Paris trip at 38 weeks

[PipPipPip]

I'm considering taking a 2-night trip to Paris two weeks before my due date.

Is this crazy? I'm only 28 weeks now, so I'm not sure how I'll feel at that stage.

I'd be going from London and taking the train, so the journey itself is comfortable and quick.

I'm fit and have had a trouble-free pregnancy. I'd be travelling with partner and my parents so would have support.

But will I be all grouchy and uncomfortable at that stage? What is the likelihood of going into labour a fortnight early?

Is this a lovely pre-baby experience with family or a really dumb idea?

Hi, I guess what would worry me is the fact that at that point it's full term and although everyone always assumes first babies are going to be late that isn't actually always the case.

I've also read Southsearocks thread and it does bring home the reality of something going wrong when you're away from home, in that it's not so much that there won't be great medical care and or that the end outcome is very likely to still be a healthy baby, it's that you can literally get stuck miles away from home at a very stressful time.

I've been travelling with work and for pleasure a lot during my pregnancy but as it gets towards the end for me it won't be a case of how active I am that would primarily drive my decisions, but how prepared I am to be that far away from home and hospital. For instance even though I'd have a great support network, still be within the NHS so wouldn't need insurance, I wouldn't even go to my Mum's in England at 38 weeks as I just couldn't face being that far away from home or the thought that my DH may have to head back across the water without me, but at 37 weeks all being well I'm happy to plan a night in a lovely hotel for my wedding anniversary that's an hour and a half down the road.

I wouldn't if I were you. I'm 38 weeks and have had a complication free pregnancy (apart from constant sodding nausea) and in the last week I have developed mild spd and it's very painful to walk.

I am also peeing every 5 mins and my tummy is constantly upset so I'm not venturing further than the school run. I'm not saying you will feel yucky at 38 weeks, but many women feel uncomfortable and achey as baby is so big. I would say the travelling will be very uncomfortable.

I drove 4 hours to visit parents over NY and it was absolute agony because baby just fills me up now. I would say for you to stay close to home at that late stage.

Well, going against the grain, we did exactly this when I was 38 weeks...we went to Lille in the car. I had text book pg and no issues at all (until the birth but that is another story!) We had a lovely weekend sans enfant, and came home. DS arrived on time, 2 weeks later.

I had my E111 card and I speak French fluently! I was well aware that there was an outside chance that I'd have him in France.

Only you can decide. Given the chance I would do it again, but go on the train and not drive.

I agree with you that some women feel energetic up tp the last minute. I did in my first pregnancy. Felt like I could walk miles. In this pregnancy, I feel so utterly exhausted. Getting to work is proving really hard. I was super energetic in 2nd tri but as soon as I hit 30 weeks, tiredness has kicked in big time.

I personally would not risk it but see how you feel nearer the time.

There was a recent thread on this, the op wanted to got to Ireland at 38 weeks.

Bear in mind all the recent Eurostar delays and cancellations, due to snow, strikes, volcanic ash (ok that was airports!) but there do seem to be loads of travels delays and I know many people being delayed when travelling across the channel in the last year, myself included.

also if you did have the baby in France you would need to sort out the baby's passport before you can travel.

Or could you just go a bit earlier on Pip? More like 30 weeks? I would be ok with that but I don't think you would really enjoy it at 38 weeks - too waddly, tired and cumbersome. Or...go after baby out. Newborns are very portable!

oh yes go when the baby is small, get a decent sling, and especially if you can breastfeed, you don't need much more then a couple of spare nappies.

lucy101, thanks, I would definitely be concerned about that if I was travelling to the US etc. Fortunately in the country I travel to the baby would automatically have to be covered by DH's health insurance (they have a system of compulsory private insurance). I've actually considered choosing to give birth there due to the very high quality care I've seen other people receive, so have no concerns about that. Staying there for months wouldn't be an issue either, I'm planning to spend a lot of my maternity leave there anyway and we have a home there.

I definitely could have done this in my pregnancy - at 38 weeks we went for a weekend in Brighton & went dancing till 2am at Mr Scruff instead - but I would be anxious about being far from home if something did happen - which is not out of the realm of possibility, even in a normal pregnancy.

Mainly? NL? I would love to give birth there.

Well guessed GoldFrakkincenseAndMyrrh . I love the presumption of home birth for healthy pregnancies. I visited a friend in hospital the day after she'd had a c-section. It was completely amazing. I couldn't believe it was a standard room she was in! Her DH was able to stay over, the room was really well equipped with arm chairs, toaster, coffee machine, microwave, a built in baby bath where the water came out at exactly 37 degrees. Then they got 8 days with a home help after she was discharged, which is standard. Fab.

I only decided against it because by the time I finish work for maternity leave I don't think I'll be wanting to move countries!

MainlyMaynie holy moly, I'm obviously considering taking a day trip to the wrong country. That sounds incredible!!!

Oh absolutely the wrong place for a trip where you might give birth! Netherlands all the way....

