Pregnancy and Diving

[ScubaSteve]

You may have missed the part about having the doctor consult with DAN. In any case, if the doctor wasn't familiar with diving, I would expect that doctor to consult a source that was familiar with diving, I.E., DAN.

My advice still stands--consult your doctor and follow his/her advice.

Ron

I did not miss it....obviously having read and followed this thread, I felt it was a very important distinction to make because people will interperet things however best suits their perceived needs.

There is also nothing stopping any pregnant mothers from calling DAN to hear what they say for themselves. That way when their non-diving knowledgeable doctor advises them one way or the other they can ask questions as to why.

 

[Peacie]

wow, so abortion is the solution! Thanks guys, you are so helpful!
I have not one proof that their actually is a risk of the baby getting hurt, despite extensive research. Give me proof, and no macho opinions please!! Besides, where is all the women? is this a men only board and I wasnt aware of it?

I'm a woman and agree with the men. Your decision sounds incredibly foolish and careless. Personally, I don't care if every source available tells me I can spend my entire pregnancy searching for the lost city of Atlantis. Common sense tells me there are likely risks with consequences that I may not know until it's much too late. And that would be a chance I'm not willing to take.

Ahh, common sense- not so common anymore.

 

[rcs9250]

I am a dive instructor and just found out that I am pregnant. I love diving but obviously I could have a break for the baby and live without diving until after my baby is born. However, I can't. At least not yet, as I am still waiting for my work visa for this country and for the lawyers letter assuring me that my company cannot fire me. Don t get me wrong and please dont send me any angry messages, especially you men or fathers to be! WHAT DO MEN KNOW ABOUT COMPROMISES BECAUSE OF PREGNANCY? YOU GUYS SHOULD NOT EVEN HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS AN OPINION ON THIS!
Has anybody ever been in a situation like this and would be able to help me out? To be honest my life here is worth more to me than the pregnancy. I can get pregnant again/ however I cant travel into my dream country again and build up a life here as a dive instructor with a child. Now maybe yes, if I get fired, probably not.
Ps I really dont care what pro-life men and doctors etc think. I need advice from someone who knows what it s like to find a home in a new country and a dream job! Thank you.

I'm going to be as PC as I can considering the post. You are stupid.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I'm going to be as PC as I can considering the post. You are stupid.

You should have tried harder

 

[TechBlue]

oh sorry. So yes, I am nearly 8 weeks pregnant and still diving. I just dont have a choice.
However, I dive as conservative as I possibly can- I take 5 min to surface even after a 40 feet dive. I dont go up and down anymore even if my students do etc. However, after researching this topic I have to say that if I would have a choice I would stop straight away, even though the risks for the baby are minimal, esp. since I mostly dive extremely conservative and shallow. Oxygen toxicity? Decompression sickness? getting cold? I really dont think that is going to happen. But in the end you never know and if something did happen you would hate yourself forever...

Sounds like you already know the answer to your question, and in reply to your original post why should it only be a woman that tells you that you are being irresponsible and not very bright. If you are trying to to start a new life in a new country and have your dream job how well are you going to do if you have a child, this is assuming that by diving that you do not cause any birth defects. Who is the father and how are you going to take care of this child.

If you are working you have a responsibilty to your students and that is paramount so I don't really understand what you are asking and also question your professionalism and sanity.

 

[TechBlue]

I am sorry I am quite that heated, but this is my and my baby s life I am talking about, and both our health but also our happiness are important. I do think about the babys future, and it s looking pretty bleak if mama s getting depressed because she is forced to live in a country that she hates passionately.

However, i do thank you for your suggestion that young people forget to remember that there is other good things that can happen even when what they want badly right here right now is not possible, I will give this a thought and try to think of other solutions but to keep on diving. Okay, I gotta go to work now. Yes and dive, cuz I need money to pay the gynelogist, who by the way sees no problem with me diving. Please everyone, remember, I do spend most of the time in the pool and do maybe one 6 to 12 meter dive in a day, sometimes two, but that s it. Also whenever possible, I let other people carry tanks etc for me saying I have back problems. And last but not least please think about the following quote of a pregnancy website> there is not much that can really disturb a healthy pregnancy. Just think of all the hard working women, like my grandmother for instance after world war 2. she worked in the fields, harvesting etc and bore completely healthy children, like soooo many others did before her. And please, please dont tell me anymore I should not dive, I know that! Instead give me solutions to my situations or let it be!

The solution is that you should not dive if you want to have the baby, as an instructor you must be aware that your body experiences the most changes due to pressure in the first 33 feet so by trying to keep your dives shallow you are not accomplishing anything. What are you going to do if the baby has birth defects? How will you support yourself and the baby and is your employer going to keep you on?

 

[DivingPrincessE]

So what does the father think you should do? He should have a say...

 

[mike_s]

To be honest my life here is worth more to me than the pregnancy. I can get pregnant again/ however I cant travel into my dream country again who knows what it s like to find a home in a new country and a dream job! Thank you.

this is my and my baby s life I am talking about, and both our health but also our happiness are important.

wow.... what conflicting ideals you have.


first the baby/pregnancy is not important as your "dream job in a vacation destination" is?


and that is more important?


wow..... just wow....

 

[Diver0001]

wow, so abortion is the solution! Thanks guys, you are so helpful!

Look. If you attach more value to getting a work permit than you do to the safety of your (unborn) child then in my opinion you simply should not become a parent.

In my opinion you come across as not understanding the first thing about the responsibility you've taken on so I would suggest that you need to grow up and learn how to be responsible before you start vastly complicating your life with a baby.

So yeah, maybe abortion is not the solution but if the real solution, namely you taking responsibility, is not something that you're willing to entertain then there aren't many other viable options.

R..

 

[Web Monkey]

I am sorry I am quite that heated, but this is my and my baby s life I am talking about, and both our health but also our happiness are important. I do think about the babys future, and it s looking pretty bleak if mama s getting depressed because she is forced to live in a country that she hates passionately.

Playing "shake the coke bottle" with a developing nervous system is a spectacularly bad idea. It also violates the standards of all training organizations, and is forbidden by all medical personnel who understand SCUBA diving.

However this doesn't really matter anymore, since it's unlikely that there are any dive ops in Belize that are unaware of your plan and none will let you dive while pregnant.

Terry