Wedding/travelling so soon after birth? Good or bad idea?

Hi all,

I've just found out I'm pregnant with our first baby (it was a bit of a surprise!). Although we're really happy it couldn't have come at a worse time! I'm due mid-October and we were planning to get married in Langkawi on Jan 2nd - only a couple of months after the birth. We still want to get married then but is it madness or can we do this? We don't know whether to cancel the wedding or not.

I know the experts say babies can fly after 4-6 weeks so that part of it shouldn't be a problem but does anyone know if Langkawi is safe for newborns? Does anyone know what the hospitals are like should something go wrong? Has anyone ever travelled with a baby that young before? And can we/should we manage a wedding so soon after birth?

Any help much appreciated, thanks in advance!!

I dont know where langkawi is so I cant comment on whether its safe. If you are breastfeeding it should be OK thought becuase your baby wont be eating or drinking anything.

I found it a lot easier to go places when DS was younger and less mobile!

Id be more worried about how you will handle it yourself so soon after giving birth - I guess it depends how much is organised in advance..if all you have to think about other than baby is packing your bags and getting tot he airport on time its probably going to be fine. I wouldnt want to be in the throws of organising it all when the baby arrives though, but that again is based on my experience with my first bub - yours could be completely different.

So, Im sorry if I've been little help in the end :(

Thanks Rayray, any opinions/advice is much appreciated so you have been a help...

Langkawi is an island in Malaysia.

My mum is being great with organising the wedding so hopefully that will continue. I guess I just wondered if anyone thought what I'm attempting to do with baby and wedding was nuts - having never had a baby before I don't know what to expect and perhaps it's wrong to assume I'll be able to do all this... Or maybe it is possible... I'm just confused and a bit frightened that I've bitten off more than I can chew!

Hi. We were going to get married in January next year then I found out I was pregnant due the start of September. We decided to move it forward to May this year. I thought it would be easier doing it before the baby came, ds keeps us busy enough :lol:. I do think it is possible to have a wedding with a baby but. If this was our first I probably would wait until after it was born. I think if you do all the planning and organising before the baby comes it shouldn't be too hard.

Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS on bubs and the upcoming wedding! :clap:

I'm not a mum yet, so can't really give you much advice on whether it will be too much to take on...

But, I would suggest that you call a travel clinic or at the very least talk to your GP sooner rather than later. You might need to have some shots before you go to Malaysia (Hep A and B, typhoid, yellow fever, who knows)...

If you do need shots, you probably won't be able to have them when your pregnant and may not be able to have them when you're breast feeding. Also, bubs probably won't be big enough or strong enough for any of those types of shots so the doctor will be able to advise if there are any risks for them being in that environment or from you eating/drinking the food there while breastfeeding.

Thanks all. I actually went travelling last year so luckily have already had every shot known to man so that should be fine.

It sounds like you all think a wedding is do-able even with a newborn if I make sure all is organised before the baby comes - so I am going to have to be super efficient for the next few months!

Langkawi is gorgeous, there was a thread about it recently cos someone was going there for their honeymoon.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!!
As for any advice on your travel/wedding, I would suggest maybe postponing it until you feel comfortable with handling new bub. Reason I suggest this is that your baby may come late, you may end up with a c/S (approx 25% births) and then it can take a good couple of months to heal. I had an emerg ceaser with bub1, then developed a wound infection and was back in hosp for a week. There would be no way I could have felt well enough to travel. On top of this, newborns feed 3hrly round the clock- so the first few months, while exciting, are extremely exhausting and there is really no break. There is a good chance you may find yourself too tired to celebrate.
How about bringing everything forward, before baby is born?
Whatever you decide, good luck and best wishes for your new family.

Congratulations on both wedding & baby. Just with regard to the travel after birth, I personally would either delay the travel or move the wedding date - which would be a headache in itself. One of my relatives (who lives in Sydney) was getting married about a month after my little one was born last year and I really wanted to go to the wedding (I live in Melbourne but originally from Sydney where the rest of my relatives are). My ob advised me that although he didn't have a problem with me going to Sydney cause I could get help if something was to happen and its not so long a flight, his main concern was if I haemorrhaged and that could happen anywhere, anytime I guess. We decided to not go to the wedding, as much as it saddened me but I'm glad we didn't cause although I didn't have any post-birth problems, just adapting to the change of life was quite a challenge and I wasn't that confident. I just don't think its worth stressing yourself and the baby out. Some people can pull these things off but I couldn't. Plus like others have said, if the baby is overdue or you have a caesar, then it'll be worse for you. Try not to commit to too much after the birth is my advice. You want to be able to enjoy the baby, your hubbie and your travel.

Thanks guys. We've decided to postpone the wedding till later on in 2010 or even 2011 to give us time to get used to the baby. It really saddens me to do it but I think it's the right decision. The most important thing now has to be the baby and adjusting to our new lives! Thanks for all the advice...