I really wish we still lived there, except my Dutch is terrible. But they almost all speak perfect English anyway so that probably wouldn't have been a problem.

Gold- true about the full monitoring etc- but other than that I was quite happy with my birth in Paris- lovely midwife, very reassuring- but then I prefer being in the high-tech environment when giving birth so it didn't bother me iyswim. But also it wasn't my first dc, so I was more confident in myself. I find it so weird that here you have to stay 4, 5 days after birth and in the UK it's more like a day, isn't it?

I would have been fit and spry enough to enjoy a trip t paris at 38 weeks, but wouldn't have risked a labour on unfamiliar territory, I think.

Can you go sooner?

As soon as I went into labour, we went out for dinner, imagining it would be the last time for ages. Actually it was so easy carting Ds around as a bf baby - we went on a weekend break when he was 2 weeks old, and by 9 weeks we went to a Greek Island involving independeny ferry crossings etc. You don't need to view the birth as the end of your adventurousness. (that will come soon enough once your baby is crawling)

Were you under French care the whole way through, winny? And IIRC you were in America before?

Transferring is deeply not fun It's so, so different to the UK it's unreal. Had we been there I'd be going for a homebirth, I mentioned that as a possibility here assuming a normal pregnancy etc and the midwife practically had a fit.

Blu has a good point actually! Small babies are very portable indeed. We took DD from London to Orkney at 9 weeks.

I've got a stalker, yay

Yes, whole pg here. Very similar to the U.S. iirc.

I don't remember anything special about prenatal care, here- appointments with midwives once a month or so, few blood tests, urine test each time, I think...Hmm, the only thing was when they asked me whether I drink alcohol and when I answered that, yes, I have a small glass of wine with dinner most days, they went' oh, no, we were asking whether you drink, as in a lot of vodka'- that was very different from the U.S. doctor who was terified

But for birth itself I waited at home til contractions got every 3 minutes, then took a cab (only 5 minutes away), was instantly whisked away to the exam room, labour confirmed, strapped to the monitors etc- that was a bit annoying as it meant I couldn't deal with the pain as easily- so had epidural almost at the last moment, waited an hour for dd to descent on her own (she was huge), pushed for 20 minutes, no episotomy (did have a tear), voila. Really, it was very quick, staff lovely, perhaps not super-chatty, but nice and professional.

How far along are you?

terrified, that is

Blu - thanks for your post! I agree that having a baby is just the start of the adventures! We'll hopefully be attending a music festival that my partner organises (at 4 months) and Fiji (at 7 months). Plus we're going to Seville at 32 weeks pregnant.

The Paris timing was because my lovely parents are coming over from Australia to support us before/after the birth. They arrive when I'm 37 weeks pregnant, so I wondering if it is too late to whisk them off to Paris.

But thanks to all the great advice I've had on this thread, I've decided not to. If my parents and I do any pre-birth adventuring, we'll keep it closer to home :)

Gold my Dutch isn't great either, I'm planning a lot of classes during maternity leave :o.

When I lived in US I visited friends in hospital there and think the NL ones were much better. Food ordering better in the US though and I like the fact that people get more attention in early pregnancy.

It seems possible to have great experiences everywhere though. A friend gave birth in Thailand and that sounded lovely.

My first baby arrived at 38 wks exactly, and the second at 39 wks, so I definitely wouldn't consider far travel at that stage. I was also very uncomfortable with back pain etc - not much fun!

I spent a night in a French hospital at 32 weeks for monitoring following a minor car crash. My schoolgirl French totally deserted me and I couldn't communicate at all, it was horrible! I wouldn't have liked to give birth there. On the plus side I had a spotlessly clean private room.

We went to Wales when I was 36 weeks, it was lovely. Definitely a good idea to try to have a break as late as possible, but maybe in the same country!

I'm 27 weeks currently.

So far I've noticed more scans - definitely 3 instead of 2 and v conscientious about calling you back even if there's 1 tiny thing they didn't get, scan if they cant find HB with doppler even v early, monthly blood tests (toxoplasmosis), GTT as standard even if you don't fit into the at risk category, much more thorough blood screens, no chance of labouring in water for a first labour, and I had to be 'signed off' to midwife led care and fight for no internals, no IV line in labour (will just have the catheter for access) etc. They really don't seem to like the word 'why?' either.

My midwife is lovely though. The head midwife I saw to decide who should do my suivi integral said she was the most relaxed and pro-natural-birthing/motherhood midwife they had (subtext she thinks my mw is a complete lentil weaver) but I'm much more hippyish than my mw and I don't think I'm that lentil weavery by UK standards!

But then the US mother I worked for in the UK said she was shocked at how lax the NHS antenatal care was it's all down to experience and attitudes I guess. Having done all my training and worked with newborns mostly in the UK I find France deeply scary because for me that's not what birth is like.

If we were in Paris I'd go to les bluets though - that's supposed to be more chilled.