Rebecca2008

My husband and I are going to France the 2nd half of May and I will be 14-16 weeks pregnant while we are there. I’m interested in hearing advice from those who have traveled to France when pregnant or have been to France and been pregnant at separate times. We will be in Paris, a few towns in Provence, and Villefranche sur Mer (French Riviera)

I’m interested in things such as – Finding public restrooms for my frequent bathroom breaks; food to avoid (I’ve heard many cheese are made with unpasteurized milk which is a no-no when pregnant); French dishes that are safe when pregnant so I can seek them out on the menu, yummy snacking, dealing with jet lag when pregnant (should I just force myself to stay awake during the day like I’ve done on other international trips), good places to rest while touring Paris, etc.

Thank you!

bozama

Foods that are safe??? What does that mean, you already know about not eating unpasturized cheeses, so thats about it,, I mean , millions of French woman get pregnant too, its not too unusual.
I suppose you could avoid eating steak tartar, I have never had an issue with it, but better safe then sorry. I would also avoid raw oysters ( which I LOVE so that is a hardship ) not because there is anything bad about them for pregnant women in particular, but just in case you get a dud and end up with tummy issues.
You will be more tired then usaul, at least I always was, but, some woman find the second trimester the best part of their pregnancy, so perhaps you will too!
Do bring some medicines with you, you do not want to have to go to a pharmacy with limited or no french and try to explain everything, or worse not understand completely instructions given to you. I realize you won't take alot of meds, but there are certain digestion and elimination issues that many pregnant woman have to deal with, which normally they don't, and that with different foods and less sleep , could lead to issues.

Bring and wear the best dang shoes you can find. Really, and I do not care how ugly they ( or may not be).

Just so you know, I am not one of those " I,m pregnant therefore I am delicate" type people, I went to Disnyland when pregnant with my third and I went on all the rides except Space Mountain( I could care less about the warning signs, rides don't shake babies loose, LOL )and said "baby" is now 12 and just fine,, LOL

Remember to build in more rest stops in the day, wear good shoes, take your vitimins , and you will be FINE. Enjoy your trip.

PS There is an American Hospital in Paris where staff speak english , so I hope that is reassuring rather then freaking you out.

Christina

well, I haven't been there while pregnant, so can't give you those tips, but in Paris, public restrooms will be available in large dept. stores and museums, which are pretty decent condition. There are also public bathroom cubicles right on the streets which I'm sure you will see (I think they have a sign saying toilettes) which are self-sanitizing and free.

As for the food, the issue is that soft unpasteurized cheeses are particularly susceptible to listeria contamination, and pregnant women particularly susceptible to that -- so I think better to be safe than sorry on avoiding those soft cheeses (brie, camembert, goat cheese, Epoisses, etc.). Other than that, I really don't know what you mean about French dishes that are safe to eat when pregnant, or which ones you think would not be.

Paris has many beautiful and nice parks, I think they would be good places to rest when you are out and about.

Tulips

Be careful with egg-based sauces; avoid fresh mayonaise, rouille, and things like bavarois, tiramisu, that are made with raw egg yolks. I suppose sauces such as holandaise and bearnaise could be a problem too.

Lexma90

I think you're overthinking this a bit. I travelled to France about 10 years ago while pregnant about 14-16 weeks; we were in Provence and Paris (and other places too).

Finding public restrooms shouldn't be any more difficult than when you're not pregnant. I didn't need to go more often until later in the pregnancy, but I don't remember that this was a problem. Also, I wasn't any more tired than usual, so I kept up our usual active lots-of-walking travel schedule.

As noted before, stay away from "raw milk" (lait cru) cheeses. The French will be far more aware of this than we are, as we don't have raw milk cheese inthe U.S. (assuming that's where you live). While in France and Italy, I was continually cautioned and reminded about this by the locals. Other than that, as already noted, you might stay away from things like steak tartare and oysters, simply on the theory that if you did get food poisoning, you'd probably feel sicker than if you weren't pregnant.

I did have a minor issue arise while vacationing. Everything turned out all right in the end, and as I'm sure your OB has already told you, the beginning of the second trimester is the best time to travel. But just in case, make sure you can reach your OB if you need to, and think through what you'd do if a problem arose.

Really, my biggest concern on the trip was that I didn't look very pregnant at that point, just a little fat, and not quite fitting in my regular clothes any more (it was my second pregnancy). I hated thinking that people thought I was just fat, not pregnant. How vain we can be!

Shanti

I've never traveled to France while pregnant, but I did spend my second trimester while pregnant with my daughter in Egypt, Israel, & Greece and didn't have any problems.

So France should be easy. You may get tired more easily, especially if it's hot & sunny. So just take it easy & drink plenty of water.

