Can I go longhaul when 20w pregnant AND toddler in tow?! Maldives?

[Flingmoo]

DH and I would love to go on an 'exotic' holiday in January. Ideally somewhere like Maldives. However we have a 2.5 year old and I'll be about 20 weeks pregnant a the time.

Obviously got to go somewhere that's not affected by Zika. I dont know if yo need vaccinations etc for Maldives but seems relatively safe?

Would it be totally silly to attempt a long haul holiday at this point or should we wait a few years til kids are older?

I would not travel. There is also a risk of dengue fever there via mosquito bites (Maldives has also reported a zika case, I have listed that article).

Hep A, typhoid and tetanus vaccinations are recommended.

travelhealthpro.org.uk/country/139/maldives#Other_risks

www.who.int/csr/don/8-february-2016-zika-maldives/en/

If god forbid you had complications with your pregnancy whilst away, what is the access to medical care and hospital facilities on a small Maldives island and will your medical insurance cover you? Not just for treatment but for flights to hospital. Would they inky pay for your flight or your husbands too etc all things to consider.

I would go.

I would probably fly to somewhere slightly more accessible.
Lots of Maldivian islands require a nailbiting trip in a sea plane too which is extremely cramped. Fun, but cramped this is after a long flight too.
Long haul itself would be fine though. If you wanted hot what about UAE?

Perfect person to answer here!
I had ME for 10 years and wasn't well enough to travel or have vaccines.
Researched it very well and decided I could cope with certain conditions.

1 Take a direct flight, they are harder to find and more expensive but the hard bit is the transfer via Doha/Dubai is the exhausting bit.
2 Choose an island with a short transfer and medical facilities.

We went to Bandos, 10 minutes by speedboat and in sight (in the very distance) of the capital.
Permanent Dr/medical facilities on the island which is more geared to diving and decompression issues but anyone who used them for other reasons found it great. Any transfer to the mainland would be about 20 minutes.

Positives it's beautiful, very child friendly and clean.
Negatives it is a bit dated and food can be repetitive.

We returned 7 times. Loved it.
PM me if you would like more details.

I would go, fly BA direct from London and as pp have said stay on an island close to Male and that you take a speedboat transfer for. The staff are fabulous with little ones. If we hadn't gone last year we would have gone this year whilst pregnant. No vaccinations unless your medical history dictates any.

Thanks all, this is great food for thought. I'm leaning towards going but it's now the cost that makes me hesitate, and the difficulty of finding direct flights!

Oh apparently there's a "moderate risk" of Zika there so pregnant women should "consider postponing" non essential travel

AttilaTheMeerkat Sorry I just realised that this information was in one of the links you already posted.

I don't think I'd want long haul to some fairly remote islands at 20 weeks.
You don't know how you'll be feeling then and I wouldn't risk pregnancy complications that far from home.

It's a long flight and could be quite uncomfortable while pregnant. I'd also worry about access to medical facilities if you needed them. Personally I'd wait and go somewhere nice once the baby is old enough to travel.

Could you have a couple of days away as a couple if someone had your toddler?

I think we'll have to settle for that option NewIdeas!

Feels like you can't have any nice holidays when pregnant! Can't go anywhere with Zika (basically any warm countries that have mosquitoes!), can't enjoy spa breaks (jacuzzi, sauna etc is forbidden), can't go skiing (not that I can ski anyway...) Bah humbug!

Where else is fun in January?!

Well...
Yes.
Sorry.
Although, in the grand scheme of things I'd rather have a child and a stress free pregnancy than go to the Maldives. Surely there's plenty of time for that.

Yes. It's been a lifelong dream to go to Maldives and now we can finally afford it. But it's looking like it's not that sensible of an idea... I guess I'm trying to have my cake and eat it as I am lucky enough to be pregnant a second time and I should just stop whining about holidays

I have got wanderlust at the moment though

I missed going to Petra. Probably will never go there.

You can just save the cash and use it in a few years.
Maybe try southern Europe? We get some nice days in January, if not exactly beach weather.

I went to Maldives when 12 weeks pregnant with 2 year old and it wasn't worth it stress wise. I guess it depends when you go but it was really hot- toddler wouldn't eat - difficult to get him to drink - pools everywhere with no life guards. Massively stressful actually. It is a beautiful place but I don't think it's brilliant if you are pregnant with a toddler.

We are big Maldives fans, looking forward to our 11th trip in December. However I don't think I would go if I were pregnant because of the remote chance of Zika. Malaria was eliminated in the Maldives some years ago, so no need to worry about that, but Dengue is present and there is no vaccination to prevent it.

BA run direct flights between November and, I think, March. I agree that changing in Dubai or Qatar is very stressful and best avoided especially with small kids.

When you do decide to go, you will find lots of excellent advice on the Trip Advisor Maldives Discussion Forum.