Can I go to Mexico @9 weeks??

[Phoebe]

A month from now (I'll be 9 weeks or so) I am scheduled to go to Mexico for work for a few days. I really am not comfortable with this as I don't know how I'm going to feel. Also, I'm not sure about the food and what all I'll be exposed to (been many times and never had a problem but this is a new deal!).
I just found out this past monday that I'm pg and I have not even seen a midwife yet due to the fact that work is sending me out of town for a week starting tomorrow. It will be another week or so until I can begin to find a midwife (I have a recomendation form a friend) and I need to figure out if I should weasle out of this Mexico trip or not. I also don't want to commit career suicide but then again I really don't care.

Is it likely that my midwife will end up telling me that I should not go to Mexico? Maybe I'm grasping at straws here but boy I hope she says no! I'm really happy about being pg but I'm also very depressed for some reason and they never send me out of town until now! HELP!

Thanks,
Amy

[Anmarie]

I don't see a problem. I've vacationed there twice while pregnant. As long as you drink bottled water and eat at reputable places (hotels, resorts) there should be no problem. What I hated was the fact I couldn't have a icy mexican beer, or margarita, or street vendor taco... Why else go to Mexico????

[kerikadi]

I don't understand why going to Mexico would be a problem.
You could start battling morning sickness but that could happen anywhere - you can't put your life on hold wondering if something could happen.

Keri

[Phoebe]

I know what you ladies are saying and you are right. I think I am using morning sickness as an excuse. It is just now that my job is startging to send me on trips. I am not a career woman, never wanted to be but the job I have is a career job. This is not what I want! I know this is a discussion I need to have with my husband. The anxiety is running really high right now. I work full time, plus I am maid, cook, lawn boy, dog groomer and laundry lady. When the baby comes I'll have a 3rd full time job to compare with my husband's 1. Anxiety...thats what the problem is.
I not having a happy time so far with this first bit of my first pregnancy...I feel emotionally dreadful.

Is this normal to be so depressed and to feel so much dread over something that we wanted? I feel horrible even admiting that.

Amy

[Wooby]

Phoebe,

If I read your sig right than this is your first babe... It is so very normal to experience your feelings right now! The "Oh my! Are we really going to have a baby?" "Did we plan everything right?" "Are we sure?" First time mama feelings are normal and you have a hormonal roller coaster going on inside you as well.

Parenthood is a series of many big and small adjustments. You are starting to go through those transitions already: reevaluating your job, etc. I think most mamas find that once baby arrives, their life is sharply in focus in the very best way:diaper . You probably won't have any trouble prioritizing once you hold your little one.

This is a super time to sit down with dh and talk about some of your expectations reagarding your responsibilities after babe comes. This Mexico trip could just be the catalyst for a talk like that!

Take care of yourself and the rest will follow!

[Kleine Hexe]

i agree that a trip may be good for you. I went to Brazil for 3 weeks when I was 9 weeks to 12 weeks pg with my son. I was sick but staying busy and being around people that didn't "coddle" me was actually good for me in dealing with the sickness.

Just drink bottled water and other drinks without ice cubes. It was so yummy in Brazil because the fruit was so fresh. i never knew that bananas had a smell until I had them in Brazil.

Have fun and enjoy yourself!

[hypatia]

Phoebe,

I, too, felt a combination of excitement and dread when I found out I was pregnant. In fact, when I had my miscarriages, I was really sad but I felt a little relief that I was "off the hook" and things were going back to normal.

As for Mexico: I think it's safe to go, but if you want to get out of it, with a little searching on the Internet you can probably find something recommending that you not go.

Here's two links I found, although I'm sure there's a lot more out there. http://www.cdc.gov/travel/pregnant.htm
http://xtramsn.co.nz/travel/0,,8437-1961098,00.html

[ma_Donna]

I've travelled several times already with this pregnancy, I'm at 26w5d. The biggest thing is the travelling taking a lot out of you, especially first tri I was TIRED. I'm used to travelling, but going to rural Alaska where I work usually involves a 6:30am jet flight then a small plane to get to the village and when I'm there I'm always "on" . I usually stay overnight then come home the next day travelling from about 5pm to 10:30pm (if the plane's not late). Next time I go I'm not doing my regular schedule, I'll have to stretch it out a little because it was just a bit too much.

