Skiing and pregnant … tops tips to survive your winter holiday

When I was pregnant with number two in 2007, we went skiing. Bad planning on my part, but my husband likes it and I like my husband. We had a 15 month old at the time. It was not easy looking after a toddler when 5 months pregnant on a rather nippy winter holiday.

We had asked the doctor before we went whether it was safe for me to ski, as I was getting quite big, and they recommended not to.

I had been skiing when I was 6 weeks pregnant with my first child a couple of years previously; the doctor’s advice then was that it was up to me what I felt safe doing. As this holiday was in the first 12 weeks of the pregnancy, we were worried about miscarriage, so I didn’t ski.

As skiing is classed as a “dangerous sport,” your decision to ski could affect your insurance. Therefore, do be careful to check this out before you decide what you want to do as you could invalidate any policies that you have. Always check with your doctor what their advice is, and follow their suggestions too.

Personally, on both occasions, we didn’t think it was worth taking any chances.

We had decided to go to France, so for the flight there, I made sure I was prepared. I got some anti-clot socks, I walked about as much as I could, and I made sure to sit near the loo.

As we planned ahead, the flight went fine. My daughter was entertained and I was comfortable. One was very important for the other, of course.

Skiing and pregnant on holiday – top tips

Life in the resort was okay too, despite me being ill, so my top holiday tips for if you are going skiing and pregnant on holiday are:

1. Make sure you have health insurance: You never know, you might need it,
2. Book with non-skiers in mind: Look at resorts with lots of other activities outside skiing, e.g. swimming and walking,
3. Book a chalet near the town centre: You won’t have to travel far to the entertainment, and think about full board. It can make it much less tiring for you,
4. Plan activities: I had another child so entertainment was a must. Examples of good activities for you both include:
   • Sledging, be careful if you are pulling them along,
   • Using a playground on the lower slopes which is safe in the snow,
   • Having a hot chocolate in a local cafe,
   • Window shopping, though do be prepared that depending on the age of your child they may struggle with the idea of not buying stuff,
   • Playing in the snow; who doesn’t love to build snowmen on holiday with their kids,
   • Gentle walking on marked paths; there are some well signed valley walks in some resorts that are okay for kids and pregnant mums, too,
   • Swimming; some resorts have excellent pools, and this is great exercise for pregnant ladies and kids.
5. Take paracetamol: Have a very small supply just in case you are ill. Unfortunately, I learnt the hard way as I was sick on this holiday and had to go to the resort doctor to get a prescription.
6. Wrap up: Don’t forget to make sure you have either a thick winter coat or sallopettes and a good jacket, as well as the standard gloves, hat, etc. Even if you aren’t skiing, you need to stay warm.
7. Invest in good shoes and a walking pole: Walking on ice and snow is fine if you are prepared and careful. If you start to feel dizzy, the pole(s) gives you extra support, and together with the boots makes it easier to not slip.
8. Speak to your GP before going: Ask for advice from your GP if you are worried about anything.
9. Ask for help: If you are on a skiing holiday, do suggest to those that you go with that they don’t ski every day, so you can have some support. Don’t be a martyr!
10. Have some me time: Though I had another child to look after, I did ask for some time to myself. Even if it was just to read a book for an hour. This applies to all holidays, not just to those in winter.
11. Don’t go out in bad weather: If it’s snowing, or the temperature is too cold, don’t venture outside – it’s not worth the risk of falling.
12. Take things for indoor entertainment for you and the kids:
    • Portable DvD and DvDs
    • Books
    • Colouring and felt-tips
    • Board games and card games.

This way if you do need to stay indoors, you have stuff to do.

So to all those pregnant ladies going away over the coming months this winter – good luck! If you have already been, do share your tips with us too below or on Twitter.

Note: This article first appeared on Yahoo Contributor network written by Helen Neale, but was withdrawn last year and publication on this site has been allowed.

Futher note: This article is not offering mdical advice on whether it is safe to ski when pregnant; visit a medical practitioner for this, we are making suggestions for entertaining yourself if you should find you are unable to ski due to pregnancy on holiday NOT offering advice as to whether skiing should be done while you are pregnant.

Helen

Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!

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