Bump protector for ski trip?

[Nordcelt]

Hi All, just found out that I'm pregnant literally 3 days after booking a ski trip for early Feb!!! Money all paid and still want to go but wondering if anyone knows if there is some sort of padded bump that I can wear to give me piece of mind on the slopes (I'll be doing the easy ones anyway but just in case)?

How many weeks will you be? Your uterus is normally out of your pelvis until 12 weeks so before then will be protected by your pelvis.

I've never heard of any sort of bump protector and even if there's one on the market don't think it would be any use. If someone crashes into you at full speed or you have a big wipeout then I doubt even a suit of armour would help. But if you're going to be less that 12 weeks then it shouldn't be a problem.

Er I don't think you should be skiing whilst pregnant! It would invalidate your insurance for a start!

There isn't anything. And as the PP said, I doubt you'll get insurance to cover winter sports whilst pregnant.

I'd ski up to 12 weeks, after that and I wouldn't. I'm a good and careful skiier, have only had one fall in the last 4 years.

Problem is that you don't know what the other muppets on the slopes are like. I've seen a very nasty accident where a skier was taken out by an out of control boarder on a blue run.

My friend went skiing when she was nearly five months pregnant with her first baby. Her uterus was definately over her pubic bone by then and she had a small bump. She stuck to pistes and we basically skiied around her in 'formation' so that any errant/erratic skiers couldn't get near her. She fell once and slid on her bum but wasn't hurt. She's a pretty good skier and was au fait with the risks and it was her choice. Personally I wouldn't - my balance goes when I'm pregnant and whilst I'm an experienced skier it's more about other skiers going into you (which you can't control) and also how you fall and what you fall onto, which is variable and not always controllable. Your centre of gravity shifts and your sense of balance is compromised when you are pregnant so you're far more likely to fall over when you're pregnant, not least because you'll be more aware of not wanting to fall over.

Maybe aim to ski very carefully but bear in mind that a) you might not have insurance/medical cover (in which case, don't do it - it's not worth the ENORMOUS medivac bill if you have to be choppered off the slopes), and b) you might get out there and not feel like it. Towards the end of the holiday my friend walked, had lots of beauty treatments and met us in lift/cable car accessible restaurants for very enjoyable lunches in the sun. She had a fab holiday. If you're really keen to do it then keep an open mind but be aware of the risks.

I've inadvertently skied at 5 weeks pregnant. I didn't realise I was pregnant (post IVF twins and just finished breastfeeding so all a bit of a shock) but my skiing dramatically changed mid holiday. I went from skiing off piste and doing all sort of challenging, epic stuff to falling over at the slightest thing. I thought I'd lost my nerve and stuck to easy pistes, not realising my body was giving me a message.

Hope this helps

Skiing is one of the types of sport that they do advise against when pregnant, sorry! The risk of falling and crashing is just to high. I agree with what was said before - you can ski as carefully as you like, there might always be someone else who doesn't! And there are lots of idiots out on the slopes!

If you discovered you were pregnant after you booked it, maybe your travel insurance will re-fund some of it when you cancel? Not sure if they do that, but might be worth looking into...

I don't think I could bear going on a skiing holiday and then not ski... I would get so bored.

Baby vs some skier skiing into you ..I know what I would choose a deck chair in the sun with a good book and maybe a cable car ride up the mountain for lunch. Then go skiing next year .....

I really wouldn't consider it, it isn't worth the risk, surely?

It's most likely if you were careful you'd be fine, BUT the thing that would help me make a decision like that is asking the question, how would you feel if things did go wrong? and after experiencing the trauma of two miscarriages, I don't think it would ever be worth the risk.

As an experienced skiier I would happily ski until 24 weeks. Your biggest risk is other people, not you. I doubt your insurance would be a problem at all.

I have friends who have skiied up to and including their due date.

For me it would depend when and where I was going. Kicking Horse late January is a completely different kettle of fish to Val D in half-term week!

I desperately want to go ski-ing but have decided to forget it... I will be far further on than you would be (due 8 April) and was considering Finland /anywhere with snow in early December , but my reasons were:
a) Risk of someone ski-ing into me
b) Risk of me falling (on the slopes, or around the resort, etc)
c) Stories of horrific ligament injury/damage: when pregnant your ligaments really soften up (to accomodate the bump I think) so it's very very easy to damage them, and this type of damage can take a very long time to heal (longer than ligament injury would normally take).
d) Balance (and lack of)
e) Being stressed about the risk of injury and trying to ski ultra-carefully ruining the holday.

I can see why the timing is horrific for you! You could always wait and see how you feel nearer the time, assuming you can't cancel for a refund or transfer the holiday to anyone else.

Also an experienced skier - some things to think about
1 Insurance issues - I have specialist alpine insurance, the best money can buy as Im always pushing myself too far. It excludes any pregnancy over 12 weeks
2 Your ligaments are all over the place during pg and will not support you as strongly as you remember. The chances of injury are greatly increased
3 Your centre of balance is different with a bump - imagine skiing with a rucksack on the front
4 The effects of altitude on a pg are not well researched but it follows that if you are receiving reduced oxygen, so will your baby
5 Depending on where you are going - can you easily avoid the foods you need to (I'm thinking runny eggs, runny cheeses, undercooked meats typical in euro alpine zones)
6 Long flights - to be avoided for dvt reasons

By all means go on the holiday if you want..but please think twice. Think of all the lovely spas and bars in the resort instead of hitting the slopes. Its tough, I am in the same position but this bump is too precious and I can afford to pay for my own medical treatment out there if anything goes wrong.
x

I think if you have never experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth, the consequences might not seem as dire as to those who have. Personally, now that I'm pregnant after a stillbirth, I will take all precautions feasible to avoid it happening again, but I can see why you might be reluctant to cancel.
Would it be possible to change the dates so its a bit earlier?

