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Zika Concerns

isntthatspeshulisntthatspeshul member
in March 2018 Moms
We're headed to Mexico on Sunday. I really did not expect to be pregnant on this trip, but I am. I did tons of research on the most effective bug sprays and I notified my OB, who just said to use bug spray and didn't give much more information or opinion other than that. At first I was all, "it'll be fineeeee," and now I'm borderline freaking out. Anyone know anyone who has traveled to or lives in Zika-prevalent areas? Insight? Hair pets? sigh. 
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Re: Zika Concerns

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  • notthefathernotthefather member
    No advice, but that sucks.Would you consider canceling?


    On our way to baby #2!
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    EDD March 12, 2018


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  • SoFlaMommie1128SoFlaMommie1128 member
    Hi! I live in Florida and I can tell you active Zika transmissions were only confirmed within one square mile in one neighborhood in Miami last year. No new cases have been reported. 

    That said, being pregnant and living only 45 minutes north of this neighborhood, I wear bug spray every time I go outside. You also can wear light, long sleeve shirts and light long pants to cover your skin. There is also a wrist band (I think OFF is the brand) that you can wear that's supposed to be effective. I recommend visiting the CDC website and searching their protocol on Zika.





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  • vflux33vflux33 member
    edited July 2017
    Many parts of Texas and Florida are probably OK, but I wouldn't go personally, and I definitely wouldn't go to another country known to have Zika. The travel cases don't scare me as much but the local cases do, even if there have only been a few. My mom lives in Texas where there are a lot of travel cases and 4 hours from where local cases are known, but I decided I didn't want to be the first person there who got a known local case from a mosquito that previously bit someone with a travel case, so I'm not visiting her at all this year since I don't absolutely have to and she can come to where I live. MH was supposed to go to the same area for something unrelated, and we asked my OB's office if he could get tested after returning, and she said even if he got the test you can't be 100% sure about it since it may not show up in the results right away, and if he went we'd have to use condoms and avoid oral sex for the entire pregnancy to be safe. So he's cancelling his trip too. 
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  • kiki75kiki75 member
    You should definitely look up local information on the specific area where you're going. Frankly, the CDC has been "overly cautious" (aka kinda lazy) about just painting entire states/countries with the same brush. For example, Texas. There has been a tiny bit of it in Brownsville, way down in the Gulf, just across the border from Mexico. So they've implied that all of Texas is out. Y'all, Dallas is an eight hour drive away from there. I asked a pregnant friend from Dallas what her doctor had said about Zika because I had a business trip to the area scheduled. Her doctor hasn't been at all concerned and she said she's seen approximately zero mosquitoes. Check if the part you're going to is a hotbed or if it's relatively safe. If there has been local transmission close by, personally, it would be worth it to me to stay home. Sure, the chances may not be super high but... this isn't like a minor cosmetic thing. The consequences are harsh.  
        
    Me: 34 DH: 38
    Married: June 2011
    TTC since Feb 2016
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    BFP#2: 5/8/17 - CP
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  • isntthatspeshulisntthatspeshul member
    We're going south of Cancun. I'm seeing a lot of conflicting info but yeah, there have been confirmed cases from the area in the past. My daughter talks about this trip constantly, she is going to be devastated if we don't go. My doctor didn't seem too concerned, but I left a message with his staff to call me tomorrow so we can discuss it further. 
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  • isntthatspeshulisntthatspeshul member
    Thanks for the insights and opinions ladies.
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  • ShawnnaOShawnnaO member
    Oh I wish I hadn't clicked on this thread  :s we're going to Corpus Christi with the husbands family for two days starting tomorrow, and there's no way I can cancel now. Will for sure be wearing bug spray and off bands, but now I'm going to be paranoid the whole time. Anyone know if Corpus is currently a hot zone? 
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  • vflux33vflux33 member
    edited July 2017
    @ShawnnaO That's 2.5 ish hours drive from Brownsville (where there have been  known local cases) according to google maps. You gotta do what's best for you, but my mom who I'm not visiting lives further from Brownsville than Corpus Christi. Though, I'm one of those people who gets 100 mosquito bites in under 10 minutes whenever I visit my mom in the summer regardless of what spray I wear (I think that's genetic or something) so because I'm so prone to bites I might choose to be more careful than others. If you do go, I'd look this over and follow the recs listed:

    https://www.cdc.gov/zika/pdfs/zpk_poster.pdf


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  • barrelocarolbarrelocarol member
    @SoFlaMommie1128 Totally PMing you bc I live in Fort Laud...We could be neighbors and Bump mommy friends! 

