Driving/riding in a car for 23 hours while 8 months pregnant??!!

[hollytheteacher]

Okay has anyone done this?

When i am 34 weeks pregnant (and just about 36 weeks on the way back), we plan on going down to Florida for an 11 day vacation. DH is thinking we could save a lot of money by driving down (it is a 23 hour drive and even with a one night stay in a cheap hotel half way down it does save us like $600). My parents are paying for our hotel and food once we are down there (Disney) as well as extra fun things for ds.

But seriously, will I survive? We also have a ds who will be exactly 3.5 years.

Do you think we can do it? I totally agree with DH that it is the frugal thing to do. It's about 325.00 in gas plus a cheap hotel instead of 1200.00 for the flight.

I'm hoping someone has btdt and can share some ideas and shed a little light on what the experience was like. I love ds and dh and think we would have a lot of fun, just worried about logistics!!

[TnMsMama]

You need to factor in stopping to pee. At 8 mos I was peeing every hour. That'll turn a 23 hr drive into a much longer one...you'll also need to walk around for circulation every few hours, but you can do that when you pee.

Are you going to be ok being away from your midwife/OB? Check with them, my midwife didn't let me go to the coast in my 8th month and that's only 5 hrs away.

[Dahlea]

Check out allegiantair.com
I don't know where you live but when we lived in FL my parents used them to come visit-prices are usually really low (as low as 29 each way) I wouldn't drive that far being that far along. It just sounds miserable and uncomfortable.

[MyFullHouse]

Well... I did 8 hours @ 8 months with my first (and no little kids) and it was NOT fun! Despite frequent stops, I was miserable and had a bunch of swelling.

Now, I definitely gained too much weight during that pregnancy, which I'm sure was a factor. Still, you couldn't pay me to relive the experience willingly!

I did 13 hours with a 5yo, 1yo, and 6 week old. That trip was easier, believe it or not!

[mommyndoula]

I will be doing a 26 hour drive (google map estimates) when I am between 34-38 weeks pregnant.

I have no choice, we are moving cross country.

I will have a dog, a cat and potentially both toddlers (hopefully DH wont be a jerk and divide them; he'll be driving a 26' truck). Most likely I'll have a trailer on my SUV too.



I have no advice other than to share my plans to cope.

1. Frequent stops. I am planning and time budgeting a 30 minute (minimum) stop every two hours. With a longer break for meals.
2. I plan on breaking this up into a 2 to 3 day trip, rather than trying to squeeze it into a rushed 1 day event (like when we moved here)
3. I plan on wearing compression stockings to help with the inevitable swelling I expect to have.
4. I plan on sewing an ever so slightly filled pillow to sit on or use as lumbar support.
5. Plenty of patience for the unexpected.

[Strong Mama]

Im not thinking about the drive, I am thinking about how you will survive DISNEY at 34 weeks pregnant!!! OMG I went there last year unpregnant and almost died!The lines are long, the people rude the food lines are even longer(took an hour to wait on order at most places) and the constant walking kills even the healthiest person. We were at most parks from 8-8 every day.

The drive would be bad, too. I think if you could stop every couple of hours and stretch/pee it wouldnt be too bad though.
Im just thinking of Disney, at 34 weeks. lol You are brave!

[finnegansmom]

I could never do it pregnant.
Are you going to be driving after dark?
Are you going to be walking into a sketchy rest area alone to pee at night while your husband stays with your son in the car? No way. My parents lived in FL for a while and I'd drive down from Boston to FL on occassion - once it was dusk, I would not stop for ANYONE.
Take the plane...

[Just1More]

Eh. We're travelers. It's not that big of a deal. Drink lots of water. Careful with the junk food. You'll be okay.

[hollytheteacher]

Yeah i'm not too worried about the trip itself. I LOVE disney and have always had an amazing time, but even so, i'm just gonna take it day by day.

The main reason for the trip is my dad is coming home from Afghanistan and wants to do a big trip and take ds on all the rides. So I even have the option of staying at the pool all day. it is a super luxery hotel too so I am sure to have a nice relaxing time.

It's just the car trip i'm wondering about. I will be driving through new england and dh is doing the rest. We will stop as often as needed and have even considered taking ds's little potty with us in case any of us need it during a time we wouldn't want to stop

I really hope/want this to work since it is more frugal and because it's vacation...we don't need to feel rushed or anything. Our vacation is 11 days so it's not even a big deal if we don't get there on schedule and/or we get home late.

Any other BTDT's?

[hollytheteacher]

Originally Posted by Strong Mama

Im not thinking about the drive, I am thinking about how you will survive DISNEY at 34 weeks pregnant!!! OMG I went there last year unpregnant and almost died!The lines are long, the people rude the food lines are even longer(took an hour to wait on order at most places) and the constant walking kills even the healthiest person. We were at most parks from 8-8 every day.

