Tips to survive Glastonbury while pregnant?

[VickyS]

I’m going to be 23 weeks pregnant at Glasto this year. Not far enough along to be worried about going into labour in the middle of Shangri-la, but but enough that it’ll be a challenge, especially if we get a repeat of 2016 weather-wise!

Has anyone done Glastonbury preggo before who could offer some survival tips/advice?

[FuzzyDunlop]

My friend did it last time. She found it very hard, I wont lie. 

It was the tiredness, she would be ok - then she was so tired she could barely move. She was back at the tent for 9pm latest every night. She felt guilty constantly about going back / not joining in.

Not sure how she'd have coped if the weather had've been as hot as the wednesday all through like 2010 or as muddy as 2016. 

I think she'd say - pick one thing to watch every day and just do that. 

From my side, Id say - remember your friends want you there. Not being able to do x, y and z isnt ruining anything. Don't over face yourself & take a chair with you wherever you are going.

Im not trying to scare you there! I think some problems she had were guilt at "ruining" it for us. Which just wasnt true. Remember, everyone wants you there.

Edited June 11, 2019 by FuzzyDunlop

[internetjef]

My friend did it about 8 months pregnant back in the last real muddy one (2016?).

she actually did brilliantly well even in the mud. Clearly she sacked off the late night stuff , and took less crowded positions further back for acts rather than getting stuck in the middle.

taking a fold out camping chair which normally we wouldn’t do was a massive win for her tho in the conditions.

So it’s def doable just take it steady, slow everything down, and stay out of big rowdy crowds 

[morph100]

Take a chair, chill in green fields and don’t expect to stay out late. My wife still loved it sober and still got close to front for some acts.

[CeriG]

I haven’t done Glastonbury pregnant but have done another festival.

My main worry was more being knocked in large busy crowds or slipping over as apposed to tiredness. Wait for crowds to settle down before leaving stages. A good torch for needing a wee in the night & navigating over guide ropes..... oh and eat eat eat... that’s the best part of being pregnant so divulge in all the nice food ?

[Dave_c]

Would highly recommend wearing either a printed t shirt or having stickers/a sign on you saying saying baby on board. This will make people around you aware and hence be more cautious of bumping into you etc.

[mcshed]

My wife did it pregnant in 2015 and was about 20 weeks so similar stage as well. As others have said take a chair, also take an air bed she will need sleep. Just generally take it easy be prepared to need a break and you'll be fine. It was actually my wife's favourite Glastonbury, feeling the baby kick for the first time during Belle & Sebastian was magical.

[Fred Zepplin]

Last festival my wife was about the same as you and she really enjoyed it. We took it steady and sat down a lot more. I got her a baby on board window cling you put in cars and made it into a necklace for her. The worse parts for her were her back hurting since she slept on a air bed rather than her normal bed so make sure you get the bed as comfy as possible. The need to wee all the time was annoying especially at night so we camped in a quiet campsite and quite close to the toilets so she didn’t have to walk to far in the night 

[RAMMAN]

My wife did it pregnant (24 weeks) in 2013, she had a great time. We put some extra effort into making the camp as comfortable as possible and got a new tent that we could stand up in. We limited the amount we did and stayed longer at areas when we got there. Chair was essential! She managed the headliners every night and then was done in! I did pull the pregnant card a few times when there were big ques at toilets and when space got a bit cramped! 

[Jarr]

Not go?

[tarw]

Just now, Jarr said:

Not go?

Not helpful?

[gigpusher]

I'd say rather than trying to run around and see everything try and find stages that have a run of acts that you are happy with. If at the busy stages don't try and leave straight afterwards so you don't get caught up in crowds. Maybe avoid things that you know will be crowded or take a position in a less busy place. 

Enjoy a more relaxing one. Go to the theatre and circus fields and the green fields when you need to be a bit more chilled. The deck chairs at the summer house stage are a nice way to relax for a while. 

Edited June 12, 2019 by gigpusher

[cb4747]

38 minutes ago, Jarr said:

Not go?

Wee bit unhelpful. 

[cb4747]

I would definitely recommend wearing some sort of thing that displays you’re pregnant (if you aren’t showing quite yet, I remember when I was 24 weeks I just looked like I had eaten a lot)

Take it easy and take breaks. Make sure to drop into the NCT tent too! They are fab. 

[charliec45]

I was about 28 weeks pregnant when I went in 2017, having been to Glasto before I knew what to expect and just paced myself.

I took plenty of snacks and breakfast food that I could scoff while waiting for everyone to emerge out of the tents. I would treat myself to a can of Vimto in the evenings to make me feel like I was drinking a fruity cider ?

I slept on an airbed and took ear plugs, I planned where I was going to go a lot better than usual and tried to limit the walking in between stages. I also went to bed after the headliners every night (mainly due to exhaustion!) 

Overall people were very nice and accommodating, I did have a few people commenting on how disgusting it was that I was pregnant and at Glastonbury but happily ignored them! 

One thing I would highly recommend is Travel Johns - although not very environmentally friendly, they are amazing for all of the midnight toilet requirements! I could not have survived a pregnant Glastonbury without it! 

I was very worried beforehand that I wouldn't enjoy myself as much being pregnant but I absolutely loved it, not waking up with a hangover was amazing. 

Hope you have a lovely time! xx

[keepad]

Well it looks like you already have some very good positive advice in most of the post above.

So the only thing I can add is to wish you a fantastic time and have a great festival. 

