Help from the ladies - pregnancy at DLR?

[HydroGuy]

My youngest son is 23 so thinking about pregnancy is long gone in my rear view mirror.

I have a friend who is not a Disney regular going to DLR next month. His wife will be 6 months pregnant in Feb. They planned the trip before they knew about the pregnancy and it is a reward trip for an older child and can't be changed at this point. Normally she would ride most every ride.

Aside from the standard Disney warnings on probably every conceivable questionable ride, what are the practical choices you ladies make on rides when pregnant? Are there any standard threads offering some pragmatic advice?

Thanks!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I visited the parks a LOT when I was pregnant with my second. Honestly, it’s all personal choice, but for me, I never wanted to risk anything. I followed all of the “pregnant women should not ride” warnings to a T. Honestly, there are soooooooooo many rides between both parks that you can ride pregnant that I hardly missed my beloved Indy and California Screamin (turned Incredicoaster during my pregnancy). I loved riding Soarin while pregnant because it’s a decent “thrill” type ride for a pregnant lady. And my favorite ride is Pirates so I was able to ride that the entire pregnancy.

Six months along is decently pregnant so my advice is to stay hydrated, watch for swelling and rest when you need to. Know where first aid is in case you need to lie down for a little while. Or go back with your older child and nap in the afternoon for more energy. I definitely had to take it slower and rest so much more when I was pregnant. My pregnancy was high risk and rather difficult but I was still able to enjoy the parks immensely by listening to my body and doing what was necessary to keep myself and baby happy and safe. Hope your friend has a great time!

 

[lcp9]

Everyone is going to be different - I've been at both 12 weeks pregnant and 28 weeks pregnant and rode every ride and didn't feel guilty about it. And everyone still came out ok

I do crossfit pregnant and was still doing burpees and sprints and pull-ups the day I delivered with all 4, so I figured my placenta (which I think is the bulk of the concern - force on the placenta attachment) could handle a little space mountain. If she feels sick, don't do it. If she feels ok, do it. My OB didn't care, he was more concerned about heat than rides.

ETA I have a very long torso so I carried more up and down and still fit comfortably with the lap bar down. If she's more a basketball type baby carrier, it might be more difficult/uncomfortable.

 

[DLgal]

I went very pregnant to Disneyland many times. I was there the day before my water broke with my oldest, in fact!

One thing I will caution you to warn her about is that several fantasyland dark rides have lap bars and VERY sudden stops at the end. Have her brace herself towards the end of the ride so her belly doesn't smash against the bar.

Otherwise, avoid all the rides with pregnancy warnings. I would also avoid Autopia. People like to rear end the cars there and it's a lap belt, which could be an issue if she gets rear ended forcefully.

 

[DLgal]

Everyone is going to be different - I've been at both 12 weeks pregnant and 28 weeks pregnant and rode every ride and didn't feel guilty about it. And everyone still came out ok

I do crossfit pregnant and was still doing burpees and sprints and pull-ups the day I delivered with all 4, so I figured my placenta (which I think is the bulk of the concern - force on the placenta attachment) could handle a little space mountain. If she feels sick, don't do it. If she feels ok, do it. My OB didn't care, he was more concerned about heat than rides.

ETA I have a very long torso so I carried more up and down and still fit comfortably with the lap bar down. If she's more a basketball type baby carrier, it might be more difficult/uncomfortable.

You were very lucky. Placenta attachment isn't the only concern at all. Babies in utero/development have VERY thin blood vessels, especially in the brain, and the forces of roller coasters can cause them to literally rupture, leading to long term damage, learning disabilities, etc. You can cause a brain bleed in a developing fetus with the the forces experienced in some coasters.

 

[bcla]

I'd think anything where there are any sudden shifts in movement would be best avoided. Any kind of ride with a drop leaves you with that feeling in your stomach because your body is actually dropping faster than your organs. Dark rides aren't too bad, but even those often have sudden direction shifts.

There are quite a few rides that aren't that bad. Many of the boat based rides (save Pirates with the two drops and Splash Mountain) should be fine. Have your friend research the dark rides. There are tons of ride experience vids out there. Personally I'd think Haunted Mansion should be fine as there really aren't any sudden Doom Buggy movements.

 

[lalasmama]

I believe the common/easiest way to decide safe/not safe (along with asking her maternity care provider) is pretty simple....

If the fetus isn't tall enough for the ride, then the fetus shouldn't go on it. I'm fairly certain that any of the height requirement rides also have the pregnancy warnings.

