Minnie Moms: Pregnant at WDW, Part 2

Heather: We traveled to WDW during November 2009 when I was around 20 weeks pregnant with our then 3 year-old son as well as my mother-in-law. It was a great trip and one of the reasons we were back again this year with our 6 month-old baby.

I researched on the WDW mom’s panel as well my guidebooks about travel while pregnant. I printed out and highlighted all the rides that I should avoid and carried this with me at each park. I also mapped out locations to rest near bathrooms and tried to plan where we started our visit each day to coincide with a well needed pregnancy break.

We choose to stay on property so that if I was tired that I could easily head back to rest. This proved to be a great decision and I went back almost every day for a nap. I found that I was better able to stay awake for the nighttime dinner plans and parades because I had rested during the day.

Each day when we were packing our backpack I made sure I packed high protein bars and snacks and plenty of water. I was fortunate that I had not had much morning sickness but was ever hungry during my 1st pregnancy.

Going during my 2nd trimester proved to be a honeymoon time to enjoy the parks with energy and stamina to handle the walking. I walked daily throughout my pregnancy which I think helped me handle the miles logged in the parks. I would recommend being able to walk for at least thirty minutes without being winded if you are planning a WDW trip.

If doing WDW while pregnant my best advice is use common sense. Plan what you want to see, a daily resting strategy, pack snacks, and make sure you know what to expect on rides. On several rides I just asked a nearby cast member if this was appropriate for pregnancy. They were great to let me know what to expect, allowing an informed decision.

Obviously this little guy had a great time on his first trip to WDW.


Janine: Last year I was lucky enough to be in the early stages of pregnancy whilst we were at WDW. I say lucky because at the end of the pregnancy we were blessed with our beautiful daughter but I was unlucky in that I felt dreadful for a lot of the time we were on vacation. However, WDW is a wonderful place to be pregnant. Ok, so you can't go on a lot of the rides (the thrill rides) but there are still plenty of things to see and do. In fact for us it gave is a whole new outlook on the parks that Bruce over at UMWDW would be proud of. It made us take our time to look at things and do the attractions that we may not have put first usually.

I'll talk about all the positives about being pregnant at WDW first. Although we were there in May and have some super hot days, being Disney there were plenty of places for me to rest and cool off when I needed to. Just because I couldn't ride my favourite attractions such as Tower of Terror and Dinosaur, didn't mean I couldn't go into lovely air-conditioned indoor things such as Philharmagic and The American Adventure. As I was in very, very early stages (less than 8 weeks) I was suffering from all the rotten side effects of some pregnancies such as terrible all day nausea but without the huge belly!
All of the rides come with a warning that you should not ride them if you have a various condition. That being said, I am unsure if pregnant women are 'forbidden' from riding certain things or whether it is just unadvisable. I have heard of women riding roller coasters while quite far on but I have not seen this first hand at The World.

All of the parks are wonderful to walk about and sit back and enjoy things that you would miss if you were stuck in long lines all day but I personally found EPCOT to be the best for this. Maybe because I love World Showcase and usually we don't spend as long over there as we are trying to get onto Test Track or Soarin'. So I really enjoyed spending real time looking at the different pavilions (and enjoying the a/c!) with DH whilst the rest of the family did their own thing. We also (be ready for 'shock horror') went to The BoardWalk for the first time. Again, as we are usually back and forth between WS and the rides over in Future World, we had never found time just to quietly meander into The BoardWalk, and boy were we glad we did! What a pretty place and the food!!! One of the best sandwiches I've had at Disney was from the bakery.

Of course all of the parks have plenty of resting spots for you to sit down and take a breather while the rest of your party goes off to different rides. For 99% of the time DH stayed with me and missed a lot of the action too, but on the rides I insisted he went on too, I was more than happy just waiting on my own with a nice cool drink. The only negative I had with this (and I learnt from it) was on Splash Mountain. I queued with the others and then said I could not ride when they boarded so I was moved over to the other side where riders disembark. My family had left all their bags with me so they didn't get wet as a CM had said I could just wait for them. However, as soon as the family disappeared, I was told I could not wait there and would have to wait outside the ride. I indicated I have a ton of bags and that I was pregnant (I wasn't allowed to carry much weight due to a complication) so I was staying where I was. This was the first time a CM got a little funny with me and refused to help me so I ended up dragging 6 bags up to wait on the exit ramp. I would not have minded had I been told to move in the first place as I would not have been bag guardian! Oh well. From then on I did not line up with the others and just waited outside the rides with DH or on my own (it was after this experience that DH refused to leave me on my own and therefore missed out on a few things himself.)