    So, yeah, living near a now yellow Zika zone, I've been freaking out, too. My midwife told me to be extra cautious during the first trimester and more relaxed during second trimester. 

    While Zika is scary, I also believe it's pretty easy to ward off mosquitoes.

    -Spray your clothes
    -Deet less than 30% concentration is ok, don't spray Deet directly on your belly
    -Spray your body and wear long sleeves and long pants
    -Use lemon eucalyptus essential oil. 

    I know that sounds like a long list, but doing all of these gives you great odds against Zika. 
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  • chasingroygbivchasingroygbiv member
    I would not go. 
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  • fullofhope25fullofhope25 member
    loganjsmommy1978 said:
    I am heading to Bermuda in August and actually hadn't thought of Zika before my OB asked me where I was traveling. She looked something up on her computer and then said that Bermuda is fine to travel too, but apparently Florida and Texas weren't. She said that if I was to travel anywhere to wear bug spray.
    Oh no!!!! We are scheduled to travel to the gulf coast in early August. Really!?!? 
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  • fullofhope25fullofhope25 member
    For anyone planning to travel to Florida... From the CDC website: 

    CDC previously issued guidance related to Zika for people living in or traveling to Miami-Dade County, Florida, which advised that pregnant women not travel to this area due to local transmission of Zika virus. CDC designates areas for Zika virus transmission prevention in the continental United States and Hawaii as red or yellow. Miami-Dade County was previously designated as a Zika cautionary (yellow) area, but that designation was removed on June 2, 2017. This means that there are no longer any travel recommendations related to Zika virus for Miami-Dade County, Florida. Although the level of risk of Zika virus transmission after a yellow area is removed is not known, it is likely to be low. However, sporadic cases may still occur. For this reason, CDC recommends that people living in or traveling to Miami-Dade County continue to protect themselves from mosquito-borne illnesses, including Zika virus, by following the guidance below. See CDC’s travel, testing, and pregnancy planning guidance for areas with reported mosquito-borne spread of Zika virus.
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  • schneumanschneuman member
    Also, for anyone else thinking about these trips, if you're going to be above 6,500ft altitude then you should be OK as Zika carrying mosquitos don't live above that sea level. So places like Mexico city or Cusco, Peru have far lower risks than somewhere near sea level. 
    I know that's not helpful for Cancun, but just posting In case it's helpful to someone else. 
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  • slr1229slr1229 member
    We cancelled our trip.  Was supposed to go Last Saturday with friends.  We didnt want to risk it even though we believe it'd be fine.  
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  • Elizabella85Elizabella85 member
    I live in West Texas, and I had no idea that Zika was in our state. Yikes!! Thank goodness that's about 8 1/2 hours away. My friend in Houston is begging for a visit. Nope nope nope! She had bed bugs at the beginning of the year after staying at a cheap hotel while traveling and now Zika is near the coast...sorry! I miss you friend but not that much!! 
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  • fullofhope25fullofhope25 member
    isntthatspeshul what have you decided? 

    I am seriously considering cancelling my Florida trip...
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  • jerseygirl9090jerseygirl9090 member
    I wouldn't go not worth the risk
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  • fullofhope25fullofhope25 member
    I'm looking for alternate affordable destinations that offer a tropical feel, but haven't been hit by this God awful virus... NOTHING! What in the world!? These damn mosquitos have wreck havoc EVERYWHERE!!! I just want to go somewhere tropical!  :s

    Ok, I'm done with my tantrum.  :/ Ugh
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  • barrelocarolbarrelocarol member
    Just another reminder that your husband needs to take the same precautions against mosquito bites. 

    Or

    Use condoms during sex...During pregnancy...That's a 100% no go for me. 
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  • fullofhope25fullofhope25 member
    barrelocarol said:
    Just another reminder that your husband needs to take the same precautions against mosquito bites. 

    Or

    Use condoms during sex...During pregnancy...That's a 100% no go for me. 
    Not worth the added stress...
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  • barrelocarolbarrelocarol member
    We actually just took a trip to a beach location in Florida, St Pete. We live on the beach but went to a different one. Go figure...

    Anyways, my PCP told me I was pretty safe if I was staying on the beach bc of the coastal breeze, but we still took precautions. It was nice without a lot of stress. 
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  • fullofhope25fullofhope25 member
    barrelocarol said:
    We actually just took a trip to a beach location in Florida, St Pete. We live on the beach but went to a different one. Go figure...

