Pregnant crew

If it's her first, you'll probably have many hours warning before the birth - it's called labour. It may not be comfortable, safe, wise or much fun to go into labour several hours away from the hospital, but 99 times out of a hundred, you wouldn't have to deliver the baby at sea. If it's her second or a later one, it will probably come quicker, but then she'll be a bit less frightened if labour starts. Can you sail somewhere local, so that you could get back quickly (say, 1 hour to somewhere an ambulence could pick her up) if things started happening?

Discuss the contingency plans with her, and if you are satisfied that she appreciates the dangers, then let her come. She's not ill - she's just pregnant - lots of women ride horses, run, sail, drive long distances... up to the time they go into labour.
 
Yip, We have been told, On Average Labour lasts 14hrs /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.

So should have time to sail to a safe haven, although personally, i wouldn't like to be in that position.

But hey, its not me, so enjoy whatever you decide! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Grrooaaan. So when it's 45 we'll hear it saying "I've been sailing since before I was even born'.

That will beat even those who mention in their profile that they have been sailing since they were 4 or 3 or 7 etc.

Has anybody any baby sick stories to tell? OOOHHHHH
 
Yeah, she can always come afterwards.
When I was an ambulanceman I had a patient give birth on the top of a hill in the middle of the night in a blizzard. You feel very alone at these times.
 
When my wife was in her eigth month we went sailing for a week. She'll have some difficulty getting in and out of the dingy and she will pee a lot. So it will be like having a child, elderly person, or drunk person on board.
 
It is my belief that the skipper is ultimately responsible for the safety of the boat and all the crew on her. Personally I would not consider taking a woman to sea who is eight months pregnant, however much she wanted to go. You could very well be issuing a Mayday for a Coastguard helicopter to get her ashore when premature labour starts!
 
When I think of the billions and billions of babies that have have been born in the past couple thousand years, I always find the bedlam and panic amusing when somebody yells,"OMG SHE'S GOING INTO LABOUR!". The whole childbirth thing has been going pretty well for the human race for quite some time yet the sight of vagina with a head coming out of it can turn even the most handy crew into clumsy oafs.
 
amusing labour

You are not recognising that mortality rates (for babies and mothers) for most of that sevral thousand years was high, death being a frequent visitor to every street and family in the land, whereas these days it is low - people confidently expect pregnant women to return from hospital together with a baby (or two). This situation resulted from advances in medical science, not from a laissez-faire attitude.

In any case "I always find it amusing" - how often do women give birth on your boat?
 
Re: amusing labour

In particular, how confident would you be performing an emergency c-section afloat ?

Something that people seem to forget, is that quite a few births go that way, and what happens if the place you've chosen (at home, private comfy bed, local birthing pool) is a 20min ambulance ride away from any surgical facilities? This happened to Mrs DV, and it all worked out fine with a whisk up 2 floors in the lift to some nice people with gowns, a well lit flat surface, and some sharpish scalpels, but what might have happened after a 20min delay doesn't bear thinking about.

It's all presented as increased patient "choice", but nobody spells out the possible consequences of those choices clearly enough. And back to the original subject, not many people would choose "Half way across the Solent" in any case, so it'll probably be just fine.

dv.
 
Re: amusing labour

Oh dear! this is really quite sad! We're getting like America now!

It's funny, I've often wondered who that bloke in the black robes with the big scythe is, sitting in the corner of the cockpit every time I go sailing!

Come to think of it, even HE might have an undisclosed medical condition waiting to strike at any moment!
 
Re: amusing labour

I'm starting to think i need to require a doctors note for all my guests aboard to ensure there fitness.

Maybe a signed disclaimer would be ok....
 
Re: amusing labour

Bit different: with pregnancy you KNOW that at some point in the near future you will be having a baby. You just don't know exactly when.

dv.
 
Re: amusing labour

Oh I dunno, there are plenty of conditions which (like pregnancy) could manifest themselves at short notice!
 
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...you'll probably have many hours warning before the birth

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One of mine was born in an ambulance on the Havant bypass. Since then I have been less convinced of the amount of warning available.
 
I moved house and continents at 6 months pregnant, main problem was moving around, my pelvic floor muscles got very sore, I had been riding horses up until then to but did not have the strength I normally had , so stopped that then.
By the time I was 7 or eight months gone, I felt like I was carrying a bag of cement that I could not put down, any jarring or bumping motion was painful, may be not at the time but the next day.
Now this lady may well be different but I would be warier of going on a boat if any chance of being thrown around as balance is a problem too.
Up side is she would get to the hospital faster if things did go wrong, due to the RNLI. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Oi - I'm female, and have had two kids myself!

In the same position, I'd have been pretty irritated with all these well-meaning men telling me what was best for me.

See my previous suggestions...
If she's fit, sensible, well-informed, and willing to take responsibility for her own actions, then let her come. I would not take her out unless I already knew her, or could assess her basic sanity and motives (but then, that would go for anyone I would allow in my boat).
 
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