Traveling for holidays

kelswolt · November 2014

I'm due December 19th and am concerned with traveling with a newborn. Do you think it's unsafe to be traveling and around many people with a few day old newborn? Especially with it being cold and flu season. I will be trying to breast feed meaning he will be receiving my antibodies but it still makes me nervous. Thoughts?

CandEChicago · November 2014

kelswolt said:
I'm due December 19th and am concerned with traveling with a newborn. Do you think it's unsafe to be traveling and around many people with a few day old newborn? Especially with it being cold and flu season. I will be trying to breast feed meaning he will be receiving my antibodies but it still makes me nervous. Thoughts?

Talk to your doctor on their thoughts. Plus with a due date of the 19th there is the possibility baby is a week late (don't know your medical background so I am speaking generally).

Edit: Or depending on if you deliver after 19th and how the delivery went you could still be at the hospital.

agsgrrl · November 2014

head against computer pic | Overheard in a Microsoft chat room . . .

siiiiggghhhhhh

JulieC76 · November 2014

I'm due the 21st and have already told family we won't be traveling. Who knows when the baby will actually be born and I don't want to worry about traveling with a newborn anyway, not to mention sleeping somewhere other than our home. We only live a few hours from family, but it still seems like a long way to go with an infant. I'm a FTM and just want to focus on the baby the first few weeks. They seemed to understand.

riansmommie · November 2014

Don't go.

feeshah · November 2014

Nope.

dianeg1017 · November 2014

I'm due the 19th as well usually me and the hubby have 5 places to run to on xmas we told everyone they will have to come to us. So MIL is actually making dinner and bringing it over to us to eat together. People will understand.

hollieandaaron2012 · November 2014

I'm due on the first and we still aren't traveling. Everyone was fine with coming to us so we will have some house guests but atleast we won't be traveling in the winter.

cynplus2 · November 2014

I have a scheduled section on Dec 11. We already told people we weren't going anywhere. That didn't go down well but honestly I don't care. People are coming over on dec 24 for a full italian xmas eve meal. I'm cooking and hosting but will be getting some help. My MIL has the shingles and there is no way we are seeing her. She doesn't understand how dangerous it could be.

soulcupcake · November 2014

I'm due early Dec, and we're not traveling.

AlwaysForgetful · November 2014

One of those up to you things. Also how far are you talking? I had a baby (#4) 1 1/2 weeks before Thanksgiving. I am a Csection too. So I was recovering from that and had 3 other kids in tow. I opted to travel for Thanksgiving because I knew it would help my PPD and I like turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Yes, sad, but my motives were food based.

Yes, you can safely travel with a newborn. I forgot how long they can safely stay in a car seat, but I had to only drive an hour and a half to the longest destination (We went to my parents and then his parents) and it was under that limit. You NEED to make sure the angel of your car seat is right. Sometimes they need angled back more for newborns than that little gauge says. I would recommend you find a local Certified Car Seat Tech in your area. The FB page Car Seats for the Littles is a good place to start.

Also, practice the wash hands, no hovering, sick people stay away. We had no issues with baby getting ill. Honestly, it wasn't any worse than baby getting in and out of the car to take her brother to school and pick him up daily. Situations like that, you can warm up your car and wrap baby in blanket so they don't get a child.

Either way, you need to do what YOU feel comfortable with. If you don't wish to travel, then don't.

I am having this one 2 days after Thanksgiving and have opted to not go to my parents house. Although that has more to do with their attitude and anything else. I don't feel bad. And I have used "sick kids" as an excuse not to go too. No shame. There is more to that story though.

Shortstack06 · November 2014

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12476606/holiday-poll

cwbh928 · November 2014

I am due the 27th of December and decided not to go anywhere for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It was our decision, not my doctors. I just prefer not to travel 2 hours and instead relax with my hubby. My family totally understands. I would do whatever you feel like doing, everyone is different.

[Deleted User] · November 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

nopegoat · November 2014

Due Dec. 20th. Not going anywhere for the holidays.

