Delhi at 5 months pregnant???

[justhayley]

Hiya iv got an opportunity to go to Delhi over Christmas but will be five months pregnant.
Just wondering what the injection situation is, would I be able to fly, would I need any extra insurance and do you think I'd be putting myself / baby at any risk?

Any travelling tips appreciated.

Thanks x

Am afraid I don't know much about the injections. Am sure you will need some but hopefully you have already had some in the past that are still in your system...

You can fly with most airlines at 5 months (assuming you don't have a risky pregnancy - I would get a doctors letter just in case). I would make sure you are back before 6 months although some airlines let you fly upto 36 weeks. Personally I found it difficult flying long haul at 6 months as my back was sore when sitting down for a long time..

I travelled to the UK (live in SA) and wasn't at all nervous about being there as my family are there and I know the doctor/medical system, but I have a lot of friends who have had Delhi Belly (not nice parti. when pregnant) whilst holidaying in India even though some were very careful what they ate/stayed in 5* hotels or with friends. They still had a great time though! I'm not sure though if you would be worrying a lot and so not enjoying the experience...

With regard to extra insurance I don't think you'd need it but best to have full medical cover just in case..I know living in a 3rd World country myself you would definitely want to visit private hospitals..

If you decide to go, have a wonderful time - I have always wanted to go to India, but 9 weeks pregnant and with a 2 year old don't think it'll happen for a while - boo!

AFAIK there are no required vaccinations before travelling to India as long as you are not arriving from infected countries (for things like Yellow Fever - from the UK you'd be fine for those). However, the list of recommended vaccinations includes:

• Typhoid
• Hep A
• Diptheria

with others suggested depending on where you're going, how long you're going for and what you're likely to be doing while you're there - but if you're going to be staying somewhere fairly westernised (nice hotel, friends house) and doing the main touristy things they shouldn't be necessary. Note that some of those are recommended quite a way in front of a planned trip - if you are going you'd want to get them PDQ.

However, all parts of India are malarial and you would be advised to take prophylactic drugs. The antimalarials considered safest for pregnant women (chloroquine and proguanil) have been around longest and so there are areas of the world where malaria is resistant to these drugs - in those areas lariam tends to be prescribed instead (more effective but less research and nastier side effects reported). I don't know what the situation is around Delhi specifically - if this is the make or break question for you it would be worth calling a specialised travel clinic and finding out.

I don't think you'd need extra insurance as such, but you would want to check your policy carefully to ensure that you and your baby would be covered for any situation that might occur (did you see the thread where a mother's waters broke at 28 weeks while she was in the USA?). Decent healthcare is available in Delhi, but for a price.

There are risks in whatever we do in life. By choosing to go to Delhi you'd be accepting that some risks would be raised - not necessarily big risks to start with and quite possibly raised by only a very small fraction, but still raised. How you choose to interpret that change is going to be highly influenced by your personal approach to risk and your previous experiences.

If it were me I wouldn't go, but then I've been to the country a couple of times for work, don't like Indian food (although for what its worth I don't recall being horribly ill, so its not a foregone conclusion ;) ) and have had complications in a previous pregnancy, so would prefer to stay near a health system that I'm familiar with. But that's me and my decision...

Whether or not to go is a personal choice. Allegedly you're more likely to contract "Delhi belly" in Egypt than India - but wherever you are its not very nice and even less so while pregnant (although the baby should be OK, as long as you can keep yourself hydrated). A lot of pregnant women have taken antimalarials and been OK, but you need to decide whether the benefits of the trip outweigh the risks for you and your family.

I had to visit Delhi a few times for work and it's malaria status changed - we no longer had to take prophylactic anti- malarials, but that is something best discussed with a specialist clinic, as the risk of getting it may be worse the risk of the medication.
What sort of trip would it be? Staying in high-class hotels, access to a driver/regular taxi, organised tourist visits? Or more independent, possibly less 'easy' - I would feel ok with the former but not the latter, also have you been before? Or anywhere similar in terms of chaos/extremes of poverty/crowds etc because it can be overwhelming and in a more emotional pregnant state it might be very difficult to cope with on lots on levels. Weather-wise it should be comfortably cool and dry and it's good timing in your pregnancy, although would be good to discuss with midwife/consultant if poss.

I spent several months in India, Delhi and elsewhere. Staying in high class hotels no way protects you from disease or food poisoning - in my experience (and those of friends) you are more likely to get sick from food in 'western hotels' and tourist restaurants (where more things are frozen/defrosted to cater to western tastes) than you are in local restaurants where the food has been made fresh and hot that day and will be gone in one service. There is no guarantee you won't get hepatitis or another disease wherever you eat, as (with anywhere in the world) it depends on the food hygiene of those preparing/serving it as well as the reputation of the establishment.

If it was me, I wouldn't go, mostly as I know being pregnant I would worry constantly about getting sick and find it very hard to enjoy it. Before I was pg we ate everything, went everywhere and it was only us going to suffer if we got some weird illness, but when there's a baby involved my level of risk aversion rockets. If you are staying with family who'll be cooking and you'll be spending most of your time with them, your risks will be reduced, but not eliminated.

