gmac17

My wife and I will be going on a trip in mid-may. She will be 3.5 months pregnant.

Her Dr. isn't thrilled about us going anywhere away from a major hospital (she keeps suggesting London...), so we are trying to choose with that in mind.

Puerto Rico, St Thomas / St. John and Cancun are all considerations.

My instinct is that Puerto Rico is probably the best choice, but I don't know anything about the medical facilities in USVI or Cancun. I've read mixed messages in other threads.

I think we'd enjoy USVI the most, but don't want to chance anything too much...any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks

WannabeinaMontserrat

We have gone to Paris & Puerto Rico before the birth of both our children & my wife was in the 6 month stage. We had no problems other than needing to be near a loo at all times. I think PR is a good choice. If you don't decide to go to Vieques or Culebra, take the time to explore the main island. I'll see if I can find my old trip report as well.

beachgirl86

I'm 5 months pregnant, and we were planning on going to Grand Cayman next week. It's a safe, upscale island with good medical facilities from what I've read. We had to cancel our trip because of a complication with my pregnancy, but we re-scheduled for Dec. and we'll just take the baby. Congrats!

SusanSDG

Unless your wife is high risk and/or you've had a really, really hard time getting pregnant, being 3 months pregnant should have no affect on your travel plans. If she loves to travel, even if she has bad "morning sickness" she'll enjoy getting out and about (speaking as someone who had 24 hour sickness for 9 months!). What are your physician's concerns? What is it he imagines anyone can do if something goes wrong at 3 months, regardless of where you are?

emcash

I sort of had the same thoughts as Susan. I was high risk, had difficulty with fertility, and ended up on bedrest for a good part of my pregnancy. We had a wedding to go to in jamaica when i was 16 weeks and my OB had no issue. however, that said, I'm a big proponent of following dr's orders.

PR is great- we always go to the Ritz- and the restaurants are amazing. congratulations and have fun!

hlphillips2

USVI is a fairly quick trip to Miami if medically necessary, plus I'd read the medical facilities aren't too bad when we took our one year old last year. Fortunately we didn't have to use them, though I did have to call the pediatrician once - at least our cell phones worked there.

I'm considered high risk due to age, went through IVF, and we went to Grenada last month when I was 4 months pregnant. I figured there's a good medical school there so at worst I had a reasonable place to go. However we were unable to get US cell phone service there; we also were unable to call home. So had I needed to call my obgyn it would have been tough.

hlphillips2

I should add though that - though it's none of our business here - if your wife has been through multiple miscarraiges or is high risk due to something that could impact her health, you may want to reconsider such a trip until next year.

On the flip side, if a flight to the Caribbean is shorter than a flight to London, I'd think that should be taken into consideration by her physician as well.

emcash

what about bermuda? depending on where you live, if you can get a direct flight, it will be close and i would imagine they have good medical care there.

gmac17

no worries, we aren't high risk. Just have a Dr. who is probably a bit more strict than most...

girlonthego

Personally, I would not go to Mexico and look for good medical care. I would not go with the worries of the water issue and being pregnant.
I like the idea of Bermuda. It is a beautiful island with I am assuming good medical care. It is such a nice place to relax. My brother's son got ill in Bermuda several years ago and he took him to a local doctor recommended by the hotel. He had a very good experience with the doctor.

I was just in Puerto Rico last April. We did not go to the doctor, but I had called my pediatrician for a prescription and the pharmacy in PR would not fill it. You must be seen by a Puerto rican doc in order to have the prescription filled. So, even though it is techinically part of the US, they won't recognize US doctors for prescriptions.
I was not thrilled with Puerto Rico myself. It was really dumpy compared to visiting there in the past. We had a nice time and the food was good, and we visited some family, but still it was not a place I would return to.

I am sure you wife will be fine if she is feeling fine now. I traveled to Hawaii from the east coast at 5mos pregnant with a 1 year old on my lap and we all survived the trip! (My husband had a business trip and there was no way I wasn't sneaking along !)

ejcrowe

I just got back from Guana Island, part of the British Virgin Islands, and there was a woman there who was 5 months pregnant. The kitchen staff worked with her to plan alternative foods for her health (I didn't know that large fish are verboten, for example, because of possible mercury deposits, so nights when tuna or grouper was served, she had a different option.)

She was in excellent condition and seemed to really enjoy the physical aspects of a vacation like that--she and her husband went hiking, swimming, snorkeling, paddle boating, etc, every day.