Otherwise, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Shade, shade, shade. Breaks, breaks, breaks. Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Very good advice here already! I'll add that she might want to bring a good sunscreen, maybe a stronger one than she normally uses or a good sun hat. Pregnancy hormones + all day in the DLR sun can lead to more sunburn than a person might expect, especially for someone who usually isn't sun sensitive. Also, if she is still dealing with nausea, just to be aware of all the strong smells in the parks: the good, the bad, and the ugly. First Aid (very good suggestion above to know in advance where this is located in both parks) will always let your friend lie down if she needs a break and can't get back to the hotel room quickly. And lastly, encourage your friend to be open to sitting things out if need be because she won't be missing out on the fun. I've done DLR trips when I wasn't allowed to ride anything and the magic was still there! Different for sure, but still very fun. And definitely safer in the long run. Hope they have a great time!

 

[TikiTikiFan]

I’d also add to consider going that extra mile for convenience like dining packages for shows- dessert party, blue bayou package for Fantasmic!, etc.

Everyone is different but when I was six months pregnant I was a bit of a grouchy bear at times and I feel like the crowds would have made me cranky at shows/parades more than usual.

 

[corgi_monster]

Not ride related, but buy size 3-6 baby clothes, not 0-3. Disney baby clothes tend to run small. Also, you never know if the baby is going to come out the size of a line backer.

 

[Malcon10t]

Aside from the standard Disney warnings on probably every conceivable questionable ride, what are the practical choices you ladies make on rides when pregnant? Are there any standard threads offering some pragmatic advice?

Thanks!

Personally, I would abide by the warnings. I used to think "Racers is safe, it is like driving at 35mph!" and then I experienced an E-stop on Racers. We were approaching the finish line, and stopped dead in the track. The belt tightened and I was extremely uncomfortable. There is NO WAY I would be comfortable recommending this after that. It isn't just what happens on the every day ride. But what happens during e-stops and other parts of the ride. Example, all dark rides are considered fine, but you do need to brace yourself with the lap bars on several. Also, Autopia, as long as you have someone who isn't going to bump you behind you, you'd think it is safe, but those fumes are horrific. I can't do them without triggering an asthma attack....

 

[Jaina]

(Didn't have time to read the other replies...) I went once when pregnant, and I didn't love it (since I was pretty sick - in good news, Disneyland has the cleanest bathrooms for being sick in...) but we did a lot of things we normally wouldn't have time or interest for (since we like the big rides.) The only rides that have warnings that I might ride anyway (personally) are Soarin' and possibly RSR (since the seatbelt placement is pretty identical to a regular car, and I don't feel the risk even in an emergency stop is much more than driving on the freeway every day while pregnant...). I have a friend that's a Labor & Delivery nurse that felt comfortable riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 5 months pregnant too, though, so it's definitely a personal thing. What I took into account with the warnings are how rough are the rides normally, and how rough could things get if there was an e-stop? The main risk at that point in pregnancy is the placenta tearing or detaching in the wrong situation. :-/ I mostly just stayed off the big rides, because I knew I could ride them another time, and it wasn't worth the risk for me personally. Lots of water, lots of snacks, haha. You have to remember to take it easier, even though you're at Disney!

 

[Malroy]

We're going next month and I will be 28 weeks! I have had an easy pregnancy so far (knock on wood!!) and I am a bit nervous about our trip but have been doing lots of research.

Last trip we went WAY too hard and our 10yo ended up getting like, heat sick and I am hoping me being pregnant will help us slow down even more and enjoy things at a different pace. We should have been doing midday breaks that trip and we will ABSOLUTELY be doing them this trip, cause she needs them and lord knows I will too! I'm also contemplating how I'm feeling towards the amount of walking and will not hesitate to rent a scooter or a wheel chair if I feel like I need one.

As far as rides go, I am presently planning to follow the "expectant mothers should not ride" guidelines, with a few exceptions (depending heavily on how I feel/how big I am when it comes to our trip and my OBs reccs) - namely, ROTR (I've watched full ride throughs, including this one from best life and beyond where she goes into detail about how it affected her motion sickness wise which helped me feel like I'd be alright to ride), soarin', star tours and MFSR. As Jaina said above, I am thinking about how rough the rides are and what an e-stop might feel like.

