One-month baby at high altitude
director...@datas.biz
a day hike that begins at 7,000 feet and ends at 9,300 feet. We would
drive from 2,000 feet to 7,000 in three hours, and then the round-trip
hike from 7,000 to 9,300 would take about 5 hours. We plan to return
home in the evening. Please comment on:
would this be a perfectly safe trip for the baby?
if so, what precautions do we need to take?
would there be any temporary physiological changes?
if so, are those totally reversible or do they last long enough that
we should avoid the trip?
is there any other reason we shouldn't put the baby through it?
Thanks.
Sue
wouldn't, but that's me. I would A) leave the baby home with someone else,
B) not go, or C) leave mom at home and you go. :o)
Sue
<director...@datas.biz> wrote in message
news:1179637094.0...@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
xkatx
Why would you even want to??
From what you say, it sounds like you're hiking in the mountains, and quite
frankly, in such scenarios, I wouldn't take a child on something like this
unless they were much, much older. DS is 6 and I wouldn't take him on
something like this.
What are you going to do? Put the baby in a baby carrier on your front or
back? Not that it matters, but what happens if the person carrying the baby
trips or slips? Nothing like smashing a baby between you and a rock in the
side of the mountain. The weather in the mountains here tends to be iffy.
It seems to get colder at times, and quite frankly, warm or cold, a 1 month
old baby doesn't need to be outside for an entire day.
I can think of many reasons why I wouldn't put a baby through something like
that. A baby doesn't need to spend 3 hours driving in a car seat then spend
another 5 hours (for this 5 hour estimation, did you take into consideration
time it takes to feed the baby or change diapers, among other things?) being
carried on a hike. Seems like a fairly dangerous - yet fun - experience for
an adult or even a teen, but a baby? Leave the baby at home.
I second what Sue said. (leave the baby home with someone else, don't go or
leave the baby and mom home)
Aula
"Sue" <sburk...@wideopenwest.com> wrote in message
news:yvKdnZpwdpx5_s3b...@wideopenwest.com...
> Why would you consider doing someting like that with a one-month old? I
> wouldn't, but that's me. I would A) leave the baby home with someone else,
> B) not go, or C) leave mom at home and you go. :o)
>
One also wonders what the mother's doctor would have to say about this type
of strenuous activity four weeks post-partum as well as the pediatrician's
thoughts. Certainly they have been consulted? Just in case there are
issues they could identify.
-Aula
Robert Watson
I would recommend against it myself.
It sounds like you are going to take the kid away from civilization for
several hours. What are you going to do if he gets sick? How are you
going to know if the responses he is having is because he is sick or
just from the all the extra movement?
You ask is there any reason why you shouldn't put the baby through it?
I would ask, is there any reason why you should put the baby through it?
Jeff
Ericka Kammerer
> We live at 2,000 feet and are planning to carry our one-month baby on
> a day hike that begins at 7,000 feet and ends at 9,300 feet. We would
> drive from 2,000 feet to 7,000 in three hours, and then the round-trip
> hike from 7,000 to 9,300 would take about 5 hours. We plan to return
> home in the evening. Please comment on:
> would this be a perfectly safe trip for the baby?
I don't know. I think you'd have to ask the doctor about
the effects of altitude (and potential environmental issues) on the
baby. In addition, if one of the people going on this trip is a mother
who's just given birth, I would wonder whether that was advisable
as well. I had relatively easy recoveries from all three of my
births, but don't think I'd have been ready for a hike like this
at that point, and I think my midwives would have had a cow at
the notion.
One month old babies are still in a bit of a transitional
state. Has this baby been born, by the way? A lot of parents
(not all, but quite a few) are still stumbling around bleary-eyed
from lack of sleep at only four weeks. Is mom going to be perky
enough to manage not only the hike, but also the physical demands
of breastfeeding? Sometimes breastfeeding is still a bit dicey
at that stage, and doing something that physical can do a number
on milk supply. Some mother/baby pairs get things going swimmingly
sooner, but others take a good six weeks or more to settle in
and get everything working well.
Overall, it just sounds a bit aggressive on the schedule
front to me.
> if so, what precautions do we need to take?
> would there be any temporary physiological changes?
> if so, are those totally reversible or do they last long enough that
> we should avoid the trip?
> is there any other reason we shouldn't put the baby through it?
I'm not nearly as conservative as the others. I wouldn't
bat an eyelash at taking even an older baby on such a trip, if
mom and dad were feeling fit, weather and other conditions were
good, and it was a relatively easy hike (easy terrain, low risk
of danger from the surroundings, etc.). I just think one month
is probably pushing it for all concerned.