I don't know what the risks of getting travel vaccinations when pregnant so I'd speak to your midwife/obstetrician about it, and take their advice on that and the insurance issue. As another poster says, India is no longer considered blanket malarial - from memory we didn't need prophylaxis in Delhi.

FWIW, I had the opportunity to do some interesting travel in the developing world earlier on in my pregnancy, and my OB was very clear that I would be crazy to do it - I think he would have actively banned me if I'd pushed it! My aunt was also told at six months by her OB when contemplating going to the Middle East 'do you want to go on holiday, or do you want to have a healthy baby'. Harsh/judgmental, or good advice? I don't know...

I traveled through India last December, no required vaccinations and my dr said there was no need for anti malarials, as it is winter. She did very firmly tell me not to touch monkeys and dogs though as the risk of rabies is quite high.

Also I got a nasty case of food poisoning, was out for about 3 days and would have hated that if pregnant.
Make sure you take imodium or similar with you and water purifying tablets. Brush teeth using bottled water, do not open mouth in shower, and stick to vegetarian food.

I had a wonderful time

If you do need to take anti malarials(not sure what the current advice is) and you take chloroquine and proquanil you need to take a high dose folic acid(5mg, only available on prescription) as they disturb folic acid absorption. The silly travel health nurse tried to convince me you could get high dose folic acid over the counter in the UK, you can't, you need a prescription.
Personally while I love India, I don't think I would go while pregnant. But then I'm a worrier.

Thanks for all your messages.
Iv never been to India before (except for sitting in Delhi airport for hours on a change over) but travelled a bit of south east asia so don't think it would be tooooo much of an emotional culture shock.

We would only be going for a week and although depending on price wouldn't be staying in the best of the best hotels we would try and get somewhere nice, or maybe an apartment so we could do self catering - that way u no exactly what your eating.
My partner went to Bangladesh 2 years ago to play football and was put up in amazing places - he ended up getting typhoid and para typhoid and almost died from his liver failing so I'm aware money doesn't equal clean fresh food!

I love travelling and usually getting Ill wouldn't be something I'd stress about, but as you all say things change when pregnant & I don't want to put my bubba at risk - maybe I'll bring a weeks supply of pot noodles, live off those & pretend I'm a student again lol.
The good thing is my best friends husband is from India & it's them we are going with so he'd know the better places to eat I assume as he goes there a few times a year.
Also if there were any medical emergencies he can speak the language which is always a bonus!

Good to know it's not a malaria zone - that worried me.

will deff speak to my midwife and maybe book an appointment with the travel clinic and get some more advice before I go ahead and book it!

Thanks all
Hayley xxx

God No.

After travelling at 24 weeks to a third world country, catching strepB and giving birth to a girl that died 3 weeks later, there is No fucking way I will be travelling to a place with health care that is inferior to high Western standard. I was told that I was just unlucky as chance of this happening was 2%, but my baby is 100% dead now and nothing will bring her back.

I wouldn't - if you want to go on holiday there are lots of other places you could go that don't require you to take strong medication or examine every thing you eat with a microscope....

Sorry for your loss bemybebe

I wouldn't. My dh's family is Indian (mothers side) my well traveled fil went to India and lasted 5 days into a month holiday because of what he saw. My mil went back last year and cried when she told me how bad it had got for the children begging and things she saw. They travel regularly. All Over asia snd found india (my mil lived there until she was 18) too much. I'm pregnant and cried yesterday at the sainsburys advert with the dad and his son. India would be to traumatic for me. It's worse in parts that you think.

No offence intended, but this would be needlessly risky behaviour. When no pregnant this is fair enough, but it is reckless when pregnant. Why risk it if you don't have to?
On several trips I have got very sick in India staying in very good hotels and being extremely cautious. On my last trip everybody on the tour got sick at some point. Even in good hotels you have to handle money, open taxi doors etc and you have absolutely no idea what bugs you are picking up from things. You don't want to be d and v for days with a baby inside you. The last time i went i was sick with diahorrea for five weeks after i got back to the UK before the lab correctly id the bug and found the right pills to kill it.
I did try self catering there and you are kidding yourself- you have absolutely no idea how the food you buy has been stored before it got to the shop/market and the electricity in our fridge would randomly go off during power outages.
I think you may be underestimating the risks because of your desire to go. Babies in the womb die of stomach bugs- thats why we are told to avoid certain cheeses etc

justhayley clearly it's a judgment that's up to you, but if your DP got typhoid visiting the subcontinent and was presumably extremely ill, I'm a bit surprised you'd both be considering going to India when you are pregnant. Pregnant women's immunity is slightly suppressed so you'll be more susceptible to all sorts of bacteria - I've had several tummy upsets and colds since being pg in my normal home setting (I would never normally get anything like that). I don't know if something like typhoid crosses the placenta but would you really want to take the risk for a one week holiday?

