Glastonbury 2010 - any tips

[ImaKara]

I'll be going to the Glastonbury Festival this year, and by the time it rolls round I'll be 22-23 weeks.

Just really looking for advice from anyone who has been to a festival whilst preggers, i.e. how to cope with all your friends getting merry on the legendary cider and how you found it generally, also anything you may have brought with you that you couldn't live without.

This is my first so I have no idea how my body will be treating me during pregnancy. Maybe I should just spend the entire time in the stone circle being blessed...

Thanks - Kara

I'm so jealous! I wish i was going - but will be FAR too pregnant by then!
I have however been to Latitude with a friend who was 7 months pregnant. She just took it real easy and didn't push herself too much. She also made sure she had a big double blow-up bed and nice comfy duvet!
So just make yourself comfortable and optimise the time that everyone else is nursing hangovers to lie in the sunshine (fingers xd) listening to some of the more chilled music during the day.
(dammit - still jealous!)

Take with travel johns, then you don't have to leave tent during night when you need a wee! Also good to take with some pampers bed mat things to stand / squat over while you are using to make sure if you don't catch every drop it doesn't matter!

Also ear plugs in case you want to go to bed early!

2nd the traveljohns. Discovered them a few years ago and everyone in our group swears by them! Perfect for that need in the middle of the night when the cold air gets to your bladder and the last thing you want to do is struggle getting your shoes on and getting down to the portaloo / long drops with your torch

Also definitely go for a nice comfy inflatable mattress.

If you need your sleep, head for the quieter areas to camp such as Park and up near Pedestrian Gate A. However, these are further away from all the action and require an uphill climb back to your tent.

Take a lightweight collapsible camping chair with you that you can carry around with you. I went to a concert a few weeks ago at 30 weeks, and couldn't stay standing throughout all of it.

Comfy shoes are a must. Don't live in wellies as they will kill your feet - they're only useful if it's going to be a wet year (which it won't!).

Midwives are on site at the Medical Center up near the farmhouse if you do feel you need checking over. If you're at all worried it won't hurt to pop up there once you've set up camp so they know you're there, and they can register your tent location. Plus there's an NCT tent in the Kidz Field open from the Friday morning if you need their advice.

I would suggest travelling as lightly as you possibly can. Turn DH/DP into a pack horse and enter the site carrying the bare minimum. Alternatively take a very sturdy trolley for all your gear (pneumatic tires are highly recommended to cope with the rough terrain).

As for everyone drinking around you, I've found that sniffing alcohol is all I need these days when my friends are drinking. They all think it's hilarious! Seriously though, you will find it more tiring than if not preggers and might not get the same buzz as everyone else, but it will still be fantastic.

Oh, and if you're suffering from back ache I can highly recommend Deep Heat patches. You attach them to your clothing and they give off about 8 hours of warmth. Just like having a hot water bottle strapped to your lower back

You're going to have a great time . Really looking forward to it with PFB who will be just 4 weeks old if he arrives on due date [crazy hippy parent emoticon]!

Loo roll and wet wipes....

Oooh Kara I'm going to Glasto this year too and will be about 25 weeks pregnant. I'm so excited about it. Don't remember seeing that many pregnant woman wanering around when I've been before but I'm sure I'll see loads this year. Maybe even you

I'm planning on taking a nice thick air mattress and one of those 'she pee' things so that I don't have to sit on dirty loo seats all the time. Definitely an ice cream tub for middle of the night pees too . We are also looking into getting one of those sturdy garden trolleys to carry all our stuff in to save killing DP! This will them be able to double as a portable bed for our lo when we take them to Glasto in a few years time And a light weight camping chair that DP can carry round for me to sit on as and when I need to rest my feet.

Well, have an absolutely fab time. Here's to rocking out and chillin with a bump at Glasto 2010

i usually go to t in the park, leeds and rock ness but i can't handle the thought of people being off their tits and touching my belly, ive been quite sensitive about my personal space since i've been pregboats.

I will probably still go to a couple of little relaxed fezzies though and just take it easy.

