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Any ladies sail while preggers?

5K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  Cute_Litte_Sicangco 
#1 ·
Kind of a rhetorical question as I know there are.
I'm currently gestating our first. Morning sickness has me off the boat for now. I miss it so badly. :(

I have plans to get back to sailing as soon as possible. I single hand regularly but have decided I need to have someone with me since my center of gravity will be changing so quickly and dizziness, and who knows what else could affect me.

How far into pregnancy were you able to sail? And how soon after delivery could you get back to it?
 
#2 ·
Congratulations!
No first hand experience ( :)) ), but my son and daughter in law sailed from Miami to Panama before they figured out that the "seasickness" was really morning sickness. They cancelled their plans to transit the canal into the Pacific and sailed back to Fl. She said it wasn't bad and really hated to cancel their plans but also wanted to share the excitement with family, etc. They didn't move back to the boat, they moved the boat to the PNW and sail here now with the two grandsons (5 & 5 months).
 
#4 ·
My hubby, who is new to sailing, said that he wants our child to grow up with sailing.
I think I'll keep him.



But I'm looking for experience from normal people. :p
 
#13 ·
Wow. Nice to hear that. Unfortunately though, I was not able to sail during my pregnancy. My doctor advised I had to bedrest till my third trimester. That was back in 2000; but after some years I decided to start sailing again; this time with my hubby and toddler. That's why I can totally relate to Kylie and Nick Hughes who decided to went cruising in spite of the challenges- How to sail or cruise with kids | Cruising World. Here's one relevant tip mentioned- If it's not possible to bring someone else with you, think about what you'll do with him while docking, anchoring, etc. There are definitely plenty of opinions about this, but most people that I know that have sailed with a baby or toddler will utilize the car seat or a portable high chair (we've done both)(me too!) to keep the baby safe when both parents are needed for boat handling. My daughter never minded being strapped in in the cockpit as it gave her a "front row seat" to all the action.

I hope this is helpful!

Happy sailing to all mothers out there! :sailing-pilgrims:
 
#9 ·
my wife and i sailed quite a bit with our first and we'll be sailing this summer with the 2nd on the way.
at a week old my daughter sailed for her first time.

my wife found motion sickness really got the better of her when we were out once and the weather was quite bad. double reefed main and only half the jib out and we were still burying the stantions. the nausea patches behind the ear help and are safe when pregnant. if you are a new age hippie and dont believe in medicine then you may just need to stick to light weather sailing until the baby arrives
 
#12 ·
my wife and i sailed quite a bit with our first and we'll be sailing this summer with the 2nd on the way.
at a week old my daughter sailed for her first time.

my wife found motion sickness really got the better of her when we were out once and the weather was quite bad. double reefed main and only half the jib out and we were still burying the stantions. the nausea patches behind the ear help and are safe when pregnant. if you are a new age hippie and dont believe in medicine then you may just need to stick to light weather sailing until the baby arrives
Yeah this is so true. In addition, I will suggest though that you do the following if you've decided to sail whilst pregnant:
1. Stay on deck in the cool breeze.
2. Only use comfy maternity wear (I got mine at an online boutique- Milk and Love: Breastfeeding Tops, Dresses & Clothes Online Australia)
3. Try eating candied ginger starting hours which might help with any potential nausea.
4. Limit greasy foods, high caffeine, and spicy foods the night before you set out.

And of course, only sail if you are well-rested. Plus, you might find this inspiring, an article entitled "Pregnancy On A Sailboat". I loved it!

Hope this helps!
:sailing-pilgrims:
 
#10 ·
FWIW, my wife was 6 months along when we left Tahiti for Hawaii. She didn't have any additional problems making the passage other than the change in her center of balance and a bit of lethargy. She wasn't as stable on her feet moving around but pretty much did everything she'd done on previous long passages. By the time she was in her 8th month, she had problems climbing on and off the boat to the dinghy so moved ashore. Wouldn't have been a problem in a slip but we were anchored out as there was only one marina available and it was chock a block with boats and had no transient slips.

Did have one amusing incident. We kept our Avon Redcrest inflatable tied up alongside the boat and used it to get from the water to the boat when anchored. Jumping in the ocean, going for a snorkel was 2nd nature to us as we'd done it multiple times a day, every day, for more than a year while cruising. After we got to Hawaii we were anchored in Keauhou Bay.
By that time she was 8 months along. While alone on the boat she decided to go for a swim. No problems till she tried to climb into the dinghy. With her pregnant belly, she couldn't climb back in the dinghy to climb on board. She was stuck and would have had to swim to a rocky shore to get out of the water. Fortunately, a passing fisherman saw her quandary and helped her climb onto the dinghy and back in the boat. She moved ashore after that.
 
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