Middle of nowhere and pregnant?
 

For the last week of March we are planning a road trip to West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. We will be leaving from the Dallas area. We want to see Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, and White Sands National Monument. During this time I'll be 29 weeks pregnant, which will be in my 7th month. I realize that I will not be able to hike much and do many activities. I'm currently wondering about the road trip and if there are hospitals close by in case of an emergency. Would you attempt a road trip in the middle of nowhere (to and from these parks) during this time? I know that some of these areas are very rural and may not even have a gas station for 50 miles or so. Thoughts?

If you would not do a road trip to one of these parks, where would you recommend to go driving from Dallas? We are into historical places, parks, museums, etc. We are both into photography so we do love to take photos!

Thanks!

Interesting perspective so topping for the right answers.

You can be a like a pioneer. Isn't that how the west was won? I am sure there were pregnant women on wagon trains

Yeah, and many them died in childbirth. What an odd comment.

kygirlintx, I wouldn't have done a road trip like that in the third trimester. For me, sleep was elusive, sitting too long was painful and bathroom stops were at least twice an hour. YMMV and you'll obviously be consulting your OBGYN about her/his opinion. I admire your enthusiasm though!

The Guadalupe mountains are beautiful.

Yes, will be consulting the OB. I'm not high risk or anything, just being cautious!

I personally wouldn't want to be that far from a doctor (any doctor), but each person's level of risk tolerance is different.

I went on a snowmobile trip over a long weekend when I was 7 mos pregnant. My OB said the baby was well protected but I shouldn't get a broken leg. I was comfortable the whole time but I did get tired the weekend before when I helped with my sister's wedding and all that cooking, running around, and church ceremony wore me out. We were on trails that were more than an hour or two from the nearest road. Although once we were at the motel I think we were within 50 miles of a hospital.

If you are feeling strong and healthy, you should be active. Discuss this with your OB person.

How about New Orleans?

I used to live in West Texas (Midland). When I was about 7 months pregnant I went on a weekend trip to Ruidoso Downs with some friends (about a 4-5 hour drive, I think).

My friend had a huge Lincoln Towncar and the back seat was like a sofa, so it was probably as comfortable as it was going to get. However, sitting for long periods of time was not that comfortable and we needed to stop often for me to walk around and/or use the bathroom.

You can drive for a long time through West Texas without seeing anything - homes, gas station, even another car.

Thanks for all of the responses. I'm now looking into alternatives!

If you're following I-20 it appears there are no great distances between cities that should have hospitals until you're west of Odessa. Pretty empty from there until El Paso. Should also find hospitals in Carlsbad, Las Cruces, Roswell, Hobbs and Alamogordo.

There are doctors and hospitals all over southern New Mexico. You should be fine in case something happens. I don't know, though, that I would want to spend hours in the car at that stage of pregnancy.

Lee Ann

I don't think it is a wise trip at all. Guadalupe is really a hikers park(so I have read, I am going there in June). Carlsbad is some walking and to fully experience it you need to walk a lot. The bats won't be there at this time of year, which is a shame to miss out on them. I guess the White Sand Dunes could be seen from the car just fine.
The town of Carlsbad would have a fairly small hospital.

I flew from Hawaii to Portugal when I was 7 months pregnant. Had a wonderful time. just had to remind myself to elevate my legs during the long flights and on buses in Portugal.

I would do this, but if you are concerned you might want to find a convenient city somewhere and limit yourself to day trips.

This thread reminded me of this article -
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/hea...htm?csp=34news

I can't tell if your starting point is Dallas, but what about the San Antonio area? It's possible the wildflowers will be in bloom, but it might occur later.

In any event, I always proceed on the side of caution and would not go somewhere that did not have superior hospitals at that stage of a pregnancy. Small towns in Texas can be decades behind metropolitan areas. I haven't had to seek treatment in New Mexico although I've been there many times. My impression based on lodging and other services available in the White Sands area is that I would not expect spectacular medical centers.

El Paso and Carlsbad, NM both have Medical Centers. San Angelo, Midland and Hobbs, NM have regular hospitals.
Check with your medical insurance provider about where to go if you would go into labor.
Dallas to El Paso via Odessa 638 miles-9.5 hours.
El Paso to Carlsbad 166 miles plus detour into Guadelupe 3 hours plus detour.
Carlsbad to Dallas via Big Springs 475 miles-7.5 hours.
I would not venture as far as White Sands.