Will Langerado burn my "bun-in-the-oven"?

January 19, 2008 6:49 AM

My wife and I saw the lineup for Langerado last night and both of us are dying to go. However, around that first weekend in march, she will be eight months pregnant (or seven, math is hard, we're due in early May). She has never had an experience like Langerado, i.e. festivals full of hippies and lots of music. I have, and we have been meaning to do one together but things like law school and jobs have prevented us from doing so. Should the pregnancy stop us now?

I have been mulling it over and decided that we would stay in a hotel and take advantage of the shuttle, which, as long as they run all day and not just in the morning and at night, would help her to flee from the scene when it became too much for her, but we're not sure of things like:

How hot does it get in the everglades in March?
Will she have to go to the bathroom so often she wont hear a complete song?

We definately plan to present this to our doctor before any final decisions are made, but I thought I'd see what other people thought as well, or maybe you've had a similar experience (large amounts of travel with the pregwife, all day events, even all weekend, camping, etc).

posted by Palerale to health (14 comments total)

The weather won't be too hot in March but I can't imagine wanting to do anything that physical/campish at 7-8 months pregnant. Then again, I was a big baby during my pregnanies. And yes, like most women at that stage of pregnancy, I was going to the potty about every 10 minutes. A port-o-let would not be fun. Definitely check with the doctor. Some Docs tend to frown on this sort of thing late in pregnancy. I guess if he's fine and she feels up to it, no harm but just be sure she realizes how tired/miserable she might be at this point before ya'll spend alot of money or time planning a trip. Best of luck and congrats on the little one!!
posted by pearlybob at 7:04 AM on January 19

as far as temperature goes, expect highs in the low-to-mid eighties. i'm not sure where you're from, but, coming as i do from florida, that's falls within the range of what i would call "cool."

having zero firsthand and almost no second-hand experience of pregnancy or pregnancies, i can only imagine that this sort of an event will be unpleasant for your wife, and, by extension, you.

the sore feet and the walking and the potential for high temperatures and mosquito bites and port-o-lets and, holy christ, the hackey-sacks and djembes and dreadlocks on white people, to say nothing of the "tribal" lower back tattoos--it may just be too much for her.
posted by wreckingball at 7:23 AM on January 19

I'd be concerned about second hand smoke from pot and cigarrettes. I don't know if that is a big deal in the US, though, as I'm from the Left Coast of Canada.
posted by acoutu at 7:42 AM on January 19

A factor you may not have considered yet:

If you got tickets, would you be likely able to re-sell them if you both decided not to attend, the week before the show; or can you purchase tickets the week before the show if you do decide to attend. In other words, can you decide later, when you see how she's feeling?
posted by amtho at 8:08 AM on January 19

Is is possible to get a day ticket rather than the full shebang?

But if you decide against it this year you could always wait til the nipper's toddling and take him/her too. The one (too many, but I am a known curmudgeon around tie-dye) hippy fest I've been to had lots of tots all over the shop and they were having a ball!
posted by freya_lamb at 8:19 AM on January 19

It sounds like you're not local, which brings up the question: How are you planning on getting there? If the answer is "by air": isn't airplane travel not recommended after the second trimester?
posted by IvyMike at 8:32 AM on January 19

There's nothing crappier than investing time and money into a three day shebang and then feeling like you're just not up to it. As freya_lamb pointed out, hippy festivals are usually full of young'uns. I'd wait until next year, unless you can camp in an RV and have your own bathroom and personal oasis.

the hackey-sacks and djembes and dreadlocks on white people, to say nothing of the "tribal" lower back tattoos--it may just be too much for her.


I hope you're just being silly, because there are people here on MeFi that have one or more of these things.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:49 AM on January 19

Rent an RV and you will b e good to go. My wife (all pregnancies are different) went to a few concerts until her 8th month and flew cross country 3 weeks before the due date. She exercised throughout her entire 1st pregnancy. The problem is that you won't know how up to it she is until a week or two in advance.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:00 AM on January 19

I went to several festivals while I was quite pregnant, though they were only 1.5 hours from our home. In fact, I went into labor at one (10 days overdue - we decided we might as well go & have fun, rather than sitting at home wondering when the kid would appear). I've seen many (very) pregnant women at them, too.

My thoughts: Yes, portapotties are yucky, but if she can deal with them when she's not pregnant, she can deal with them pregnant, too. I found skirts were much easier to wear at that point in pregnancy, anyway.

She may feel really tired or she may feel great. Have plans for where she can sit comfortably when her back and feet are tired. Bring a blanket in case she wants to nap. Personally, I felt great when I was at that last festival & I was happy to walk around in the woods and be distracted by drum circles when contractions were starting.


Bring snacks & drink lots of water.

Understand that you may decide at the last minute that you can't go, or that you need to leave early.

Everybody at the festival was very welcoming & solicitous and made sure to move away from me when they were smoking, let me jump the line for portapotties, brought me drinks, etc.
posted by belladonna at 10:21 AM on January 19

I attended concerts while pregnant. Ankles will swell and multiple bathroom breaks will be needed, but no more than one an hour.
I have fond memories of commiserating with fellow leather clad pregnant people while waiting to pee at Keith Richards and the Xpensive Winos tour 1993.

You have planned for an out if your wife gets too tired and this will be more difficult to do with a baby in tow - so do it
Most pregnancies in the rest of the world are accomplished while doing a wide variety of hard work.
posted by readery at 10:34 AM on January 19

Flying should be fine then, too, depending on her pregnancy. I went to the Yucatan Peninsula on vacation in my 8th month of pregnancy - other than other US tourists making really dumb comments, and some majorly sad bathrooms, the trip was completely incident free. I am SO GLAD we did it, because we haven't had time to have fun alone together since then. Go for it.
posted by pomegranate at 2:17 PM on January 19

Also, wouldn't a pregnant lady be able to skip to the front of the loo line? I should think so.

You may have to wait your turn, though.
posted by amanda at 2:28 PM on January 19

Be aware that the Big Cypress Preserve is pretty far from....everything. Some friends of mine attened the big huge Phish thing there for New Years eve...1999. Traffic out after the weekend was...intense. And the most poignant story I hear from that trip is the driver trying to keep the car next to a Semi truck for the shade, because they spent hours and hours practically parked. The whole car full of people was pretty miserable, and when they got to the convenience store (seriously, there is one, only one) it had barren shelves and many many people.

With that in mind, and also knowing that Langerado does not permit water bottles (I had a day ticket last year) and probably does not permit snacks, I say see how she feels in the week/few days leading up to the trip.

I do not know how easy it is to buy tickets as the dates approach.
posted by bilabial at 5:08 PM on January 19

With regards to the sanitary breaks, I'm a huge, huge, huge fan of the P-Mate!

I cannot recommend it more highly. It's almost a basic necessity for all festival-attending women, as it means never having to sit on a disgusting, smelly port-a-potty. And since your wife will need frequent sanitary breaks, she will probably find it a godsend too.

Actually, it's a godsend for all women. I'm a hoverer myself, but lotsof women are grossed out by public toilets. Dodgy pub with a smelly, wet toilet? P-Mate! Truckstop restroom on the freeway? P-Mate! Bathroom break in an all male dorm? P-Mate!

Did I mention I'm a huge fan?
posted by lioness at 2:15 PM on January 21