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies. I think the traveljohns are defo going to be top of the list. When I told the boyfriend I could happily pee from the comfort of our tent, the look he gave me... well it was as if I told him he couldn't watch any World Cup games.

Looks like I'll finally get all the luxuries I've always wanted when camping - an air mattress, being able to pee without making a horrible midnight trek - bliss.

glastochick - thanks very much for all the input on the onsite stuff. Hope you and your little one have an amazing time.

ellabella2 - hope you have a great time too. Though at Glastonbury's 40th celebration I'm sure it won't be hard.

Nothing further to add but I was absolutely gutted to not get tickets. Sulked for a day or two, took a test a few days later and LO is due on 26 June so perhaps it was fate that kept making the website crash. That and I think I'd rather be in the full throes of labour than watching Bono et al shrieking their self-satisfied lungs out but that's probably just me . Have a wonderful time!

Hey chaps,

Im off to Glasto to. Will be 30 weeks pregnant.

So far I have bought a Whizz (so I can wee standing up) - means the portaloos wont be too horrific. www.funkyleisure.co.uk/whiz-freedom-84-p.asp

I also have a huge, brightly coloured umbrella and have written "Baby on Board: Please Dont Bump the Bump" all over it.

DH is taking an airbed and a folding chair for me. I reckon I'll survive! The only hard part will be not having a beer or a cheeky toke during Stevie Wonder's set!

And I'm planning to go to Latitude when I'm 34 weeks - someone recommended bringing a tent you can stand up in, so you're not crawling about on the floor the whole time!

..am totally inspired!

we've got tickets, but i'd really started to chicken out (i'll be 35 wks)and obsess about those Toilet of Doom scenarios..

but these are such great tips. am now going to pack a large icecream tub, and think of Stevie.

feeling much better - thanks all!

I'll be at Green Man when I'm 27 weeks. I didn't realise I'd be quite so far along when I booked the tickets (I'd miscounted the weeks on my calender ), but I'm glad to know I won't be the only heavily pregnant person at a festival. A trolley to lug stuff from the car to the campsite sounds brilliant, and a she-pee and folding chair are top of my list.

Again, super jealous!! [envy[ I'm 30 weeks so won't be at any festivals this summer. Always next year ;)

If I were going my top concerns would be:

• Something comfy to sleep on. Not good for pregnant ladies to sleep on their backs so you'll be wanting a lilo and some pillows to try and prevent that happening.

• Toilets. Ugh. Try those she-pee things maybe for better aim while you're nervously hovering over one of the portaloos.

• Heat. If it's a really hot weekend, then you need to be careful not to get over heated. Avoid being in the sun for long periods of time, sit in the shade, walk around slowly, drink lots of water, buy a cute hat and wear sunscreen.

Other than that I'd imagine you'd be fine as long as you have someone to help you get the tent and all your gear set up and you don't try and push yourself into staying up really late at night. Unless you go for a nice nap in the afternoon that is!!

I went to the free rage gig on the 6th and it was only for the day, I ached and was only coming up 18 weeks, my undoing, trying to act as if I was not pg, should of sat/relaxed more

But have comfy shoes and clothes, sod picking something just cause it looks nice but will feel awful.
Take a good but portable seat and sun hat, claires have some really nice ones and cheap, I got a lovely funky straw hat for about £12

Nice to see this thread revived

I am getting sooo excited now about going to Glasto - only just over a week to go.

I will be looking out for other's with a baby bump and wondering if it is any of you Bumblingaround, SkaterGrrrl and others

Really love the sound of your Baby on board brolly SkaterGrrrl

Woo Hoo here's to going to Glasto with a baby on board

I used to go to lots of dance music festivals, and wouldn't do that pregnant because IMHO you need drugs to enjoy the music!

But Glasto has load of lovely chilled things to see and do... there's world music, jazz, comedy and films plus the spectacle of the Great British Public being their silly daft best!

Rather than pushing my way to the front of the Pyramid stage with every student in Britain, I plan to sit my folding chair down on the fringes of the chilled stages and soak up the tunes and the atmosphere. Looking forward to seeing Femi Kuti and George Clinton. The Green Fields will also be great, I expect I can get a belly cast of my bump and get my tummy painted psychedelic patterns.

