Holidaying with in 3rd Trimester - Advice needed please

[Wills]

Hi,

Dh and I would love to take dd away for a fornight break prior to the arrival of the little one due in late August. My first suggestion had been to hire a Gite in France in late June early July (7.5 - 8 months pregnant), but my dh and dm hate this idea. They both think I will not be up to the journey by car (I was thinking Aquitane sort of area). I simply can't remember how I felt at 7 months - as it was the middle of winter and we'd just bought a new house that we were desperately trying to make livable. Any 7/8/9 month pregnant mums out there who could give me their current view???

So if that's out then the only other time I could take would be late May (6 - 6.5 months). I should still be able to fly and was therefore considering the Greek islands/ Tuscany etc etc. Any comments/advice please. I'm assuming I can fly until I'm 28 weeks - is that true?

thanks

Chiggles - our paths cross. Thanks for the pointer. I'm currently investigating going on holiday at Christmas with my parents when the little one is 4 months. Dh likes the idea of ideal babysitters and suspects it will be the first time he gets to see his wife in 4 months. Only problem is that they are going to Florida and its incredibly expensive at that time of year. We're probably going to take the "to heck with it" attitude but given that I will be in the depths of maternity leave and that I work for male bastion - therefore bare minimum in terms of maternity benefits - it doesn't really leave anything over for a holiday now. Everywhere I look I can see things that make me long for sandy beaches, warm sunshine, and smell of suntan lotion. I'm going to look into the idea of camping and given your advice will probably look down there for what's on offer. There are times though when I go to the loo up to 12 times a night (ugh) so I'm also going to look into a toilet (possibly a bucket) on the basis that I don't manage to grab a plot near a convenient bush. I'd better also investigate the price of somesort of lifting mechanism to get me off of the blow up bed in the mornings!

Thanks for the advice

Wills - Blow up bed was a problem for us too. We had a puncture and spent most of the time in it pumping it up!! People must of wondered what we were doing at 2 in the morning!!
I have to say that the toilets there are spotless! And the showers are free and there's lots of them. There isn't really far to walk where-ever your site is. But 12 times is alot. Bucket sounds like a good idea if your legs are strong enough!
The beaches in Cornwall are lovely. Only problem with Porth is that when the tide is out it's about 1/2 a mile to the sea. Not far to other beaches though. We love it there. Can't say enough.
I've got the same theory as you 'to heck with it'. You only live once!! If you want anymore info let me know.

Wills when I had DS we were in the process of moving into a new house and the ONLY furniture we had was the blow up mattress. DH and SIL spent the first hour of my labour discussing whether to move in the bed or the sofa for me first. However things moved so quickly then that there wasn't time for any of it - even popping back to collect dry knickers! My waters broke on the mattress which at least made it easier to clean up. I seem to remember mastering a kind of roll and rise to get me up in the mornings.

Have now decided that a holiday at the end of July is just too close to my due date so would probably end up delievering in the tent. I am hoping baby with come at the end of July so that we can manage to get away at the end of August. Is that mad with a 4 week baby? Practically I would like to book a cottage but daren't do so until baby comes in case I go over so it looks like we may be camping after all. There is always October half term as well for a cottage which is a lovely time of year for a holiday. Thinking of Scotland.

Anyone else gone camping with a new baby?

Wills
I am 8 and half months pregnant and only going to IKEA yesterday (1 hour in the car) made me really tired, while I got pins and needles in my legs and feet, I wouldn't dream to go to France.
However Wills, I think this is personal and depends really on how you feel and how your pregnancy been so far.
The other thing to take into consideration is that you will need to go to the toilet a lot (you may remember that when you are so far as I am the bladder becomes very squashed and you will need to go more and more often..)
I would suggest to go away in late May, when you can still fly.
We went to Lisbon in Portugal for a long week end when I was 30 weeks pregnant and loved it. You can walk a lot around to visit the old Lisbon and the shopping area, we took a train and went to the coast for one day and it was lovely, so I guess your DS could enjoy the beach as well as it only takes 45 minutes on the train to get there.
The food is marvellous and people very nice and children friendly.
If you fly with BA (which I did) you will need a letter from your doctor from 26 to 36 weeks. They may not ask you for it when checking in, but I found it very useful to show it when asking for a nice seat with a lot of legroom at the check in.

