Wondering if there are any other pregnant south FL residents on here and what you're feeling about zika. I'm on vacation with my family up north for the rest of the summer, but baby isn't due until thanksgiving time...DH and I are flexible (he works from home, I'm a SAHM), and he's suggesting we just stay north until after the baby's born because "why risk it." I really don't want to do this. Expensive, stressful, hard for toddler to be so uprooted, finding a new dr, getting newborn home, etc. But he's really concerned about the risk. What would you guys do?
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I'm not sure how close you are to the actual outbreak, but I'd go ahead and just stay with your family if I were you. With the amount of international travel coming in and out of the area, I would not want to risk what could be lifelong complications. Even with being in the 3rd trimester, they just don't know enough about zika for me to be comfortable taking that chance.
I'm due in Oct and not in that part of Florida, so we are fine for now, but I wouldn't hesitate in changing my plans if it popped up around here.
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I'm 30 weeks due in Oct and in FL near WPB!
So not super close, but close enough!
I'm getting more nervous about it and plan to stay indoors more! Only 9 weeks left!!! -
I think there are a fair amount of preventions that can be taken. Even if its stay indoors!
I mean I guess its nice you have the luxury of moving elsewhere but a lot of people dont even have that option. Ive been cautious this summer. We had the city come spray our yard. I use a high % of DEET spray and try to stay indoors or wear long sleeves when possible.
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I was in my second trimester in South Florida when Zika was first became a news item. Now that we know more about it and cases originating in the US I would avoid travel it is way scarier. There's ways to reduce your chance of getting bit, like avoiding the outdoors during dawn and dusk.
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There's no way i would want to have a baby anywhere besides my own home. I would extend your stay if you want so you can relax and enjoy the summer, but personally I'd return home before baby's arrival and just take recommended precautions.
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I live in Palm Beach county and work in Broward... thankfully I was pregnant last summer (I have an 11 month old). I would be a little freaked out. But I would just take precautions, stay inside, use bug spray if I was going to be outside more than going to/from the car. And really, this time of year it's so miserable out we don't spend a ton of time outside anyway!
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Thanks everyone! We're S FL (near WPB also), so I really appreciate hearing from you ladies in similar shoes. Yes, we're very lucky that we have family up north we could stay with for the next 4 months if it comes to that, and I suppose will just keep following the news and medical advice, but man, something about pregnancy just makes me want to be home. Such a scary virus and so sad for all the people affected already worldwide...
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@Gigi2: My practice called today with a recording, telling their patients to try not travel to Miami and surrounding counties! Wow!!
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@Gigi2: what does your OB say? Lots of preventative measures you can take but I still understand being worried. Sorry you're in this predicament!
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Such a stressful time to be pregnant, I'm sorry! I just moved to NC and have been eaten alive by mosquitos out here. We are just starting to TTC again soon and really worry about it spreading up here by this or next summer when I am pregnant. I understand you wanting to be home, that whole nesting thing is so real. But unless you can see you AND your husband taking every precaution possible everyday all day I wouldn't risk it.
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@Gigi2: My guess is that after summer the mosquito population will diminsh? not sure how accurate that is, but if that is the case then I would head home after the summer
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@Mrsbells: not quite. It won't cool off enough for mosquitos to go away until after thanksgiving (probably at the earliest).
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Wow, that's a tough situation but at least you have the option to stay up north for awhile. If I were in your shoes, I might try to extend my visit until closer to your due date, and re-assess every few weeks or so. So instead of going back down at the end of the summer, maybe head back down in Oct or so if it seems relatively safe to do so. Have you talked to your OB about it? What are you doing about OB appointments anyway?
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I'm so sorry! I would spend as much time further north as you are comfortable with and then maybe move back down as you get closer to the birth....and I honestly would not go outside much at all when you are back home (only go outside to go to and from stores, etc). It's a different situation, but with each of my boys I was on bed rest and it was really hard to be laid up / indoors all day for months, but you do what you need to do to keep baby safe.
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Here's a paper that showed Miami as a likely place for an outbreak months ago.
http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/on-the-seasonal-occurrence-and-abundance-of-the-zika-virus-vector-mosquito-aedes-aegypti-in-the-contiguous-united-states/
Modeling data isn't always the most reliable but it's got good hard data and discussion of the situation. If you look at the black line in the Miami graph it looks like the mosquito population is very very low by November. July is peak season and then there's a steady decrease. News articles seem to suggest that the area is taking a heavy hand both in spraying and monitoring for standing water and anything might breed Mosquitos, which will help a lot to keep populations at least in check during the high mosquito season I'd keep an eye on the situation but I think by October Id feel relatively confident in returning if there's no big rains that keep the Mosquitos in higher number for longer. -
I don't live in FL, but I live in the south where the relevant mosquito breed is endemic. I'm concerned as I seem to get bites almost every time I take my daughter for a stroll.
In your situation, I think I would stay up north until fall and return before baby's birth. I would be vigilant with applying repellent when I couldn't avoid going outdoors. And, importantly, I would insist on condom use for the duration of the pregnancy since hubby could contract Zika without showing symptoms. That said, do what you are comfortable with.
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I also live in the South, but I would not stay gone for the duration of my pregnancy even if I had the choice. The mosquitoes are here, though all cases in my state are travel-related and we do what we can to minimize our risk (bug spray, staying indoors during prime time, no standing water around the house, etc.). During pregnancy, I am more comfortable in my own home and environment with my own doctors and I would not want to be a burden on someone else due to a possible illness.
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@maysprout: thanks for that link about the mosquito population, helpful!
I still lived up north when I had my first and am seeing my old OB for appts while up here - I'll see her next week and discuss plans with her. FL OB is basically saying don't go to Miami and continue to monitor the situation. I'm hopeful that we can just take it week by week and that things will be under control there in the fall and I can go home. I'm such a planner but I guess this will be a good lesson in going with the flow as we all must! It's such a mind game, thinking I *cant* go home makes me much more homesick than I normally would be!
Thanks so much everyone for your input and advice - it's helpful to know what others would do.
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While we certainly don't know everything about zkia, one of the major concerns - anencephaly/microcephaly is determined early in development. If you are in your 3rd trimester, your baby is finished forming and is just growing. We know zika causes issues with development, but I'm not sure about growth. That's the question I would ask my OB if I were you.
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@yellowbeach: That is exactly what my OB said, he kept saying as for as we know....so still be cautious!
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