Sudden thought - we might get loved up people wanting touch our bumps, if that will bother you, keep your belly under wraps!

Hey there pregnant Glasto goers! We would love for you all to come to our grand opening of the Mum's Tattoo Parlour in The Park on Friday at 11am.

We're planning a photo shoot with all the pregnant ladies of Glasto and special guests!

There will be plenty COMFY sofas, healthy (and not so healthy) food and other wonderful things to spoil you all!

We're working at the festival to raise awareness about our campaign to make every pregnancy safe for women around the world.

Come and join us!!!

www.youtube.com/whiteribbonalliance www.mumsnet.com/campaigns/maternal-mortality

(I have also heard about a meeting for about 17 pregnant glasto goers on Wednesday at 5pm at the Radical Midwives tent if anyone is keen.)

Lovely Katy - I leave London Fri morning so will probs miss the photo shoot but will stop by the tattoo parlour another time.

ah shame! but look forward to giving you a comfy seat and refreshments another time!!!

I'm coming!!! I'm 30 weeks today. Only just seen this thread, bit gutted I didn't see it before so I had longer to get excited with everyone. We're heading up v.early on Friday morning to minimise nights spent under canvas. I've got a camp bedto sleep on which I'm hoping will be comfier than our air mattress as it gives a bit more support.
Also been practicing all week with my new whizz-away.
Glad I have as it's been quite hard to overcome the psychological block of peeing standing up!!
Oooooh sooo excited now!! It's gonna be fun spotting other preggos and wondering if they are mumsnetters!
Hopefully see you all there!

Yay BooStar! I'm 30 weeks too.

So glad the weather forecast is sunny so it wont be like the Somme this year.

Might nip out to a charity shop at lunch and see if I can get a crop top to flaunt my bump in the sunshine.

The talkboards Ive been reading advise checking out where the medical tents are in case (god forbid) you need them. But that sensible step taken care of, lets have fun! We're pregnant, not sick

So how did all the pregnant festival goers get on?

Wasnt the weather lovely

As Ive said on another thread, next time I go to a festival, I'm stuffing a cushion up my shirt - I was treated like royalty, bumped to the front of queues and got a lot of love.

Probably because I was walking around with my bump painted like this.

Wow! Loving the bump art SkaterGrrrrl and know what you mean about being treated like royalty - got a sweet parking spot even though we didn't turn up til friday, friends pitched our tent before we got there, and ditto on the love and Q jumping!

Wasn't Stevie amazing!? As was Ray Davies from the Kinks.
Great weekend.

Hope everyone had a brilliant time

What a beautiful painted bump SkaterGrrl. I was planning to do the same but just never quite got round to it! Was too busy trying to keep from over heating and stuffing down chai and cake in the Green Fields

My best memories are dancing to Faithless and Scissor Sisters and Florence and the Machine was also great. Also found the best wholemeal crepes in a lovely Tipi cafe on the edge of the Tipi Village. Also watching the sun set with DP sitting above The Park.

I am off to Womad at the end of July and plan to definitely get my bump painted then.

Am gutted I did not read this thread about the meet up/photo shoot before now. Never mind.

After watching other parents with tiny ones we decided that it will be a few years before we return as a family. DP will probably go with friends next year and I will live it vicariously from the sofa with our buba

Glad to hear everyone had an amazing time. I had such fun. A couple degrees cooler and it would have been perfect but I will take sun over rain any day. Noticed lots of pregnant ladies walking around I was surprised by their energy - with the heat I was having a siesta every day. But it was so chilled out and got lots of love from fellow Glastonburians.

The travel johns were a god send - I really don't know what I would have done without them.

I missed the photo-op as I was so busy in the run up to the festival I didn't have a chance to pop on to MN, plus I thought this thread was long dead. Oh well.

I agree with you ellabella2, we thought we would be the LO next year but just watching other people do it we thought we'll at least wait until they can run around and dance to the music.

I'm just happy that my last festival experience for a while to come was so wonderful.