So what would my top tips for being pregnant at WDW be?

1. Make sure if you go peak season and therefore during the hottest months, make sure that you have plenty of loose, cool clothing and drink even more than usual. I carried my own water bottle with me as I do not mind the slightly odd tasting water from the fountains as well as making sure I had huge drinks from the vendors. This was one time I did not mind spending mega dollars on refreshment.

2. This goes hand-in-hand with the above, make sure you know where the restrooms are! Pregnant women are renowned for constantly needing the bathroom and I could soon wander off for a super quick stop before anyone knew I was gone!

3. Wear sensible shoes and be prepared to have to change them if need be ... I've ALWAYS worn sneakers and never had a problem. However, whilst pregnant, my feet were so swollen and bloated that I had to borrow most unflattering slip on things from my MIL!

4. Chose where you eat carefully. I had gone to the US with the hope of eating as much pizza and candy as I liked, ha, I was gonna get fat anyway so may as well stuff my face silly. My body had other ideas and I would often feel sick at the restaurant and just want carbs. So don't go to expensive places where you'll pay a fortune and eat very little.

5. Go with the flow. If one day you're too tired to do much, then don't. While the rest of the family went out for meals and shopping, DH and I stayed in the villa as I was too sick/too tired to do anything and did not want to spoil everyone else’s day. If you're a frequent visitor, or have been a few times at least like us, then you don't mind missing a couple of things, knowing it's better to rest up and it's a good excuse to do it next time!

Thanks to our Minnie Moms for sharing such helpful tips! If you have a question for us or a topic you'd like us to cover, please leave a comment or email Amy. 

Minnie Moms: Pregnant at WDW, Part 1

Amy: I’ve been pregnant for three of my last four Walt Disney World trips. This has allowed for really memorable ways to announce the little ones to my parents. With Audrey, I told them moments before the start of Illuminations. With the current pregnancy, I changed Audrey into a “big sister” t-shirt on the way in to dinner at Olivia’s. Chris took pictures as they realized what she was wearing.

When I was pregnant with Audrey, I was sick well into the second trimester but overall it wasn’t too bad. I’m definitely not one of those people who says they ‘never feel better than when they’re pregnant.’ On those two trips in 2008, I just remember needing to take it easy which wasn’t too much of a problem since I couldn’t ride my beloved roller coasters. I take Disney’s recommendations seriously. They list in the maps and on signage which attractions should be bypassed by expectant mothers. I’ve seen online boards where people discuss which ones they rode anyway and why. Just as I won’t tell you how to raise your child, I won’t tell you how to behave while pregnant, but I don’t believe in taking chances with my babies. Sure, it might turn out fine if you ride Space Mountain, but what if it doesn’t? Is that really worth the health of your child or your own? It will be there next time, so grab a snack and relax while the rest of the group rides those thrill rides. If you use FastPass, they won’t be gone too long anyway. One day at Hollywood Studios, I played tour guide for Andy, Chris, and Cousin Jason. I had their park tickets and got them FastPasses for one thrill ride while they rode another. I also took the opportunity to take my time going through “One Man’s Dream” all by myself. All of the mountains, Rock N Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Test Track, Mission Space, Dinosaur, and Kilamanjaro Safaris are off-limits. I was disappointed that even the green (easy) version of Mission Space is considered unsafe. If you have any questions about whether you should ride, just talk to the cast member near the entrance.

Our visit in 2010 was another story. My goal for the trip went from making it to rope drop, riding everything, and taking tons of photos to just not getting sick in the shrubs. Thankfully, Chris had gotten a new camera and took care of the photos. Walt Disney World is covered with places to get a soda and I drank far more than I normally would at home but the cold carbonation helped settle my stomach and handle the heat. I found out that you can have quite a bit of Diet Coke before you hit the caffeine limit for the day. As a former coffee junkie, my body is used to it. People who’ve known me for years may be thinking “FORMER?” This baby has made me give up coffee. Well, at least for a while. It’s creeping back into my world. My aversion to coffee was so bad that a man sat down near me with a cup on the stone benches across from Aloha Isle and I had to get up and move. At Animal Kingdom, I had to nearly run past the coffee carts on the way to Asia. In regards to those types of problems, there isn’t much you can do other than avoid what bothers you.

