get a good spot (just in the regular camp site).

Congratulations on the pregnancy, Duellingfanjo; really pleased for you

Enjoy yourself at Glasto- celebrate!!!

(Although take a big bag to vom into)

Hi I had tickets for glasto the year before last and didn't go because I was pregnant (it was a day ticket that I had so I just sold it to someone else) - my thinnking was I did not want to risk being crushed in a crowd/falling over in mud etc. as it was, it was mud mud mud that year and my friends who went were wading through it, there was nowhere to sit down and it was a bit of a tiring slog. was glad I didn't go. I went last year instead and had a great time (and it was sunny)- and one of friends didn't as she was pg. Its a personal choice!

I go to glastonbury every year (for the past five). I would go as normal.

I can understand your husbands concerns but I really do think he is worrying about unneccesrily! If you go to Glastonbury regularly you will have seen the many pregnant people there who get by OK. It is just important to remember that it is a very different festival form when you aren't pregnant.

At this late stage you are unlikely to get a hotel near by off site and would probably have to go further afield (Bristol maybe or Frome). In which case why not go with the intention of staying on site. If you do struggle then agree to leave early but stay near by.

Ah, go on, camp, you know you want to!
At 16 weeks you (hopefully) will be over any sickness, but not big enough to not feel uncomfortable. If you've been that many times before you should know what to expect, and where to avoid (ie Pyamid/Other stage as bands start and finish, because of crowds)
Get a camping chair to carry around with you, so you can sit and have a rest if you need to, maybe camp somewhere quieter if you're really worried about people falling on your tent, and be prepared to have a slightly different experience this year.
Go, go, go, and enjoy yourself.

Maybe we should organise a Mumsnet meetup, we'll be in family camping- we thought that, at 14 months, DS will be old enough for his first festival

Also in terms of any worries about being crushed, the way Glastonbury is I feel that I could always take myself out of the crowds if that makes sense. i.e. it is pretty predictable where big crowds will be and when - avoid those areas at those times. If there are big acts you want to see then take a chair, camp out further back and wait until the crowd disperses after the act.

Also get your DH to invest in a sack trolley to carry your stuff! Oh and be careful of tent pegs!

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy it, whatever you decide.

I'm considering getting tickets for the Green Man festival in August when I'll be 28 weeks pregnant. Is that insane? I'm a hardened festival-goer and camper, but this is my first pregnancy. I really really want to go!

Hi Dueling.

Having followed your threads on the conception board I don't think you are being precious at all!

Honestly, I wouldn't go. I gave up tickets to V last year as I wouldve been 6 months gone and wouldn't have enjoyed it, personally. If it was sunny I wouldve been too hot and if it had rained it would have been too sloppy, plus I hate being the only sober one!

Ultimately though you will know your body best, how do you feel so long?

Finally - huge congratulations on the pregnancy

Sorry, but I agree with cluckyduck.

You could go next year!!!

I don't know, proba cos Ihaven;t been to glastenbury... But it seems like a risk (however small) tht you don;t have to take. We got pregnant quickly and didn;t have IVF but I felt I was holing somthing so precious that I didnlt care who thought I was being precious and I felt a greater varyness of risk...

I didn't do some things that I might have done if not pregnant. I;m oing those things now and dd is only 2.

Massive congrats by the way. Go easy on DH, mine was the same and he said he felt so unable to help and 'not in control'...

However.... I did do lots of music/concert stuff (I;m a music teacher so goes with territory) and DD LOVED the music while she was in my belly nd it was lovely to share it with her

Good luck

I've been to a few festivals including a couple of Glastonbury's, & I've been pregnant - but not pregnant at a festival. I've taken my daughter ages 12 months & 18 months to festivals.

I'd say stick to your plans & go. Chances are by 16 weeks you will be feeling splendid & energised. I'd take a few luxuries like an airbed, perhaps a solar shower & get there as early as possible to get a good space. Personally I lovee camping up beside the greefields/stone circle. Well out of Babylon for sure. Lots of funky more relaxed places to hang out & nice chilled camping. Oh & you might not want to carry as much as usual. Have you seen those fab folding wheelbarrows? Maybe invest in one to help get your kit in site.

good luck & happy camping

Congrats Fanjo! I went to V at about 16 weeks and all I can remember is wanting to go for a wee all the time and the nightmare of queueing when I was fit to burst. Still enjoyed it though so I'd say go for it. Good luck.

One more thing ........ there is so much more to Glastonbury than crowds & booze. Sure the main stages are fab, but you can have the most magical time and not even go to the main stages. There is lots more on, and not everything involves crowds and drink.

Might be tough for you if it was a washout festival mudbath though. But a long hot summer is forecast

AmeliaEarhart I don't think you are crazy. I would love to go to Green Man and Flaming Lips are playing. I know a few people who have gone with babies or pregnant but I can't ask them about it because I am waiting until my scans at around 12 weeks before I tell most people.

thank you for the congrats cluckyduck, it's early days but I am hopeful this will stick

I suppose, for anyone who doesn't know Glastonbury well, it could seem like a silly thing to do but I plan to take it really easy, walk a bit, sit a bit, chill a bit and if needs be I will spend time at the tent just taking it all in. I plan to avoid crowds and stick to the green fields, circus, cabaret kind of areas. It's such a huge place that it's easy to find a place to just sit and take it in and to be honest I seem to see fewer and fewer bands every year.

It's the only festival I really do now, I'd hate to miss it.

I have to confess too that I have never had a shower at glastonbury and just rely on wet wipes and a flannel. is that icky?

Hi - I have been to Glastonbury a few times (never preganat though) and we took a cheapo wheel barrow to cart everything around in. Also last time we went I seem to remember that as well as the normal first aid stuff and doctors there were on site midwives as well

What about hiring one of those fancy tents on site? Indian type TeePees? They have a load of space, and seem to remember their own toilets.

I went last year at 6 months and had a great time. Camped in a "normal" (non-family) field and it was fine. DP carried camp chairs all over the place for us both and we took things easier than we would have done had I not been pg. We basically accepted that we would miss out on a few things, rather than rush between stages, and sat out at the back to avoid the crush.

I second the airbed advice, but you may not be so uncomfortable at 16 weeks. We had a huge tent , so I was pretty comfy.

For me, about 15 weeks to 7 1/2 months or so of the pg were great - didn't feel too tired, not having to rush to the loo all the time, could still (just about) turn over in bed, etc

Have a fab time!

So how pregnant are you DF? Are you continuing with the acupuncture? (nosey I know!)

have a look

I have all the preganacy threads hidden, I think, so I missed your news. I am so pleased for you- I hope it all goes well

No advice DF as I've never been to Glastonbury but just wanted to say congratulations/llongyfarchiadau .