Boating And Pregnancy Is It Safe

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Last Updated on August 22, 2024 by Paul Clayton

Boating And Pregnancy Is it Safe

Boating is a hobby for many people worldwide, including many women. Since many women are involved in boating, a natural question arises—is boating when pregnant safe?

Key Takeaways:

1. Boating Safety During Pregnancy:
  - Safe in calm waters; avoid boating on stormy days.
  - Pregnancy affects balance and stability, making rough waters and smaller boats riskier.
  - Motion sickness may worsen during pregnancy.
  - Always consult a physician before boating to check for any complications.
2. Important Considerations:
  - Nature of Boating: Prefer calm cruising; avoid whitewater kayaking.
  - Boat Size: Larger boats offer more stability and a smoother ride.
  - Onboard Medical Facilities: Essential for long trips.
  - Weather: Only boat in fair weather conditions.
  - Pregnancy Stage: It is best to boat during the second trimester; avoid the first and third trimesters due to higher vulnerability and increased nausea.
3. Preparation and Precautions:
  - Schedule a checkup with your ob/gyn before the trip.
  - Pack essentials, including water, snacks, medications, extra clothing, and sunscreen.
  - Practice good hygiene to avoid infections like norovirus.
  - Stay hydrated and cool, and wear a life jacket at all times.
  - Minimize walking onboard and stay in the stern for a smoother experience.
  - Avoid lifting heavy gear and consuming alcohol.

Boating and pregnancy: is it safe?

Let’s give a simple answer to this question from the get-go. Boating is completely safe during pregnancy if in calm water. Conversely, boating is a no-go for expectant mothers on a stormy day.

This is due to one key problem associated with pregnancy – loss of balance. Before the pregnancy, rocking and waves may not have been big problems for you. However, since there is some balance loss during pregnancy, you likely won’t be as stable onboard as before.

Another issue is nausea. If you aren’t prone to seasickness, you may go boating while pregnant. Otherwise, you are likely to get motion sick onboard.

It is also important to consult your physician before boating. If you don’t have any complications, you should not have any problems once onboard. However, if you have pregnancy complications that may need urgent medical assistance, your physician will likely discourage you from boating during pregnancy. And they will be right since there may be no one to provide you with medical assistance while on the boat.

Things to consider when boating during pregnancy

So, we have established that boating is safe for pregnancy, but only in certain conditions. Let’s now look at what would determine whether the boating conditions are right for you to set off on a journey.

Nature of the boating

The nature of the boating trip is the first thing to consider when boating during pregnancy. If you are a whitewater kayaker, you must pause the entire pregnancy since it will be too much for you. On the other hand, calm cruising shouldn’t be much of a problem for you.

Boat size

This one may surprise you, but the boat size is important when boating during pregnancy. Let us explain.

Bigger vessels better absorb the shock of waves and are thus more stable on the water. Smaller vessels, conversely, are less shock-resistant and are thrown around more easily by choppy water.

We mentioned earlier that loss of balance and stability is common during pregnancy. Therefore, you would want to choose a larger, more stable boat on the water.

Speed is another factor that plays a role when boating. The faster the boat traverses, the more powerful the impact effects with water are and the less smooth the ride. In a smaller boat, this is going to be felt much stronger than in a larger boat.

In a smaller boat, you would want to cruise slower and smoother. Hitting the wakes can be uncomfortable for you and dangerous to the baby. With bigger boats, speed isn’t as much of a concern, though fast cruising in choppy water will nonetheless be felt by you.

Onboard medical facilities

This may not be necessary for short trips close to the shore, but if you are going to do lengthy trips, make sure that the vessel has onboard medical facilities. You won’t necessarily go into labor if not that far into the pregnancy, but you aren’t safeguarded from other problems that pregnancy brings.

Weather

Another crucial thing to consider is the weather in the area you will be cruising in. It is generally advised that expectant mothers go boating only in fair weather. No matter what kind of boat you will be having your journey on, if the weather is bad and the water is restless, you won’t feel too good while boating.

Pregnancy stage

The last crucial thing to consider is your pregnancy stage. Generally, it is recommended to avoid boating in the first and third trimesters when the fetus is the most vulnerable. Try to plan your boating trips only during the second trimester.

Aside from the safety of the fetus, an important thing to consider is nausea. Nausea tends to be especially problematic during the first and third trimesters of the pregnancy.

Nausea is a typical symptom during pregnancy and can cause seasickness while onboard. Even if you’ve never felt motion sickness—on a boat or plane—it will likely occur during pregnancy.

If you have been seasick while onboard before, you can be sure it will worsen during pregnancy. In this case, we’d recommend avoiding boating during pregnancy altogether.

Another thing to consider before boating is labor. The closer the due date is, the more careful you need to plan your boating trips. To stay safe, you should avoid any boat trips if the end of the pregnancy is approaching.