If it's a ride with a lap belt, I will be nestling it under the bump as I do in my car everyday as my OB advised.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

I've been once while pregnant, although it was pretty early on - right at 13-14 weeks. Pacing was definitely important, and drinking a lot of water and avoiding anything that could dehydrate me (caffeine, etc). I had pretty terrible nausea, so having some snacks on hand at all times was useful. I also used cbands to try to help, and they did a little. I am pretty sure I followed the guidelines as written - I was planning on doing space mtn anyway because it is my favorite ride, but we had a little one to wait with anyway, and by the time DH and big kids were off, I was not feeling well enough to try. I did do Soarin - I did not know it was on the do not ride list. The motion did bug me a little (normally it doesn't at all).

One thing I hadn't really prepared for was pacing my eating better. There are so many delicious things to eat and drink, it is easy to get overly full. That can get worse as pregnancy progresses, and cause heartburn and whatnot and make you pretty miserable. So my compromise was a lot of 'sharing' so I could try all the things I wanted to try, without feeling like I needed to finish the whole thing to justify the price. It took a day of over doing and feeling lousy to realize that even that early on I needed to avoid getting too stuffed, but DH was super sweet and let me have bites and nibbles of anything I wanted the rest of the trip

Definitely have your favorite antacid with you, and I highly recommend a sun hat for constant shade. It made a significant difference for me, and while I love my ears, I also love the sun hat I found there. And pay attention to footwear: it is tempting to buy super cute sandals just for the trip, but unless you are used to walking around in them, it is a bad idea. Stick with comfy supportive shoes

Hope that helps!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Just a PSA: Soarin is NOT on the “pregnant women should not ride list”... no warnings at all for pregnancy so you’re good to go on Soarin while pregnant. It was one of my favorites during my pregnancy!

 

[Malcon10t]

Just a PSA: Soarin is NOT on the “pregnant women should not ride list”... no warnings at all for pregnancy so you’re good to go on Soarin while pregnant. It was one of my favorites during my pregnancy!

The confusion comes from when it first opened, it did have a warning.... Because some got major nauseous on it. Then they removed it less than a year later and some still think it is there. It was weird because my daughter had to be on some major pain killers when she broke her legs a few years back. She figured this was one ride she could do because she could get her WC right to the ride and transfer without weight. She was successful. Except the movement of the screen, combined with pain meds, had her just closing her eyes and praying it would end. It was 2 months of visits with no rides....

 

[HydroGuy]

OP here. Thanks everyone! FWIW I found a way to filter the list of rides with expectant mother warnings on the DLR website:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/#/expectant-mothers/

Frankly I was expecting the list to be a lot longer.

Once this thread dies out I will forward a link to my friend.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

The confusion comes from when it first opened, it did have a warning.... Because some got major nauseous on it. Then they removed it less than a year later and some still think it is there. It was weird because my daughter had to be on some major pain killers when she broke her legs a few years back. She figured this was one ride she could do because she could get her WC right to the ride and transfer without weight. She was successful. Except the movement of the screen, combined with pain meds, had her just closing her eyes and praying it would end. It was 2 months of visits with no rides....

The confusion comes from when it first opened, it did have a warning.... Because some got major nauseous on it. Then they removed it less than a year later and some still think it is there. It was weird because my daughter had to be on some major pain killers when she broke her legs a few years back. She figured this was one ride she could do because she could get her WC right to the ride and transfer without weight. She was successful. Except the movement of the screen, combined with pain meds, had her just closing her eyes and praying it would end. It was 2 months of visits with no rides....

I did not know that! How interesting! I didn’t really have any motion sickness issues on it while pregnant and I can be prone even when not pregnant. Although I only rode World. When California made a brief comeback I found that I felt way more motion sick on that version!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

OP here. Thanks everyone! FWIW I found a way to filter the list of rides with expectant mother warnings on the DLR website:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/#/expectant-mothers/

Frankly I was expecting the list to be a lot longer.

Once this thread dies out I will forward a link to my friend.

Yes, there really are so many rides expectant mothers can go on, I honestly never really felt like I was missing out!

 

[asumom]

My son and daughter in law (5 months pregnant)just got back from their 3 night visit. They rented a wheelchair (delivered to hotel) and that really helped a lot. They used fast pass or regular lines but the wheel chair to/from the hotel and around the parks was great. They splurged on the WOC dessert party so they wouldn't be in a mass of people. They took things slow and did things they usually dont make time for, like animation academy and Mickey's philharmagic. They also brought nutritious snack from home .