A lot of expectant moms get nauseous if they go too long between meals/snacks. This usually isn’t much of a problem at WDW but I carried some crackers, just in case. Another lifesaver is ginger candy from Ginger People. I bought the chewy kind at Whole Foods with Audrey and I have the hard version this time, purchased from Amazon. (I have a ton. Anyone need some?) At home, I’ve found Twinings lemon and ginger tea to be soothing. Thanks to Janine, I have tried both the American and UK versions. I also wore the goofy blue Sea Bands for about a month. I'm not sure if they really worked or if they were like Dumbo's magic feather, but I thought they were worth a shot. I also need to add a big thanks to my dad for going to get me breakfast burritos which helped get the day off to a better start.

Try to dress extra comfy while touring when pregnant. Our trip in late October/early November set records with 90 degree days. I admit to not being fully prepared for the heat. One day Chris and I went into “O Canada!” primarily for the air-conditioning. I do love the Martin Short version, but I watched it this day while sitting on the floor. As the week went on and the heat wave broke, I did much better.

Commando touring is out the window when you’re expecting, but I see it as preparing you for the slower pace you’ll need when you come back with the kiddo. A visit with a baby/toddler/small child will be much different than trips before they came along, so consider this a practice run without the diapers and a fantastic excuse for one more Mickey bar!


Corby: So, I wanted to get pregnant with baby #2 for a while. I won’t go into detail, but it ended up taking longer than I thought and I had to go through a couple of losses along the way. Finally, I became pregnant for the third time in a year and I was extremely paranoid and cautious wanting to make sure all went well. We had our November 2009 Disney vacation already booked. I was really excited because my parents were coming along with us and I knew we would have a wonderful time together as a family. I wasn’t quite sure how I would manage being pregnant and spending all day in the parks, though. I was concerned about what if something happened, what if I wasn’t feeling well, what if I was too tired and what would I do since I couldn’t go on rides?

Well, it ended up, I wasn’t all that nauseous. I did feel a bit queasy and headachy at times but for the most part I was just fine. Being the huge Disney food lover that I am, I was able to enjoy that yummy Disney deliciousness perfectly fine, no aversions. As a matter of fact, I think I enjoyed it a little too much, as I gained 7 pounds during that one week of vacation! Eek! I’m sure it was all baby weight, of course…yeah right.

As far as tiredness went, I ended up not having that “oh my gosh, I could fall on my face and sleep right here on the ground” feeling like I did with my first born, thankfully. We were able to go all day long in the parks as we normally do, even staying out until midnight for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party one evening. I also had some of the best sleep ever when we returned back to our resort at night. The newly renovated room with queen beds at Coronado Springs was wonderful!

As I mentioned, I was very concerned about the rides. I knew the obvious roller coasters: Test Track, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, etc were out but what about the other rides? Ended up, I was able to ride quite a few. I enjoyed pretty much any ride that did not have a height requirement. One thing I was a bit surprised over was exactly how bumpy some of the “boat” rides could be when the ride was coming to an end, particularly It’s a Small World, of all rides. Mom and I were sitting next to each other, and I can remember looking at each other and gasping as we went over the bumps at the end. I quickly lifted myself up slightly as to not jar my little bean. I ended up doing this little maneuver each time bumps would come along. I’m sure I looked silly but it brought me peace of mind.

Some advice I would give other expectant mothers traveling to Disney:

 Stay hydrated

 If you’re exhausted, go back to the resort during the afternoon and take a nap if needed.

 If you’re nauseous, take some crackers with you to nibble on. Sprite/Ginger Ale seemed to always make me feel better so maybe sit down and enjoy a carbonated beverage.

 Don’t push yourself! If you have any concerns, take it easy.

Thankfully, our little bean continued to thrive and was born May 2010. We have joked around about her first Disney trip being in utero. I just hope she’ll be a big Disney fan like the rest of our family!

Thanks to our Minnie Moms for sharing such helpful tips! Check back later for part two and many more ideas. If you have a question for us or a topic you'd like us to cover, please leave a comment or email Amy.