Best wishes,
Ericka
Penny Gaines
Is this something you normally do anyway? And is there some reason why
you want to do it then?
The first thing to be aware of is that whoever is carrying the baby will
be carrying an extra 15-20 lbs of baby+carrier+clothing. That's before
you add in spare nappies/formula/change of clothes etc.
Secondly, with those times, the path must be fairly steep (the
recomendations I've seen say allow an hour of hiking for each thousand
feet of elevation). A front carrier - or a back carrier - does effect
your balance, and although this is not too noticeable on the flat, on a
steep path it would have a much larger effect. I wouldn't want to try
and traverse a slippery slope covered in gravel with a baby in a front
carrier.
Thirdly, if it takes you three hours to get there, it will also take
three hours to get back. That's an 11 hour day: what happens if your
baby is still waking several times in the night and you are worn out
before you start?
Having said all that, I've probably got marginally more relevant
experience then many of the other posters. When our eldest was 3mo,
we went on a hike that was from sea level to about 700-800 feet.
The baby was breast fed so we didn't have to worry about heating
formula, but when we got back to the bottom, I was extremely hungry.
We used wellmarked footpaths, but even so we had to be extra careful
with our footing.
I found this website of carriers aimed at "the serious hiking crowd".
http://www.baby-strollers-guide.com/article-pages/carriers/macpac_possum.htm
It says they don't recommend mountain hiking because of the risk of
falls, and that children shouldn't be taken hiking at high altitudes
because of the cold temperatures.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it from a practical POV, even without the
risks of altitude sickness.
--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three
xkatx
"Aula" <aulaN...@sovermont.net> wrote in message
news:11796804...@r2d2.vermontel.net...
I never thought about this one!
I remember I had some issues after DD2 was born. She was born end of
October, and at the beginning of January or so, IIRC, I had some bad
bleeding issues that started out of nowhere, it seemed. It all started
after I spent about 45 mins MAX shoveling the driveway and sidewalks for my
aunt and uncle after a fairly heavy snowfall. DD2 was about 10 weeks old at
the time, my bleeding had stopped a couple weeks before, but it definitely
came back and I'm positive it was because I just over did it with the
shoveling.
JennP.
"xkatx" <xk...@none.com> wrote in message
news:Oo84i.28592$g63.13326@edtnps82...
> I never thought about this one!
> I remember I had some issues after DD2 was born. She was born end of
> October, and at the beginning of January or so, IIRC, I had some bad
> bleeding issues that started out of nowhere, it seemed. It all started
> after I spent about 45 mins MAX shoveling the driveway and sidewalks for
> my aunt and uncle after a fairly heavy snowfall. DD2 was about 10 weeks
> old at the time, my bleeding had stopped a couple weeks before, but it
> definitely came back and I'm positive it was because I just over did it
> with the shoveling.
Do we know if this baby has been born yet? I'm getting the feeling that it
hasn't. I can't even imagine hiking like that one month out even without
complications. Just from sheer exhaustion from sleep deprivation!
JennP.
Rosalie B.
Ask your pediatrician about the baby, but in general I don't know that
it would actually hurt him. He's not doing the walking himself after
all. Babies are pretty portable and adaptable.
But I wouldn't be in good enough shape myself at one month post-partum
to do this, even with a vaginal birth, and I'm pretty sure it would
adversely affect my milk production which would be bad for the baby.
So unless you are going to have an army of sherpas to carry the baby's
stuff (and possibly you going down) and unless this is of desperate
importance to you, then I'd wait until the baby is at least 3 months
old. The baby will still be portable (not walking) by then.
I have incidentally taken my children climbing on easy trails when
they were quite young. Not that long a hike, but we went hiking in
the Pinnacles and at Yosemite when they were 2-3 and 4-5 years of age.
Pologirl
I have gone on hikes with infants as young as yours, at sea level and
at altitudes as high as you mention.
As far as the baby's oxygenation is concerned, I would expect no
effects of the altitude. But take extra care to keep the baby well
hydrated and avoid sunburn. If the birth mother will be hiking,
consider her physical fitness level and post-partum status. At 4
weeks postpartum many women still have incontinence problems. Also,
if she is nursing, she will need extra water and calories.
Bottom line: If hiking is not something you do normally, don't do it
with a small infant. Also consider the quality and accessibility of
the trail. Does it involve scrambling? Risk of rain or other bad
weather? Difficulty of extraction if you are injured and need to be
carried out in a litter?