Traveling to Africa While Pregnant - Yay or Nay?

[chicago]

Yes, I will consult my ob/gyn before any of this happens.

H and I want to start TTC our first child within the next 6-7 months. We had also discussed taking a trip to Africa (South Africa or Tanzania) as a last big hurrah trip before having kids.

Let's say I got pg in March or April, then we'd be traveling in July (we are limited by my summer vacation). Would that be advisable? I have no idea what to even consider here.

I'm thinking of taking Tanzania off the table since it seems like more vaccinations are required. We've already done a bunch of vaccs since we went to Thailand in Dec., but presumably they'll want us to consider anti-malarials and I imagine that might not be the best if you're a pg lady.

I am being a bit hard on myself for even feeling like I want one over the other and not wanting to give up the trip...I feel guilty about it. Going on safari was/is something I really felt like I wanted to experience before having a child and taking a break from big international trips for a few years.

Yes, we could wait until July to start trying, but starting earlier gives us better "timing" if I were to get pg - I work in education so I'd love to have the baby as close to March as possible to maximize my time at home during the early months using maternity leave. Putting a 3 month old in daycare is something we would have to do if it came down to it, but it wouldn't be an ideal situation.

I'll be 32 in October, so having our first is definitely on our minds. We are planning for two children.

I don't have any friends who travel like we do to ask about this, so this seemed like a good place to start. I'm feeling a bit down and rambly about this...

[frlcb]

There are no anti-malarials that are approved during pregnancy, so for that reason alone I would not risk it. We went to SE Asia and I knew I had to have vaccines and be on anti-malaria meds and we held off TTC until we got back AND the anti-malaria meds were out of my system (2 weeks after I finished taking them) before we started TTC.

I traveled to 9 countries when I was pregnant with ds, and 3 with dd. I am not opposed at all to international travel but wouldn't go somewhere where you have to take anti-malaria meds. It isn't worth the risk.

[frlcb]

I should add that my answer was based on if you have to take antimalarials. If you don't have to then I would have no issue with it - assuming you get your vaccines done before you get pregnant

[chicago]

Publius, thank you! I was just looking at this one too - cdc-malaria.ncsa.uiuc.edu/
My tentative plan was to visit Cape Town, Sabi Sands/Kruger, and a few nights in Zanzibar. I guess Zanzibar would be out too.

Other than malaria, any other reason why you wouldn't go overseas that early on? The anxious part of me is going over lots of what-ifs.

We went to the University of Chicago travel clinic before our last trip. Maybe I'll contact them to ask about necessity of antimalarials in July.

[frlcb]

Aug 15, 2012 19:57:15 GMT -5 chicago said:

Other than malaria, any other reason why you wouldn't go overseas that early on? The anxious part of me is going over lots of what-ifs.

Nope, I would do it otherwise!

[sunshinedaydreams]

Aug 15, 2012 19:57:15 GMT -5 chicago said:

Other than malaria, any other reason why you wouldn't go overseas that early on? The anxious part of me is going over lots of what-ifs.

We went to the University of Chicago travel clinic before our last trip. Maybe I'll contact them to ask about necessity of antimalarials in July.

IMO, no reason other than malaria not to go.

I'd bet the clinic is going to tell you you need anti-malarials regardless of time of year because the CDC recommends it. And honestly, I don't know if I'd chance not taking them. The clinic told us that malaria can take up to a year to manifest itself. I wouldn't want to chance ending up with malaria while pregnant several months after the trip.

[dutchgirl678]

Waiting a few more months to start TTC is not the end of the world. I'd try to not get pregnant and go on that unforgettable trip. We started TTC when I was 34 and it took about 6 months. With #2 we started when I was 37 and it only took 4 months. You never know how it's going to go but if you did get pregnant I definitely wouldn't go to Africa.

[anna7602]

If you don't have to take anti-malarials, I would do it.

I guess the big question mark is that you don't actually know how far along you will be. I traveled during pregnancy, but when we were thinking of TTC # 2, I wanted to avoid doing so if it meant traveling during the first trimester. I know every pregnancy is different, but I just remembered being so tired and having constant morning sickness with DD for the first 12 weeks or so. I didn't want to spend a vacation puking in the toilet and going to bed at 8pm. So, this time around, we held off on TTC until after a big trip we had planned almost a year in advance.

Delaying TTC sucked sometimes, but it wasn't the end of the world.

[dulcemariamar]

I would go on the trip and then TTC. Waiting a few months wont make that much of a difference in the long run but you might regret not going. I understand your timing issue but in reality you never know until you TTC so I wouldnt place all my chips on getting pregnant during one specific cycle.

If you want to go to a place where you dont have to worry about malaria, then go and just enjoy yourself. I have traveled twice internationally since getting pregnant.

However, every pregnancy is different. I wouldnt plan on going on my dream vacation while pregnant. You dont know how you are going to feel during the 1st trimester or if your Dr. is going to put you on bedrest.

I felt great during the 1st trimester. However, on my 2nd trip I was already 15 weeks along and I didnt have such a great time. It was supposed to be a relaxing beach/pool holiday and it sucked that I had to get up every 15 minutes to find a bathroom. Plus, if I was going to go on a safari I would want to have a lot of energy. On both trips, I always had to take a nap in the afternoon

[pittpurple]

I went to India last year and thought I'd be pregnant (sadly lost the pregnancy a few weeks before the trip). I couldn't take the anti-malarial drugs so we just planned our trip for the low instance areas. I did get some vaccines while pregnant (it took us 12 months to get pregnant the first time so it was a bit of a surprise since we had just decided to go to a fertility specialist!). After the last 2 years, I find the idea of planning conception to the month a little bit unrealistic but some people are much, much luckier!

we got a mosquito net and a plug in mosquito thing for our hotel rooms and just planned on a few precautions (since I didn't have the rabies vaccine either) but it was entirely manageable.

Now that I'm pregnant again, we've been to other parts of Europe a couple times and honestly, the only problems I have is that flying is a bit of a nightmare for me right now - particularly in the 1st trimester. It was uncomfortable and I was really, really sick for a few weeks. They were 3-4 hour flights so I imagine it's even worse on a long flight.

Like with any travel, make sure you have your insurance in order and that you know where the nearest hospital is in case anything happens and go from there.

[dutchgirl678]

@publius, it's not the continent per se, I just know when I was in my first tri I was not feeling all that great. Nausea and tired all the time. Going to Africa is such a big trip, I'd want to enjoy it to the fullest. I just think from that standpoint it's better to go on that spectacular trip and then worry about TTC after.

[chicago]

Alright, so I think the plan is to talk to my ob/gyn and call U. of Chicago to see about the necessity of antimalarials. They were upfront that we did NOT need them for where we were traveling in Thailand so I do trust them.

Then, a lot more thinking and weighing the options. If it seems like a no-go, maybe we'll go for another bucket list destination like French Polynesia or decide to put of ttc for a little bit longer.