Diving Whilst Pregnant

[Jaques Custard]

Originally Posted by Hellvet

here's some stuff on the DDRC website - truncated version i would think...
DDRC

Thanks alot for the link, it really set my mind at ease. Thankyou to all you guys for your advice especially Aclivety and Ahoy , Sorry to hear about your problems, I guesse all anyone can hope for is that everything goes okay and to plan, there are too many thoughts that go through your mind at these times as we all know, especially the wife, giving births bad enough, but getting the twin set and stage bottles out almost killed her the last time!

[Jaques Custard]

Sorry meant to say Jezza in lieu of Ahoy there, no harm intended I've just got a memory like a sive (its all tht Nitrogen i think,.can't quite remember) anyawy safe diving dudes and dudettes

[SilvaFish]

Originally Posted by BJ

My wife and a girlfriend both did a lot of deep air diving in the Maldives and then later found that they were both pregnant. My wife was worried. She phoned Dr Chris Edge (a friend and member of the UK Sports Diving Medical Committee) and asked whether she should terminate. His answer (if I may quote) was "Don't be 'king stupid!"
Both babies were born within a day of each other and today both are very fit highly-intelligent difficult-to-argue-with seven-year-olds.
So whereas the sensible advice would be do not dive if you are pregnant, don't worry about it. Worry about the trauma you face bringing up two children! (Two children seem to be an infinitely greater number than one.)

You weren't seeing them at the same time, were ya? And to admit that on open forum too? Brave, brave soul.....

[Gene_Hobbs]

Originally Posted by Jaques Custard

We both Know that it's a no no however is there any ill effects from a shallow dive (I ask as we didn't find out untill 6 weeks and she had dived to 25m before that) Any help appreciated

I know this is an old thread but we added relevant info to the Repository today (and Congrats!).

Kent MB (ed). Effects of Diving on Pregnancy. 19th Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Workshop. UHMS Publication Number 36(EDP)1-31-80. Bethesda: Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society; 1978; 13 pages. RRR ID: 4250

Recommendations:
1. There is no contraindication to diving for the normal, healthy non-pregnant female. The same general health criteria should apply to both male and female divers.
2. The fetus may be at greater risk than the diving mother. The potential risk primarily consists of decompression sickness, but hyperoxia, hypoxia, hypercapnia and asphyxia may also be involved.
3. There is insufficient experimental evidence at this time to establish diving depth and time profiles that are definitely not hazardous to the human fetus. Although a large number of women have dived while pregnant, results of epidemiological studies on the fetal effects of these dives on the fetuses have not yet been thoroughly analyzed.
4. The number of unanswered questions about the effects of diving on the human fetus should encourage physicians to inform their patients of the potential risks and to advise them to act in the most conservative manner.
5. Pregnant women who choose to dive against medical advice should be informed that the potential risk to the fetus apparently increases as the no-decompression limits are approached, as the oxygen tension of the inspired gas increases, and perhaps also as a function of other factors that remain unidentified.
6. Until further studies are made, we recommend that women who are pregnant not dive.


Fife W (ed). Women in Diving. 35th Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Workshop. UHMS Publication Number 71(WS-WD)3-15-87. Bethesda: Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society; 1987; 162 pages. RRR ID: 4251
---Chapter on 'Pregnancy and Diving' by Lanphier

[Dave Crampton]

Originally Posted by BJ

My wife and a girlfriend both did a lot of deep air diving in the Maldives and then later found that they were both pregnant. My wife was worried. She phoned Dr Chris Edge (a friend and member of the UK Sports Diving Medical Committee) and asked whether she should terminate. His answer (if I may quote) was "Don't be 'king stupid!"
Both babies were born within a day of each other and today both are very fit highly-intelligent difficult-to-argue-with seven-year-olds.
So whereas the sensible advice would be do not dive if you are pregnant, don't worry about it. Worry about the trauma you face bringing up two children! (Two children seem to be an infinitely greater number than one.)

Let me get this straight. You got your wife and your girlfreind pregnant at the same time, and both babies were born within a day of each other??

[wilbo]

Originally Posted by Dave Crampton

Let me get this straight. You got your wife and your girlfreind pregnant at the same time, and both babies were born within a day of each other??

The balls of the man. - That works on two levels..

[Dave Crampton]

Originally Posted by wilbo

The balls of the man. - That works on two levels..

You still here? Well I suppose you have another week to kill before baby is born then eh?

Good luck, pm me your address as we'd like to send a card when the happy event happens. Oh yes and give us your names as Mr & Mrs Wilbo might not go down so well.

Dave C

[Aly_Cat]

As far as im aware its not safe to dive whilst preggers...
hence why i didnt do it.. Giles told me that yor baby can get decompression sickness... although at 6 weeks the baby is hardly developed (pretty much just a bundle of cells) and so i dont think u will suffer any ill effects, but i would talk to your midwife to be sure...
Congrats by the way!!!!
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