adogaer

We are in the early stages of planning a 2 week trip in May '04. I will be 5 months pregnant at the time. Anyone have any insight as to what I'm getting myself into here?

Here's what we'd like to see:
Venice
Florence/Pisa/Tuscany
Rome
Pompeii

Are we trying to do too much? I will still be able to walk just fine so I'm not worried about that. Just wondering if anyone has experience travelling while pregnant. How many days would you suggest in each city? We're open to an open-jaw flight since that seems more logical than a round trip since we're all over the country. We like the history and art so we'll be doing most of that. We are used to go-go-go type of vacations rather than the relax and take in the atmosphere type of trips. So cramming alot into one day is not unusual for us.

Also, what is the best way to travel between cities? My dh wants to drive a car and I say train.

Oh yeah, I work for Choice hotels so there is a possibility of getting a discounted room the closer it is to our trip. Does anyone have any comments on them (Quality Inn, Clarion, Comfort Inn). We used Choice when we traveled in England and Paris 5 years ago and didn't have a bad room once. We will mostly use the room as a place to lay our head at the end of the day so tons of amentities aren't important.

Now that I've written a book...sorry...feel free to comment on any or all. TIA!!
~Allison

Frances

Being pregnant makes you tired when you wouldn't otherwise be
At 4 months I used to crawl into bed every day on holiday and sleep for a couple of hours even if I'd not done anything strenuous at all!The comfort of the mattress overtook good food as my main priority in stopping anywhere overnight.
I also found that even though on one holiday I could walk as well as ever I seemed to have left my stamina at home.This meant that you may go out for a day but end up taking far more breaks than you would have imagined you were going to need.
My mistake was thinking it wouldn't happen to me........

Patrick

OK, I looked at this curious if you were telling us you got pregnant in Italy or if you were looking for advice on how to get pregnant in Italy. Thankfully it was neither!

dln

Allison, I'd skip Pompeii for this trip. It's nearly two hours train from Rome to Naples, and then you still need to switch onto a local train. And it's such a beautiful, fascinating place that you might find yourself wanting to explore it for hours! Not a good thing for your feet and body at five months' pregnant. Plus, it's all rough stones--no smooth pavement anywhere. You won't be as nimble with a bump out front than you'd be otherwise!

And you will be more tired, as well. This shouldn't present a problem in any of the cities you want to vist, because you can simply go back to your hotel room and nap. As for length of stay in each city, I wouldn't unpack my bags more than three times in two weeks, so how about five nights in your starting city, four nights in the middle (Tuscany), and five nights in Venice. Or whatever combination better fits your flights. Open jaw is definitely a good idea! So is travelling by train in the city parts of your trip, and using the car for Tuscany only.

Finally, you might think now that you can cram a lot into this Italian trip, since you are used to that kind of vacation, but let me tell you, Mother Nature has other plans for you! My husband and I made one trip when I was pregnant the first time, six months along. I was very young, very energetic, full of enthusiasm, etc. (you get the picture). When I look back at our travel photos, I am amazed at how more tired and tired my face looked as each day went on! If I only knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have tried to see it all at such a breakneck pace. So please take this old mom's advice and go easy on yourself, even if you don't want to! And enjoy your trip, too!

Budman

Think about the strain you are going to put on your poor husband. He'll have to carry all that luggage and shopping goodies himself. Loading on/off the train? Take the car.

Grinisa

During both my pregnancies, I travelled to Italy during months four and five. The worst part about it was that my husband strictly controlled my wine intake. Other than not being able to enjoy as much delicious Italian wine as I would have liked, there wasn't much difference to me traveling while pregnant. On most days, I did take a break or nap with my feet up in the hotel room in the late afternoon. I don't think you will have a problem seeing what you want in two weeks. I might do three days in Venice, five or six days in Florence or nearby, taking daytrips to Pisa and other Tuscan cities, five or six days in Rome, with a daytrip to Pompeii. No need for a car for these destinations although if you base yourself outside of Florence, a car would be useful to reach some of the smaller towns.

grandmere

And don't eat unpasteurized cheese! I don't know about Italy, but most French cheese is not pasteurized.

Have a wonderful trip!

adogaer

Thank you all for your replies thus far. It's my second child so pregnancy isn't a new thing. I do think we may be cramming in too much. I also think we may have to shorten the trip as our budget may not allow the length we desire. We are being given $2500 for hotel and meals. Doesn't sound like enough but hopefully I'll be able to get that great discont with Choice. When we went to England and Paris our hotels averaged $65/night. Hoping for the same baragins.