Definitely do some net research and talk to a midwife before you go. There may be additional foods on the no-no list because listeria becomes a concern when pg (can be found in lunch meat, unpasturized, soft cheeses). My midwife was happy to talk to me on the phone before my first appointment when I was suffering from m/s.

I think you should be able to find enough info to be prepared to go, but bottom line you need to be comfortable. The first tri is worrisome enough! Once you have the info, do what you feel best with... that's what all these parenting decisions are about!!

Good luck!

[Phoebe]

Thanks so much, Ladies for your input. I'm glad to know that the feelings I have are somewhat normal. I told my boss today that I just was not comfortable going and if someone could replace me then I'd appreciate it. I don't know if that was a wise thing to do but I feel a little lighter now that I opted out. I don't enjoy traveling with work at all and they seem to choose the worst times to send me...the only other time I had to travel I had to miss my 1st wedding anniversary! I've known I'm pregnant for 1 week and I've been told I'll need to be gone 3 out of the next 5 weeks. I need some time to think about what is happening for pete's sake...and find a midwife!!!

Thanks again for the advice.
And thanks for helping out with some good info to back me up, hypatia!

Amy

[pln]

I can totally empathize with trying to figure out how your
life is going (and should) change after the first baby comes.

BUT...how exciting for you that you get the chance to have
some time alone (away from partner, phone calls, etc.) to
really digest the news and to begin the bonding process with
your baby!

Just think...you get to take your baby on his/her first
international trip, all-expenses-paid (I hope) and to have
time to yourself. That will be a rare commodity in the years
after the birth.

Just watch out in Mexico, though, for the soft cheeses--
queso fresco and queso fundido and a few others are often
mixed into dishes (depending on which state you are going to)
and we pregos want to avoid those.

BUT fabulous mangos, papayas, guavas, pineapple. Sounds
like pure heaven to me.

Priya :)

[Wooby]

Phoebe,

Good for you for telling your boss no! It is great to be assertive and this is certainly the time to make your wishes known. I understand your need to focus on you and this babe and plan for midwives, etc. Good luck on finding a midwife that you love!:D

[Wooby]

Phoebe,

Good for you for telling your boss no! It is great to be assertive and this is certainly the time to make your wishes known. I understand your need to focus on you and this babe and plan for midwives, etc. Good luck on finding a midwife that you love!:D

[Wooby]

Phoebe,

Good for you for telling your boss no! It is great to be assertive and this is certainly the time to make your wishes known. I understand your need to focus on you and this babe and plan for midwives, etc. Good luck on finding a midwife that you love!:D

[gina]

i would have done the same, amy. i think it is good to be cautious especially in the first trimester- there are all sorts of new bacteria and stuff there- have never been to mexico and not gotten sick- i think you made the prudent choice

[panda]

I had a post all written out yesterday but my computer quit on me. Sounds like you've already decided, but I'll still add my 2 cents :D .

I went to Europe when I was 11-12 weeks pregnant. I was somewhat sick and very tired, but I had the time of my life. However, I was on vacation, and would have been crushed if I had to stay home. I think traveling for work is a whole different ballgame, and if I were in your shoes I don't think I'd go.

Travel is exhausting, and travel for work is more so. I was so worn out in the first few months, I cut out a lot of things from my life that I usually do - didn't go out much socially, didn't do freelance work or housework or anything. And my productivity at my job when way down - I thought they'd fire me (I didn't tell anyone until later that I was pregnant).

It's temporary, so don't feel like turning things down now means you'll never be able to do them again (I don't know what your job is like, though). Once my energy level came back up, I was back to my normal productivity level at work, back to going out with friends, and occasionally even doing housework :p . It seemed like a big deal to be skipping out on so much of my life for a while, but it really only lasted a few weeks, and I needed the sleep!

So, safety-wise you're probably okay to go, but if you feel uncomfortable about it, or even slightly overwhelmed, by all means opt out.

[velveeta]

Phoebe,

I think that you did just right by talking to your boss. Last year, DH and I went to Africa for 4 weeks when I was 9-13 weeks pregnant. It was pure hell with my morning sickness and fatigue.

You just don't need that right now. I was so much like you when newly pregnant. As your pregnancy progresses, your worries about work will melt away when compared to the prospect of your new babe. And by the time Baby gets here, he or she will be all you think of! :love

You are going to be a wonderful mother, and your present anxieties are completely NORMAL!

:love and :hug to you!

Jean