Well, I do remember feeling self-conscious (in other words, huge) while at the beach in Greece - all those gorgeous young women with their perfect, nonpregnant bodies. LOL

StCirq

I agree with the overthinking. I traveled to France, and several other European countries twice while pregnant, long before I knew anything about unpasteurized cheeses or any other cautions. I stuffed my face quite well, walked miles every day, and don't remember encountering any difficulties at all or anything different from when I was there and not pregnant, except I wasn't drinking wine .

Unless you have some medical issues related to the pregnancy, you should be just fine. Tell your doctor about your plans and follow any advice he/she gives you.

Enjoy your trip.

Lawchick

I spent half the time I was pregnant last year in France. France is no different to any other country regarding what to eat - but just steer clear of the cheese. I didn't eat soft cheeses or raw seafood. That was it. I had no problems.

14 - 16 weeks - you'll have no problem. Youwon't even notice it.

BKP

Congratulations Rebecca! We traveled to Paris when I was about two months pregnant. My doctor mentioned avoiding raw milk cheese. I went overboard and scoured the internet until I could find more warnings with which to make myself crazy -- the only thing I could find was avoiding "deli" style meats (what Americans would call lunch meat). They can be contaminated with listeria as well. I had to look hard for that info though so it might not be that common.

Learn how to say that you're pregnant in French.

If you're still dealing with morning sickness nothing beats a croissant. TUCS are also a brand of crackers that you can find in the grocery stores, a lot like a Ritz.

Carry snacks with you. You will probably need more nourishment than you're used to because you'll be walking more.

Keep snacks/ breakfast foods in your hotel. I needed something when I first woke up in the morning. We would have never made it out the door if had to do it on an empty stomach.

Last, if you feel like a McDonald's Cheeseburger -- eat one! Pregnancy cravings can be difficult in a foreign country. Sometimes a little bit of "home" goes a long way. The two best cheeseburgers of my life were from a McDonald's in Paris. While I was stuffing them in as fast as I could I made my husband promise to never tell anyone that I ate at McDonald's in Paris.

Oops -- one more. Don't forget to pick up sweet baby things while you're there. We didn't know the sex of the baby so we bought a blanket that had "Bonne Nuit" embroidered on it. Be careful though -- the children's stores in Paris can be dangerous!

dutyfree

Monoprix is a chain store that has darling childrens clothing for an inexpensive price and they look really terrific when you compare them to the stuff in the USA.

hanl

French women are generally advised to avoid unpasteurised or soft/mould ripened cheeses, patés, rillettes and foie gras, smoked salmon and raw fish/shellfish, anything containing raw eggs, and raw or undercooked meat.
As others have said already, this is due to the risk of listeria and salmonella infection.

I know a French woman who contracted listeria from unpasteurised cheese when she was pregnant, and it's definitely something that should be taken seriously (I won't go into details but the baby was lucky to survive).

So IMO better safe than sorry (I'm 6 and a half months pregnant and spend a lot of time in France).

Just tell the waiter when you are ordering if you are in doubt:

"Je suis enceinte" - I'm pregnant
"Je n'ai pas le droit de manger du fromage au lait cru/pâté/etc." - I can't eat raw milk cheese/paté/etc.

Anyway, at least there's no ban on croissants for pregnant women

Rebecca2008

Thank you everyone for all the advice and suggestions. This is great. I learned new things (like raw eggs in sauces) and feel much less concerned about traveling when pregnant. Glad to hear I’m not the only when who is vain in this inbetween stage – no beach pictures for me for this vacation!
Bozama – LOL on the ugly shoes!
Christina – Thanks on the bathroom advice. I already need them more than usual.
BKP & duty free - I love the idea of getting something for the baby in France. It hadn’t occurred to me before, but now I definitely will get something.
Hanl – Thank you so much for the French phrases. They will be so helpful.

dkAz

Hi,
I'm in the same boat as Rebecca. I was wondering if anyone knew if it's safe to eat the soft cheeses which are pasturized, or do I need to avoid all soft cheeses?

thanks!

bdjtbenson

My pack light tip of the day. You can leave your birth control at home (LOL)!

Seriously, we traveled to Australia when my wife was 6 months pregnant with our first. Apart from finding herself ravenously hungry at times she did well and felt good.

She was worse earlier when she still had morning sickness. I hope you aren't suffering from that. At that time, we were camping and driving mountain roads. She still did well except for pulling over to the side of the road for her to open the door and puke ocassionally.

She really is a trooper, which is why she is perfect for me.

StCirq

The texture of the cheese is irrelevant. The Pasteurization is the issue. Soft Pasteurized cheeses pose no risk.

Christina

I think the texture is relevant. Soft cheeses are a particularly susceptible environment for listeria, and it can grow in them even if they were pasteurized when made, if they are poorly handled later on. It doesn't grow in hard cheeses as well, and if you don't know for sure about the pasteurization, listeria does die over time, so if hard cheeses were aged a couple months or more, they should be safe, also, regardless.

Lawchick

Go to Bonpoint for some ridiculously expensive ridiculously cute baby clothes.
http://www.bonpoint.fr/