The drive would be bad, too. I think if you could stop every couple of hours and stretch/pee it wouldnt be too bad though.
Im just thinking of Disney, at 34 weeks. lol You are brave!

I've been to disney 5 times during the winter and we NEVER had to wait long in lines. I think 20 minutes was the longest...January is REALLY slow for them. Also, i don't plan on being there all day. The main reason for the trip is for my dad to spend time with ds taking him on all the rides and stuff. He is currently in Afghanistan and missing us all so much and wants to make it a fun time. I have the option of chilling by the pool as much as I want. I might do half-days at the park and then come back and chill. We are staying "onsite" on the military resort in their luxery suites.

[pollyanna123]

Personally, I wouldn't do it, but that's because I get really really really uncomfortable in the car when I'm that pregnant.

[Monkey Keeper]

We just got back from Disney a week ago, and we drove. I was 33ishw, and it was 15 hours on the way down, 18+ home. Honestly, it wasn't that bad, and that was with a 4yo and 2.5yo. We didn't stop overnight either way, and on the way there we drove completely overnight which actually was better. Overall, I wasn't at all that uncomfortable, and I didn't have to stop more often than my potty trained toddler.

BUT...I did come home with a breech baby. There's some speculation that all that car time, including sleeping in the reclined car seat, encouraged him to plant himself heads up.

[WifeofAnt]

Eek. I've had to make a drive that long 4 times. I wasn't pregnant but the 3rd time I put my back so out of alignment that I'm still in pain 8 months later (insurance doesn't cover chiropractic!). I'm looking at doing the trip 2 more times right now. The trip up with a newborn (how fun?) and the trip back with a 1 year old. I'm not looking forward to it. If I had the money I'd never do it again. I'll also never do it with a toddler.

[Honey693]

I'd do it. the only thing that would make me pause is the toddler. If they're good in the car I would in a second.

[Peony]

I totally wouldn't but when I was pg with DD2 we did a 8 hour drive towards the end and like others have mentioned, it threw me out of alignment. It felt like I had popped a rib out of place and I spent the entire vacation desperately trying to see a chiro because I couldn't walk more then 2 feet without having to stop and catch my breath. It was so miserable, I couldn't do anything, by the time I finally felt better, it was time to turn around and drive back again.

[Ambivalent Dreams]

I took what was supposed to be a 5 hour car trip at 33 weeks with a 3.5 year old DD. It ended up taking 7 hours just for all the pee stops and eating. *I* would never attempt a 23 hour trip at 34 weeks. I'd be miserable. If you really want to go I say go, but just add a whole bunch of time to how long you think it will take you to get there. We had to stop 654984654984654 times. If there is any way to take a plane, I'd do that.

[etsdtm99]

I just made that drive at 28 weeks we went to Florida and it was 24ish hours for us, we took our time though with a 2 yr old and 4 yr old... I am nearly 34 weeks now and I don't know that i could do it, but I think winter would be easier - one thing I would worry about is that riding in the car that long is not good for babys position, my baby flipped to breech whenever we were riding for more than half a day.. Also hotel beds sucked.. And with the 24 hour drive we just couldn't do it with the kids without stopping two nights.. It took 2.5 days min.. I don't know that I would have done it past 30-31 weeks .. Also I was worried about being so far from home if something were to happen and land me in the hospital or something.. Just made me nervous.. And I dint feel that way when i planned the trip, I thought it was no big deal and I'd been tons of times.. those feelings came up when i was therre..

[oliviacw]

Seriously, consider taking the train. It will come very close to the cost of driving. You mentioned New England - I'm not sure where you're located, but there is a direct train from New York to Orlando that takes about 23 hours - if you can drive to NYC or take another train to there, you'll be set. And on the train, there are bathrooms and food - no need to pull over! You can also bring your own food, toys, blankets, pillows, etc and stretch out a lot more than in the car.

If you want to spend a bit more, you can get a roomette on the train and have some privacy, but even just the coach seats can work quite well for a trip of this length. I have taken train trips this long myself, and I'd much rather do it than driving, let me tell you.

Once you are at DisneyWorld, you really won't need a car anyway. The military hotel is well served with buses to all the resorts and other locations.

You can check out routing and pricing at www.amtrak.com.

[Kellyh_01]

I wouldn't do it. I'm 33 weeks tomorrow. I wouldn't want the car ride. And I certainly wouldn't want to do Disney. I would much rather go when baby is a newborn and can be carried in a wrap. Then you could ride rides with your 3.5 y.o as well.

[limette]

I just drove (well rode) 5 days, 10+ hours a day in a car at 37 weeks pregnant.

The only bad part was getting out of the car for stops. I have really bad SPD this time around and standing from sitting was really painful.