PassPorter.com Feature Article
Original article at: http://www.passporter.com/articles/pregnant-at-the-mouse-house.html

Pregnant At The Mouse House: A Helpful Guide For Expecting Mommy’s

by Allison Gleicher, PassPorter Guest Contributor
Last modified 03-09-2011

It’s always wonderful taking a Disney vacation - the exciting rides, the long treks through the parks, late nights indulging in the culinary masterpieces... Well, most of those things won’t happen if you ever go to Disney World while pregnant. Don’t get me wrong, you can still have an excellent time but it will be a different experience, I can guarantee you that! In December 2000, I was carrying twins. At the time I already had two small children but with my husband and both my parents along for the trip, I wasn’t lacking for help.

I made sure the trip was planned for the cooler months in Florida. Carrying around 30 pounds of pregnancy weight would not have gone over well in 98º weather. It was very important in the planning stage to make sure that the weather was going to be comfortable for me. I knew I had the chance of seeing highs of about 65º and lows about 40º. Ahhh, just right…

My next concern was where to stay. I didn’t want to have to travel far from our room to our activity. It had to be a resort close to all the action. Someplace with reliable transportation to the parks? Someplace comfy, quiet, spacious but smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-all-the-fun? The Wilderness Lodge? Absolutely! What more could you ask for? It had everything I needed - the comfort of home, good transportation, and tranquility. A little piece of heaven, I tell ya.

So, I had my three assistants, good weather and the perfect resort. What else did I need? Besides the usual of comfy clothing and good walking shoes I had to remember to have healthy snacks and lots of water to bring with me to the parks. I found it convenient to have a snack bag of something like trail mix in the diaper bag and a bottled water I could refill. Both would keep up my energy levels and mood.

There was also going to have to be more breaks during the day. Maybe not necessarily going back to the hotel, but sitting on a bench for a few minutes made for a relaxing break. A pregnant woman has got to be able to put her feet up several times a day. There are so many beautiful spots in every park to just stop, have a seat and people watch. I had never taken the opportunity to really slow down before on a Disney trip. I saw the whole Disney experience from a different point of view and you know what? I liked it! I discovered places I had never seen before; I saw performers and acts I never stopped to watch. I also did a lot more shopping. It was an indoors, slow paced, quiet activity - good for the blood pressure. Yeah that was it! Good for the ol’ blood pressure.

Something else I had never done before while on a Disney vacation was laundry. With two kids and three adults at Walt Disney World for 10 days, I volunteered for laundry duty. After the children fell asleep, I would sneak downstairs to the laundry facility where I found a lot of other moms. We would sit around and gab for a while, and when the others had finished and gone back to their rooms, I would tip toe out to the hot tub to soak my feet! The view of the back of the lobby from the pool area was breathtaking. I had my own (well, it seemed like my own) private viewing spot for one of the most beautiful sights in all of Walt Disney World. I had the whole pool/hot tub area to myself. No noise, no husband, no kids, no one asking me for anything. I got to soak in silence. I think I did laundry every night of that trip!

As I said, I was able to experience Disney from a completely different angle during this trip. Slower pace, more quiet activities, less running around and no thrill rides. But we did indulge one of my favorite things to do at Disney - EAT!!! There was a culinary adventure around every corner. With Disney’s wide variety of eateries I was a happy Momma! I added a lot of “favorite” restaurants to my list during this trip. The Cape May Buffet at the Beach Club Resort was a place for a family to enjoy dinner. There was something to please everyone in my family and I got to eat to my heart's content! Another great restaurant was the San Angel Inn in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot - beautiful scenery, quiet atmosphere, and good Mexican food. (Especially good if you’re craving spicy foods!) I was very impressed with this restaurant.

Despite the limitations of going to Disney while pregnant, you can see the benefits clearly outweigh them. If you are planning a Disney trip while your pregnant do just that, PLAN. A little preparation goes a long way. Congratulations and good luck…….

(For more information on traveling to Walt Disney World while pregnant, check out PassPorter’s Walt Disney World For Your Special Needs by Deb Wills and Debra Martin Koma.)

About the Author: Allison is a Co-Guide of the Using Your PassPorter Forum on the PassPorter message boards, as well as being the mother of two beautiful boys.

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Updated 03-09-2011

Check for a more updated version at http://www.passporter.com/articles/pregnant-at-the-mouse-house.html