    Anyways, my PCP told me I was pretty safe if I was staying on the beach bc of the coastal breeze, but we still took precautions. It was nice without a lot of stress. 
    Did you find yourself covered from head to toe for fear of being bitten? I think St. Petersburg is pretty far from Miami, right? 
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  • isntthatspeshulisntthatspeshul member
    @fullofhope25 We're going. I spoke to my OB and he said he wouldn't make the choice for me but that if I go, I should take precautions and have a good time. He was not overly concerned and did not try to persuade me not to go. We're staying on the resort...wearing long sleeves, pants, and closed toed shoes often. DEET bug spray applied frequently. The resort fumigates twice a day. I'm planning a full day at the spa one day and will be indoors a lot with my 2 year old for naps, early bedtime, and generally to get out of the heat. If we get there and the bugs are bad, we'll move our flight up. Husband is taking the same precautions I am and we will be using condoms for the duration of the pregnancy. 
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  • fullofhope25fullofhope25 member
    isntthatspeshul said:
    @fullofhope25 We're going. I spoke to my OB and he said he wouldn't make the choice for me but that if I go, I should take precautions and have a good time. He was not overly concerned and did not try to persuade me not to go. We're staying on the resort...wearing long sleeves, pants, and closed toed shoes often. DEET bug spray applied frequently. The resort fumigates twice a day. I'm planning a full day at the spa one day and will be indoors a lot with my 2 year old for naps, early bedtime, and generally to get out of the heat. If we get there and the bugs are bad, we'll move our flight up. Husband is taking the same precautions I am and we will be using condoms for the duration of the pregnancy. 
    Well, that is good that you and your husband are taking all the necessary precautions! 
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  • barrelocarolbarrelocarol member
    Aw yay! Enjoy enjoy enjoy!!

    @fullofhope25Yes! My husband and I were covered head to toe and yes, St Pete is about 5 hours away and on the other coast from Miami. 

    I felt good being extremely cautious but we still greatly, greatly enjoyed our time!!
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  • slr1229slr1229 member
    We went to Vegas instead but got a free room at Caesars...saw a show, sat by the pool, ate great dinners and gambled a bit. Definitely no Mexico but better than nothing...plus we had to go somewhere to keep the nugget a secret.
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  • fullofhope25fullofhope25 member
    I'm so happy to hear that folks have found solutions that work for them. My neurotic mind won't allow me to go to Florida. I've tried to talk myself into it, but I'm too much of a worry wart. I know I would be a hot mess and wherever I go, I don't want to wear a lot of clothes. Lol. I want the theme for this trip to be: free. Free from a phone, free of binding clothes, free from email, free from whining students, FREE!!! Lol.

    So, it looks like we will be going to New Orleans instead. New Orleans with no alcohol... This should be interesting. Lol!! But it's such a romantic and culture rich city. So, that's that.
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  • missnc77missnc77 member
    edited July 2017
    @fullofhope25 Have you been to New Orleans before? That's where my husband and I got married. My mom lives outside NOLA. We went to visit when I was pregnant before, and she took me on a riverboat brunch cruise. The alcohol was flowing, and starring at my mom's bottomless mimosas made me so sad. So I ate all the food. Haha :) If it's not too hot, the zoo is amazing as is the aquarium. The D-Day museum is just spectacular. 
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  • fullofhope25fullofhope25 member
    missnc77 said:
    @fullofhope25 Have you been to New Orleans before? That's where my husband and I got married. My mom lives outside NOLA. We went to visit when I was pregnant before, and she took me on a riverboat brunch cruise. The alcohol was flowing, and starring at my mom's bottomless mimosas made me so sad. So I ate all the food. Haha :) If it's not too hot, the zoo is amazing as is the aquarium. The D-Day museum is just spectacular. 
    I used to practically live in New Orleans. I was there at least once a month for about 7-8 months. I love New Orleans! Absolutely love it. I think it's such a romantic and cultured city. AND sooooo much yummy food! Lol. I just have never been to New Orleans and was not able to drink. Lol. But I am not a huge drinker, so it should be fine. It was a little disappointing because I really wanted to go somewhere tropical, but I suppose we will save that for our destination wedding after the baby. 

    All that said, NOLA here we come!!! 
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  • SoFlaMommie1128SoFlaMommie1128 member
    @barrelocarol I'm in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale too!!! Let's be friends!! 
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  • barrelocarolbarrelocarol member
    @SoFlaMommie1128 I just PMed you a novel.  :/
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