Cryssteen · November 2014

misskilljoy said:

I'm due 12/25 and everyone is coming to my place for Christmas. They're bringing everything and cleaning up afterward. I have been instructed to sit around.

That said, if I've had the baby by then, my ILs won't be visiting us for Christmas and we won't be going there either, because MIL categorically refuses to get the flu shot and my husband is apparently putting his foot down and saying no visits for a while, then. We're still hoping she'll change her mind.

@misskilljoy - how did I not know we were X-mas EDD twins?? Also, we always host xmas. This year, we're not doing it. And we're probably not going anywhere. Baby will be at least a week old by then (early induction for the GD).

agsgrrl · November 2014

Cryssteen said:

misskilljoy said:

I'm due 12/25 and everyone is coming to my place for Christmas. They're bringing everything and cleaning up afterward. I have been instructed to sit around.

That said, if I've had the baby by then, my ILs won't be visiting us for Christmas and we won't be going there either, because MIL categorically refuses to get the flu shot and my husband is apparently putting his foot down and saying no visits for a while, then. We're still hoping she'll change her mind.

@misskilljoy - how did I not know we were X-mas EDD twins?? Also, we always host xmas. This year, we're not doing it. And we're probably not going anywhere. Baby will be at least a week old by then (early induction for the GD).

Me too. Not doin' a damn thing either way.

Cryssteen · November 2014

@misskilljoy - me too! But I'm so scared with this being my 1st baby... the postpartum ickiness makes me not want to have anyone near me. Maybe that's silly. I think we're moving xmas to my BIL's house. Which is, literally, down the street... I can probably handle the 100 yard trek.

leoandethansmom · November 2014

I'm the resident D14 Grinch as @notchomama so accurately called me once ;-)

WHY DOES THIS KEEP GETTING POSTED?!?! I think I have all of D14's holiday plans memorized.

starfruit14 · November 2014

Your going to most likely be exhausted and still trying to get to know your baby. I'm due the 23rd and I'm not going anywhere for the following 3 months.

desertsun · November 2014

Do people not understand what recovering from birth is like?

You will be a flowing river of red from your lady bits the first several days.

Just sitting can be painful, whether you had a vaginal birth or c/s.

Your newborn may want to be attached to your boobs 18 hours a day.

There are considerations beyond germs here, people.

desertsun · November 2014

@misskilljoy, I think having family at your house is completely different from traveling. I would rather be changing out pads, using a peri bottle, and nursing in my own space at least!

I also think it depends on how recent and how traumatic the birth was. A week or more? I might consider traveling a short distance (an hour or so), depending on my pain level and just how much blood is still coming out. Less than a week? Not sure I'd want to plan more than an hour or two away from home at a time.

It just kinda blows my mind when people talk about germs like that is the primary concern. You can make people wash their hands. You cannot control how your body responds to the experience of birth. Some people have straightforward recoveries, and some people don't, and there isn't really a way to know in advance!

soulcupcake · November 2014

I'll likely be 2+ weeks postpartum by the time X-Mas arrives. I don't want to travel 'cause I'm just lazy, don't want to travel with four kids, and don't want to be around other people during that time. I have to really prepare for social events because they're so draining and I have to be "on," and I certainly don't want to be "on" during the early postpartum period. It's exhausting. I also don't want to pass my newborn around to a bunch of people.

frenchy816 · November 2014

My EDD is 12/17 and I'm leaving Christmas up in the air for right now. We live 20 minutes from both our families. I would like to make it, if possible, but leaving it up to how I feel, how we're doing, and when he's born. If I'm still pregnant we'll be there with our bags in the car. (I may be closer to the hospital there than at my house.) My goal is to go to my family's party. DH's party we could care less about, we'll see the important people (MIL, SIL, kids, etc) at some point in time.

We do have a family Christmas at my aunt's house around New Year's, that's about 1.5-2 hours away, depending on DH's driving and the weather. That is the 1 place that I would like to make it to because it's my dad's entire side of the family, LO will be the first great-grandchild and they won't see him like the others locally will.

I do plan to wear LO in my moby wrap if we go.

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