Edited June 12, 2019 by keepad

[FLB]

One of our group was slightly further along than you in 2017, she had a great time! Her kid stays up all night dancing to Foo Fighters, but apart from that she doesn't seem to have suffered any adverse effects of the experience (only joking!).

I'd just reiterate what everyone else has already said really:

1. Walking slightly further back to camp is worth it if you will be able to sleep more. We were in campervans east, so she actually had a proper bed as well. Airbed and earplugs is a good alternative though, but there are plenty of self-inflating roll-mats on Amazon, which aren't quite as comfy but are a lot easier to transport/set up!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/essence-Sleeping-Mat-Backpacking-Lightweight/dp/B07FVTM8GJ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=inflatable+roll+mat&qid=1560342867&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

2. It's definitely worth carrying around one of these, particularly if you're more interested in the headliners and don't mind chilling out a bit in the day, or you are happy to just sit at the back of a stage. If you get fed up of carrying it you can always leave it in the property lockups.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trespass-Compact-Foldable-Camping-Carrier/dp/B00A162CM2/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=camping+stool&qid=1560342175&s=gateway&sr=8-5

3. The biggest thing that caught her out weren't the crowds themselves, but the sudden changes in crowd size. E.g. the Pyramid was pretty quiet for Run The Jewels, but Jeremy Corbyn introduced them and what seemed like the entire festival showed up for his 10 minute speech. The back of a small crowd can turn into the middle of a large one quite quickly if you aren't careful. Set times obviously don't all start/end at the same time, so if you have time to look at the lineup more closely that might be a good idea. E.g. is there someone popular about to finish on the Other Stage, which might mean loads of people will head towards the Pyramid and block the exit routes etc. Standing by a speaker can also give you a bit of breathing space if you're worried about crowds. She also didn't have anything to advertise the fact that she was pregnant, and I remember us shouting it on at least one occasion to help navigate a huge crowd, so some sort of badge is definitely a good idea even if you don't wear it all the time.

4. I just realised myself that if I needed medical assistance I would have to look at the map to find the nearest medical unit. Hopefully you won't need it, but it might be a good idea to have a rough idea of where they are just in case! The 'what three words' app has been mentioned a few times on here also, in case you need emergency services to come and find you instead.

Enjoy it!

Edited June 12, 2019 by FLB

[sprocketrocket]

There's lots of great advice here, as has already been stated, get somewhere quieter for sleep. Make sure you have something for shade - umbrella type thing, my wife was pregnant in 2010 which was hot AF and there's not much shade at times. You don't have to carry it all day you can put it in the lockups etc. 

[giantkatestacks]

It is interesting that the person saying don't go got so many down votes - I mean I know it wasnt very useful but it is a valid point of view. I didn't even consider going the years I was pg - I just wouldn't have wanted to not be in control of my surroundings to that extent. It can be a very challenging environment in terms of physical terrain, cold/hot/wet, sleeping, eating (worrying about food poisoning etc).

I would have gone maybe if I was in a camper van but wouldn't have bothered otherwise - for me there was a time for festivals and a time to take a break. I struggled so hard to get and stay pg that I wouldn't have been happy.

[shuttlep]

Plan your breeding around fallow years, it's the only way!

 

seriously, keep away from busy areas at busy times. trying to walk my heavily pregnant friend back to her tent in 2016 (it was muddy) going past Arcadia the crowed was hectic everyone trying to keep to the path (out of the mud) it got scary. the crush was terrifying . Learnt the lesson from that and walked the long way back to the tent. she had t shirts on showing she was heavily pregnant. although the fact her belly was bigger than Carl Cox's should have been a dead give away. Ear plugs are essential as you can get twats like myself who come back to camp at 5 am and plan to have a stay up and chat with music till we pass out.

[Yokel Again]

Mrs YA did it at a similar number of weeks in 2013. She was brilliant, I'll ask her for her tips..

The one thing I can remember was being totally paranoid about people barging her belly. She had one of those 'baby on board' badges from the Tube to highlight the fact, and we generally stayed at the back for things, or stuck her in the middle of our friendship group (particularly during the Stones, which was rammed even quite far back).

Spent more time than normal up at the greenfield and chilling, and it was a great festival as a result.

She was more chilled about it than I was, looking back. Probably offering nothing more than already posted there. 

[VickyS]

54 minutes ago, shuttlep said:

Plan your breeding around fallow years, it's the only way!

Well I was in zika quarantine last year, if I waited for the next fallow year I’d be 38 before I have a baby!

[gigpusher]

1 hour ago, giantkatestacks said:

It is interesting that the person saying don't go got so many down votes - I mean I know it wasnt very useful but it is a valid point of view. I didn't even consider going the years I was pg - I just wouldn't have wanted to not be in control of my surroundings to that extent. It can be a very challenging environment in terms of physical terrain, cold/hot/wet, sleeping, eating (worrying about food poisoning etc).

I would have gone maybe if I was in a camper van but wouldn't have bothered otherwise - for me there was a time for festivals and a time to take a break. I struggled so hard to get and stay pg that I wouldn't have been happy.

Probably because at 2 weeks before the festival it isn't helpful.  If she asked for advice about whether to put her ticket back in the pot in April then it could be put forward as an alternative certainly but she has stated she is going, she would have no refund option if she didn't go and Glastonbury is meant to be an inclusive place. Yes for any one individual to decide it wouldn't be for them is perfectly valid but it's not helpful to suggest someone else doesn't go when they clearly do want to go.