I'm sure as an experienced traveler you can take the emotional side of things, but you just can't predict what might crop up health wise. Even if your friend does speak the language, would he know which private hospital in Delhi to take you to in an emergency (standards are not the same all over, believe me). If you got sick would you be happy about staying in a foreign hospital for weeks or longer? Would your insurance airlift you home if you got sick or had some other pregnancy related complication? I don't want to be dramatic, but these are the scenarios I went through when I was thinking about a similar trip and I realised the answer to all of them was 'no'.

bemybaby so, so sorry to hear about your loss

I personally wouldn't go. My greatest fear would be the hygienia.

What about all the vaccinations? I guess you need to have some.
Are they safe in pregnancy?

long flight and a change in climate can trigger all sorts of processes. unusual that what happened to me. i probably was a strepB carrier, but having my immune system slightly suppressed and going somewhere hot (only around 28C) may have triggered it spreading and infecting my membranes.

private hospitals may not have the facilities to deal with complicated issues. even in the uk anybody will tell you that private care can be great, but if it is anything out of the ordinary, they will try to ship you to the nhs... having had an amex platinum travel insurance and excellent private medical insurance I had no problem with paying for anything. the hospital i was taken to was super, excellent doctors, excellent equipment, clean as it possibly can be, etc. only they do not normally care for 24weekers as the hospital is geared for "normal" deliveries and complications, not babies born so early. at the end of the 2 week that my baby lived i was told that they recommend taking her to the state hospital. yes, the hygiene is terrible, yes, it is 8 babies per nurse (we had one doctor and one nurse to look after our dd), but they have better experience and more importantly the ability to put a team together and operate at a very short notice. had we stayed private, she would have been condemned, with moving to the state facility we had a tiny chance. so we had no choice but to go to the state one. she lasted just over a week there.

btw, i am native to this country and i know the system very well and i did not go on a holiday, i just needed to tie some loose ends before giving birth a few months later. there is not a day passing that i do not regret going. now i am 5 weeks pg and have to cancel to trips (Panama and Israel) because I just do not want to take the risks.

sorry for spelling mistakes, was in a hurry

You are just about guaranteed to get a gastrointestinal complaint of some kind in Delhi.

Bemybebe- congratulations on being 5 weeks PG, and best wishes for this pregnancy xx

thank you online i am soooo excited!

being 39, having years of ivf, one mc and this story that only happened last june makes me very sensitive to any risks... as the doctors said "unlucky" but having a tiny chance of something bad happening doesn't mean it won't happen...

bemybebe - sorry for your loss

OP - I am pretty relaxed about this sort of thing but I wouldn't go. The risks to your pregnancy are clear and definable, the only benefit to you is a weeks holiday. There are lots of places throughout the globe that you could travel to and not run those kind of risks. Please think again.

You might guess where I am from the name. I'm an expat, been here over 4 years and my daughter was born here last year.
There are health hazards here which you wouldn't get in the UK:
Traveller's diarrhoea and worse - make sure you get your vaccinations, don't drink the water (even for brushing teeth), peel fruit, wash your hands.
There's no problem with malaria in Delhi but dengue fever is rife at the moment so avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes - but the dengue season will be waning by december and it will be nice and cool then too!

There is no 999 service in India. If you need to get to hospital in a hurry you have to get yourself there. Suss out where you would go. There are several big private hospitals with maternity departments used by expats. Max, Apollo and Fortis la Femme all have doctors trained in the UK. Find out where they are in relation to your accommodation.

Doctors and private hospitals are good (some might say better than at home) but there is doubt over the safety of blood banks. What would you do if you were to need blood? Find out your OH's blood group.

Avoid really crowded places where you might get bumped or crushed - Indians are not known for their love of personal space. You're also likely to draw a crowd as a white (assumption on my part, sorry!) woman with a bump will stand out - a nice talking point though. You will no doubt receive many words of wisdom from the locals.

It's obviously up to you to weigh up the pros and cons but I, and many of my friends, have had perfectly straightforward pregnancies and deliveries here.

If you decide to postpone your trip, it's also a great place to travel with a baby - particularly one that isn't walking or eating solids!

I wouldn't for many of the reasons already mentioned.

• Gastroenteritis can cause miscarriage
• Hepatitis E has a 20% mortality rate in pregnant women - and is common is South Asia.

Hi, it was me who got stuck in the US at 28 weeks preggers, and I have also been to Delhi. If it was me I wouldn't go while pregnant Although I never got a bad tum in the three visits I made to India it is very common no matter where you stay and you can end up in a bad way. But if you do decide to go carefully consider what would happen if there were complications. Find out exactly what your insurance will cover and get it in writing (I emailed ours before we left to ask if I was covered). My insurance covered my stay in hospital but not the labour and would not cover the cost of the baby's care in the NICU, which was potentially going to bankrupt us. All I'm saying is have a think about the risks and weigh it all up.... I was very, very unlucky to have PROM on day three of my ten day trip to see relatives in America but it does happen!

Having said all that I love travelling too so I can understand your dilemma!