Speaking of, any comments on the Choice hotels in Italy?

JonJon

Am I correct in assuming there won't be any "issues" with the airline as to your pregnancy..in terms of how "far along" you are...I would hope not. Perhaps others may comment on this for reassurance puproses

Huitres

I would not worry at all! I, too, take "go-go-go" type vacations like you do and have lots of energy and motivation. I was pregnant in Italy so I can relate to this question! We went in September/October 1999 for 3 weeks while I was 5 1/2 months pregnant and visited 3 countries besides Italy! In fact on that trip, I visited all the same places you've indicated wanting to see in Italy - except Pompeii. In Florence, I climbed the Duomo's tower (pausing at nearly every other landing). I did the same in Pisa's famous leaning tower. I walked everywhere and felt great. The only thing is that you have to use the toilet often (the whole "pressure" thing increases as the pregnancy progresses) and bathrooms were sometimes few and far between. But if you scope out each location upon arrival and notice that the bathrooms are only located up at the entrance, then you will know where to run when time neccesitates! From your itinerary, the only slight 'problem' I see would be Pompeii because it is so huge and there is a lot of walking. The bathrooms were by the main entrance and inside the grounds, adjacent to the gift shop/restaurant. In Venice, I would just get off a vaporetto and walk into a bar or cafe and head straight for the bathroom, I was never stopped or questioned. It was obvious!

I got a lot of opened doors, people vacated seats on buses, public transportation, etc for me (still do -- now that my little one is 3 1/2 years old!). It was quite nice. You will manage fine. Just remember to bring very comfortable walking shoes (I wore the "Mushrooms" brand with a gel insole that was so, so comfortable - even at days' end!)

ira

Hi ado

You can take a daytrip on a bus from Rome to Pompeii if you wish. www.enjoyrome.com

You might find these two threads helpful

Ira?s TripReport
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34451044

Helpful Information: Italy http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34443340

Enjoy your trip.

adogaer

Thank you Huitres...very helpful. I forgot about the urgency thing.

THank you ira. I read your trip report and am overwhelmed with information. Haven't gotten to the 43 page information post yet. Need to rest.

Here's a food question...
My husband and I don't eat seafood. Is that going to be a problem? Also, my husband is very picky...doesn't like weird sauces, garnishes, etc. He eats like a 5 year old. I imagine there's lots of common pasta dishes around that will satisfy him?

We talked about transportation last night and I think we're going to do public transport in Rome and Venice but rent a car for our trip thru Tuscany.

Still worried about costs of hotels and food, especially after seeing ira's report. Average meals around 50E? I better start saving some extra money! We're sure to go over our $2500 budget!

Thanks again everyone for your help!

Jocelyn_P

Allison,

Food won't be a problem. There is a wide variety of delicious, simple, and inexpensive food throughout Italy. IMO the "fast food" in Italy is much better quality than what you find in America. I actually really like the cafeteria-style places. Plus, a simple picnic with meat, cheese, bread and fruit is the best!

Be sure to post a detailed trip report when you get back; Italy through the eyes of a pregnant woman will be valuable info to have on the board. Good luck!

Ryan

My wife and I went to Italy a couple of years ago when she was 4 months pregnant. We had our then 1 year old with us. You'll be fine. Florence is a compact city, and if you want it to be, so is Venice. In terms of Rome, they have a subway and plenty of cabs.

Perhaps this is a good chance to get used to the relaxation type vacation. When the kids come along, go-go will take on very different meaning.

The only downside may be that you will not partake in a good glass of chianti or Barolo with dinner.

Grinisa

You don't need to spend 50 Euro on every meal. Pizza is very inexpensive. Two pizzas (they are meant to serve one person)and two soft drinks will be about 25 Euro. At Der Pallaro, near Campo di Fiori, you can get antipasti, pasta, meat and vegetables, dessert and wine and water for 40 Euro for two. Two other places in Rome that we had a two or three course meal for around 30 Euro were Da Felice in Testaccio and Augusto in Trastevere.

Andrea_expat

We'll be off next week for Italy, and I'm in my 4th month. Not anticipating any problems, but we are going to be flexible in case I do need to take it easy.

My only other suggestion to you is to be SURE to have a 24 hour medical phone number to call if you need to. Check your credit cards and your health insurance; many come with a hotline that you can use for free that will give you the numbers of local hospitals.

I am actually on home rest today for a very slight problem - not, thankfully, that big of a deal, but one for which I DEFINITELY needed to see a doctor.

Don't mean to be a downer, but you'll feel much better if you have a back-up plan.

Have a great trip!