Pregnant and about to go on vacation!!

[suzepear94]

Hi everyone!

Me and my partner are off for our dream holiday to Mexico in 4 weeks and I have found out today im pregnant. Should I be worried, do i need to speak to a doctor? Im more concerned about flying! Any advise would be fab!

There shouldn't be any issues with you flying, though you might want to wear compression socks and try to move around a bit to be on the safe side. You should call your insurer -many, like mine, said they didn't need to be notified but better safe than sorry. However, I would check out the zika risk in Mexico before travelling, I have no idea if its still high or not.

You absolutely need to inform your insurers.

Thank you, the ZIKA is mid-risk at the moment so just going to mosquito spray up, and will call the insurance! Thank you

Honestly I don’t think I’d take the risk with Zika. Travelling is absolutely fine, but I personally wouldn’t want to go to a Zika zone just in case.

The flying wouldn't bother me, but I'd be too concerned with the Zika risk. I also really wouldn't want to use DEET spray when pregnant. I'd see if your insurance will allow you to cancel and claim

This.

Can you not swap for somewhere else with low ZIKA risk? I don't think it's worth it.

Unless we want to loose $3000 we cant cancel, as its less than a month 😣

As someone who tends to travel to this region, I'd definitely not go in your circumstances - not only due to Zika risk but other issues too (chikungunya, dengue, malaria as well as plain and simple food hygiene issues - I tend to end up on antibiotics and anti parasitic medication because of that). Remember that you can't use DEET when pregnant so you'd be left with some natural remedies which simply don't work. And you just need one mosquito to get to you.

If you purchased your insurance before you knew you were pregnant, they should give you your money back in these circumstances.

Also, it doesn't have to be you that gets it. If your partner does and has no symptoms but you are intimate, it can be passed to you. I really wouldn't risk it personally but it's ultimately your decision! Have a safe and great time if you do go x

You can use Deet in pregnancy, just in moderation (follow usage guidelines instead of dousing yourself in it).

@elm26 When I was about to be in a similar situation with a work trip my workplace health screening team said that the amount of DEET that you can safely use, especially in the first trimester, is so small that it's as if you didn't use any (if you really want to repel mosquitoes, especially the daytime biting ones). So, effectively, you can't use it.

@BananaPalm that's really interesting as I was advised by my consultant to use deet spray but follow directions on the bottle don't overspray and plug ins if I could as I was planning on going to Greece last month and I'm allergic to the bites and swell up horribly (I've been so sick with Hyperemesis etc that we cancelled flights anyway!)

Is it to late to change location?

@strawberry2017 yes its 90% cancellation fee at this time, which is the hard part!

Some non-DEET repellents do work. We tested this in Mexico - DP used Boots DEET, I used Incognito. He got bitten, I didn’t! I’ve used it on loads of tropical trips since and never been bitten.

i don’t want to come across as harsh, but even though of course £3,000 is a lot of money, is it worth it if the worst happens and you have a disabled child?

If you had a disabled child, I’m sure you’d gladly pay £3,000 for a cure.

Speak to your insurer as well.

www.medicinesinpregnancy.org/Medicine--pregnancy/Zika-virus/

Not saying you should go or not, but I found this if it's any use x

I think it's worth speaking to the travel agent and your insurance company they might be able to do something x

have a speak with your Dr but honestly the risk of being bitten by a infected mosquito is just not something I'd risk. Babies born with the zika virus are born with awful birth defects 😩

The money is secondary to protecting your unborn child

I wouldn't risk it, no way. If I knew I was going to Mexico, I would have doubled or tripled my birth control methods.

You're in this situation now though, so if you do decide to go and risk it, you are risking your child having severe birth defects. I wouldn't care about £3,000 and that's a lot of money to me, my child's health would be more important.

The cancellation on your booking would be 90% at such a late date, but cancelling and claiming it back on your holiday insurance would refund you the bulk of the cost.
We claimed on a holiday that was cancelled the morning of the flight out.

You can’t go to Mexico pregnant, it’s listed as a zika risk. And you’re an idiot if a holiday is more important than your poor baby. Everyone always thinks it’ll never happen to them until it does. And if you’re just 4 weeks you’re at such a crucial point when everything is just forming and developing.

You know that plenty of people have babies in Mexico right?! Use insect repellent, cover up etc

No harm in flying. I travelled lots when pregnant. Would I go to Zika risk country absolutely not but it depends on your priorities. Disable baby v losing some money. To me it’s a no brainer but obviously people have different priorities. Yes it’s a lot of money to loss but seriously you would go on holiday and enjoy it knowing the risks and what you have to lose. Surely this is where you claim back on your travel insurance.