There are health clinics on Tortola and it's a quick flight to PR for their medical care. But honestly, if anything *serious* were to happen while pregnant, you'd be airlifted to the US, not treated in the Caribbean.

emcash

girlonthego makes a great point about the water. Also, here's something i did when we went to Jamaica-- I had my OB prescribe me antibiotics just in case i got sick there and needed them- since i knew i could have trouble getting meds in jamaica if i needed them. A guardian angel must have been looking out for me, b/c on the day we arrived- i got sick. i was able to get through to my OB from jamaica and he had me start the antibiotics- in 2 days i was better. i'd discuss what you should bring with you just in case.

SusanSDG

For the vast majority of women, pregnancy is a normal, healthy stage of life, and most women feel fantastic during their second trimester. Take the same precautions-food,water, etc-that you would at any time. Buy travel insurance if you're worried, but don't. Your concerns are for the usual variety of vacation illnesses or for injury, and your chances of those are no different when you're 3.5 months pregnant. Wherever you're going, they probably have pregnant women there, too.
Would I climb Everest? No, but I'd do anything else I wanted-it's a lot easier taking Junior along now than it will be the first year

Marigot

I would highly suggest St John for the privacy, peacefullness, and seclusion. Puerto Rico is very noisy, not very safe, not a lot to do at all, terrible service, and bugs that come out on the beach at night that bite. My suggestion would be to stick to St John. You will fly to St Thomas and take a ferry to St John. But it is worth the extra effort because St. John is not over "touristy” in fact it is 75% protected by national parks, over 5,000 under water acres are protected, and it is unspoiled. They have a good hospital on St. John and some good private practitioners. On one visit I became very ill and I did not want the wait of an ER so I called the doctor and he opened the office (behind Dolphin Market) to see me and it was the easiest visit I have had in years! If you go do not miss taking the weekend ferry (Fr, Sat, Sun) to Jost Van Dyke (BVI)e which is an island that only got electricity in the 90's. Once on Jost spend the day on White Bay and then head over to Foxy's for some lunch (Chicken Roti!) and then catch the ferry back around 3:00pm. An additional option is that there are also ferries to Tortola and Virgin Gorda. But remember all are in the British Virgin Islands (BVI’s) so check into the documentation they require because we always just bring our passport. There are two main towns in St John Cruz Bay and Coral Bay. Cruz Bay is the busier side of the island and Coral bay is a little quieter. But the two are only 8 miles apart but the drive takes about 25 minutes due to curvy island roads. If you want a hotel then stay at the Westin ($$$) or Caneel Bay ($$$$) but if you want a more private setting and a better price point consider renting a villa. If you are considering Coral Bay try coconut cottage/ bambooshay or some of the other lovely homes. While in Cruz Bay don't miss Woody’s for some simple but great blackened chicken sandwiches; the Lime Inn for a nice dinner (whole jerked fish); and Sogo's for Caribbean faire (conch in butter sauce). While in Coral Bay do not miss the local night scene at Island Blue's for great food and good live music, Aqua Bistro for lunch or dinner, and drive out to Miss Vie's Snack Shack for some garlic chicken and conch fritters. As far as beaches go don't miss Maho, Francis, Little Lameshure, and hike (flat, on the ocean and only .78 mile) the Annaburg Trail to snorkel at WaterLemon Key for starfish, tropical fish and turtles. No matter what you do I am sure you will have a great vacation! I have travelled all over the World but in the Caribbean and my two favorites that hold a special place in my sole are St. John and St. Barth.

steviegene

Hubbie and I went to St John for our "babymoon" in March. I was 5 months pregnant. This was a great time to visit, as I was big enough to look obviously pregnant (not just looking like I ate too many donuts) but small enough to participate in all activities. We did some moderate hiking, a lot of swimming and snorkeling, a boat charter, etc. I was comfortable and energetic and was able to really enjoy getting away.

St John was a great place to visit. Beautiful and somewhat secluded, but with plenty of nice restaurants and pretty beaches. We rented a jeep and rode all around the island. It was great and we felt perfectly safe. If you are considered a low-risk pregnancy you really shouldn't worry at all.

If you do have a medical problem, my understanding is that there is a clinic in St. John for moderate health problems. If your condition is major/life-threatening there is an ambulance boat that takes you to a hospital in St Thomas. There is also the advantage of your cellphone working because you are technically in US territory.

ccrosner

Congratulations! And how fun that you are able to take a trip before the baby arrives.

I went to Bermuda when I was 8 months pregnant with my daughter and figured we were a short flight home.

I would also consider going to St. Croix as we vacation there and there is a good-sized hospital on island. We have a highly allergic son and are comforted knowing that there is medical care availabe.

Puerto Rico is tricky. Not to alarm you, but I know a family in our town whose husband died while on vacation in PR. He had pancreatitis and it was extremely difficult for the wife to get him proper care. They didn't triage the patients in the ER....it was more like first come first served. And he died from something that could have been avoided had he had better care. I do think there are hospitals and there are hospitals in PR so you may be fine if someone recommends a reputable one to you.