I just clarified with my own insurance company, pg is classified as a 'pre existing medical condition' and would be excluded from most insurance cover in the small print. Some companies will create a bespoke policy for you at a cost...but mine wont do after 12 wks.

I'm with AlpinePony, it really depends on where/when you're going, how experienced/comfortable a skier you are and what your own personal risk assessment is (insurance questions aside).

There are a lot of things pregnant women are told not to do, and sports is one of them that in my mind is a grey area. Especially when the "rules" are designed to cater to the lowest common denominator and the people making up the rules don't know your personal situation or even what the sport entails half the time.

So really it comes down to weighing the pros, cons and risks for you and deciding based on that.

As far as bump protectors are concerned, you could wear something like a MTB or martial arts chest protector if it fits and is mobile enough. But as the real danger is from someone else colliding with you or you colliding with something very hard at high speed, it won't do much for you.

In case you were still wavering, shall I add my story about a friend who broke her back skiing whilst 16wks pregnant, and couldn't have any of the treatments to get it fixed til after the birth, so spent the next 5 months prone and in considerable discomfort? No, prob best instead

I skied at 22 weeks in my first pregnancy. I was very cautious (blues only), avoided crowds etc and had a nice time.

But having since had a miscarriage (nothing to do with sports, just one of those things) I now feel a lot more cautious and would probably avoid as would not want to go through it again, especially not because of something that was in my control. We've just decided not to go this year as just got a BFP. We're going to have a nice beach holiday instead.

Just depends on your attitude to risk really and how you'd feel if the worst did happen.

Like alpine says it really depends on the resort. Where I skied/when in season - there were plenty of quiet blue runs. In some places you will find all the blues are packed with idiots/over confident beginners and it would be a liability.

I'm a snowboarder and would never get on my board whilst knowingly pregnant. You can control what you do, but cannot control what other people on the hill do. We have cancelled three snowboarding holidays now, one for each pregnancy!

To answer your original question, I have never seen amy kit designed to protect your bump. I can't see a manufacturer ever producing one due to the possible ramifications of things going wrong

I think theres certain things in pregnancy that its debatable to be reckless about.. a couple of glassess of wine (oo er), a mouthful of blue cheese (shock horror), a long flight (gasp)

However.. skiing isn't just like normal sport, its very physically demanding, with so much potential to go wrong, and if you have ever seen a normal pedestrian skiier airlifted off a mountain in bits you know how easily it can. I just think although skiing is just about my favourite thingto do in the world, its something I know I had to definitly sadly step aside from in my pregnancy because a fall or someone smashing into me could wreck everything.

A guy I know is a ski instructor. He was skiing a red run in January, got his ski caught in ice, was flung out of his bindings onto a hard surface and very nearly died. His injuries included back broken in 2 places and a tea in his aorta that required immediate open heart surgery.

So if that doesn't put you off skiiing when pregnant, nothing will. I speak as someone who ate blue cheese, drank alcohol, but diodn't ride my horse.

I am an experienced and confident skier, and am currently 26 weeks. So I won't be skiing this season anyway, as am due mid-Feb, so won't be able to ski before that or immediately after.

I know a lot of people who have skied in early pregnany, either before they were really sure they were, and up to about 12 weeks. A lot of the time they have been with family/groups and their friends have skied in a protective 'diamond' formation around them. Also ski instructors often ski late into pregnancy as they have very little in the way of maternity leave and so as it's their livelihood they need to.

However, there is no mitigating all the risks, there are some irresponsible and unsafe people on the slopes, and especially February, which is high season, there are the risks of just the sheer volume of people on the slopes.

So say I was due in June for example, I probably still wouldn't, because I'm just too physically tired to enjoy that kind of thing. Getting up and down stairs is an effort some days, never mind clumping around in ski boots in and out of lift stations up and down steps etc. Let alone the actual skiing itself. Am needing to drink quite a lot more water and eat odd things at irregular times, and I just don't think I would enjoy a ski hol at the moment, and this is someone who goes three times a year and used to live in Austria and is totally hooked.

I would go on the holiday though, relax in the sun/snow, have some pamper treatments and enjoy the break.

D

this happened to me 6 years ago. i cancelled the trip. and had to pay for dsil and dbil
s deposit as tehy were meant to be going with us. they could have still gone but allowed us to take the hit on their deposut too !a bummer but muc better than the risk of losing the baby whilst skiing.....

I'm a ski instructor and chose not to ski when pg. I've seen too many accidents on the easy slopes to think they are safe (obv. not in my lessons ).

DH went skiing and I had a great holiday sunbathing, reading and walking.

I wouldn't ski when pg. I'm a good skier but I have had some falls/crashes that just came from nowhere - bit of stone on the piste, nutter snowboarding teenager, is all it takes.

Could you do cross country skiing maybe? That would mean you are off on the very quiet cross country tracks, little chance of being bashed into or falling over (as it's basically flat), but you still get to see the lovely mountains and get some exercise.

Minipie, I thought about cross-country ski-ing, (for me, rather than OP!) :). But I was warned that as it uses a fair amount of tummy muscle bits it isn't a great idea, unless it's exercise that you're already used to best not start when pregnant. Am not really fit to start off with, and know that the core muscle parts wouldn't be doing way more than they're used to...so that put me off. I guess it depends on your level of fitness /stomach muscles though!