Alternatively, stay close to the marina to receive medical assistance if you enter labor. But if possible, avoid any boat trips. Again, the second trimester will be the best since it is safer for you and the baby and is far from the due date.

If this isn’t your first pregnancy and you’ve had issues with preterm birth before, then you should postpone your boating trip until the baby is born since it will be impossible to predict when you may go into labor.

What to do before going on a trip

There are a couple of things that you could do to make your trip as safe and comfortable as possible. The below steps apply more to long journeys, so they may not entirely work for fishing trips or whatnot. Still, you could consider them regardless of the length of the trip.

Schedule a checkup with your obstetrician-gynecologist (ob/gyn) before leaving.
Know your estimated delivery date.
Make a list of over-the-counter medications to bring along for your trip. Your physician will advise you on what you may need during the journey.
Make sure that you are up to date with your vaccines.
Take a shorter route to your destination.

Tips on boating when pregnant

Consult your physician

Before planning any boating trips, you should first and foremost consult your physician. No one can answer more accurately whether you should go boating than a medical professional. While tips online can help you better prepare for what may be waiting for you onboard, you will get no more than generic tips that won’t work in specific conditions.

Take the time to prepare for the trip

Make careful preparations for your boating trip. Pack a safety & comfort bag that includes everything you need during the trip. Since your needs during pregnancy are increased, your old packing routine will not work well.

Your bag should include plenty of water, snacks, medications, extra clothes, sunscreen, and anything else to help you have a nice time. Regarding food, you don’t necessarily have to pack for the whole journey—you may eat out or order foot on the spot. However, if you are very picky about food during pregnancy, it would be better for you to pack stuff that you know will make you feel sick.

Be mindful of personal hygiene

The norovirus infection is a big concern for boat passengers – especially expectant mothers. This infection’s symptoms are severe nausea, vomiting, and dehydration. These are the things that you would want the least during your pregnancy.

Noroviruses can easily infect people through food, liquids, or touching contaminated surfaces. Thus, washing your hands while onboard would safeguard you from infection. In addition, the norovirus infection is another reason to bring your food onboard, aside from pickiness.

Stay cool and hydrated

Since you will probably go boating in the heat of the summer, you must stay hydrated and cool. Make sure to bring plenty of water with you for the trip. Take more than you normally would.

Sit in the shade when possible to protect yourself from the sun’s heat. Alternatively, stay cool at the marine pool or anchor out in the water. The lightness and coolness the water delivers will surely make you feel great.

Remember that, if possible, you should avoid boating on hot days. It will be more difficult to keep yourself cool. Instead, try to plan your trips for cooler days.

Wear a lifejacket

Another thing you should do is wear a lifejacket at all times, even if you haven’t been accustomed to wearing one while on a vessel.

Due to the loss of stability during pregnancy, you will likely come off balance and fall off the ship. Whether you are a great swimmer or not, wearing a life jacket is mandatory during pregnancy.

Remember that you will most likely have to buy a new life jacket. Your tummy will grow, so the older size will no longer fit you. And if you are early in the pregnancy, be mindful that your tummy will get bigger as time passes.

Avoid walking on the boat

It would also be great if you didn’t walk onboard that much. Again, this is due to your reduced sense of balance. Stay organized and keep your essentials with you so you don’t have to go back and forth too often. Besides, stay close to necessary facilities like restrooms.

Stay in the stern of the boat

The ship’s bow—its front—is taking most of the beating from the water, so staying closer to the stern may be another good idea.

Avoid lifting heavy gear

With a worsened sense of balance, lifting heavy gear can be a very bad idea. You are having problems keeping your weight stable, so needless to say, the added weight of the gear won’t do any good to you. Don’t go boating alone and let someone else lift you.

Avoid drinking alcohol

Another thing that you should avoid doing onboard while pregnant is drinking alcohol. Not only is it going to throw you off balance, but it is also likely going to harm the fetus. This tip isn’t boating-specific and should be followed throughout the pregnancy.

Final words

In the end, it turns out that boating during pregnancy is completely safe, but only if the water is still and the ship isn’t being rocked like crazy. Ideally, the vessel needs to be so steady that you don’t even notice that you aren’t on the shore. This isn’t practically achievable, but we hope that you get the idea of what we mean.

The most important advice we can give you is to rely only on your physician when seeking information. No one else will provide you with information specific to your condition. As mentioned above, you should only view online material as a general guideline for approaching your boating trip.

Another thing we’d recommend is not becoming discouraged by the ill effects of pregnancy. Instead, perceive those nine months as an opportunity to have a unique experience in your life. No one prevents you from having fun while pregnant, but it won’t be like before. But different doesn’t mean that it is going to be bad.

And don’t worry too much about returning to your fishing or kayaking hobby post-pregnancy. Returning to shape will take some time and effort, but nothing prevents you from doing what you love after having a baby. But it won’t be the same since you will have a little companion on the boat.

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