Katherine, I would say camping with a 4 week old baby is easier than an older one. They tend to sleep anywhere and don't mind being somewhere different when they wake up. We went for a weekend when our son was about 7 or 8 months old and it was OK. A bit cold on the east coast in May though! (Infact, that cold that we got him in our bed to keep US warm!!) We went again for his 1st birthday last August and that was a nightmare! He was waking up at 2am, 3am and one day we took him a walk in his buggy at 5am on the cliff tops!!! We had a break when we got home. Kept our eyes open with matchsticks while we were there. It's just that you need to keep them quiet in a tent which is probably easier with a tiny baby. However, we did go away for bank holiday and he was brilliant so now looking forward to June and August hols in Cornwall in the tent!
Go for it!

We went to Club Med in Ibiza at beginning of Sept and I had DD on November 12th and DS was 3.5 years. It was lovely and I'd recommend it. I was massive but it was so relaxing as it was all inclusive!

A note of caution to anyone intending to go abroad in the last stages of pregnancy. DO make sure you have adequate travel insurance that will get you home quick (and at minimal cost) if you need to. I know someone who went to France at 33 weeks pg and went into early labour. The baby was in an intensive care unit over there and although the healthcare for mother and baby was free, the parents had to charter a private plane at a cost of several thousand pounds, to bring the baby back to the UK (they needed to come back to a hospital with a nurse and doctor escort) as their travel insurance did not cover this! They also needed to sort out a passport for the baby at great inconvenience to the father, who had to return to the UK to sort it out. Fortunately mother and baby were fine.

Don't want to sound like a doom-monger, but sometimes these things can be overlooked.

I don't think you sound like a doom monger at all - just sensible and yes I'm going to check my insurance although I'm confident my dh would have done it by then as well.

Thanks

Ok - its official. DH has finally agreed that we can go camping again. Had such fun last weekend I can't bear the thought of not going again this summer - so we are going 28th June (our wedding anniversay) to Devon. Woopeee.

DH is less enthusiastic but only cos he's worried about me. I'll be 34 weeks (DS was born at 35 wks but it was the day we moved house!). Going to invest in a decent chair though, couldn't get out of the little ones we have last weekend.

Figure that I won't be sleeping at night anyway so doesn't matter if I'm comfy or not. Going with friends so will have help with the kids compared to being stuck on my own at home. When we got back after the bank holiday I felt really energised - like I'd started blooming at long last so I can't wait to go again. Just hope we have decent weather

you are going camping at 34 weeks? are you mad? will you sleep on the ground? are you mad? (sorry, can't help repeating myself!)

Katherine you go camping if you want to. I love it. Think the worst things will be the car journey & getting out of bed! Have a great time.

Wiltshirelass - I have a choice. I can either stay at home and struggle to look after two small kids by myself, whilst trying to keep up with the housework and get on with my own work, with DH 1.5 hours away at work from 6.30am to 7pm at night...... or I can go and stay in the fresh air with beautiful views over the sea and a group of friends to wait on me hand and foot and DH at my beck and call. Which sounds better?

I agree it will probably be uncomfrotable sleeping but then I'm not sleeping anyway. DH is insisting we borrow a blow up mattress this time though and take proper bedding instead of our sleeping bags. Not convinced I'd get in (or out!) of mine anyway so happy with that. At least we have a long wheelbase landrover so can take everything but the kitchen sink if we want (including a spare car seat and baby gear just in case )

I'm really looking forward to it. Can't wait.