Pregnant on Amtrak

[Guest]

Is it safe to take pregnant wife on a long distance train?

What happens if she needs medical assistance?

 

[Rafi]

Is it safe to take pregnant wife on a long distance train?What happens if she needs medical assistance?

As far as I know, there's nothing risky about the train, although you will probably want to confirm and get the "okay" with your doctor (especially if you're considering a mountain or upper altitude train like the Zephyr, Builder, Cardinal or Chief). Now, that said, should she need medical attention, the conductors have the ability to call ahead to the next station and have medical services waiting, but sometimes (especially out west) that can be a long wait. If your wife will be nearing her due date and goes into labor, you run the risk of having your child born on the train, obviously. While you and I may think that's a fun story for the kid, I think it's a safe bet that both of our wives would have a different opinion on the matter.

Rafi

P.S. I should also stress that the double-decker trains ("SuperLiners," which primarily run out west except for the Capitol Limited and Auto Train) require that you walk up and down a steep, narrow, and turning set of stairs at least once if you plan on walking from car to car to go to the Diner or sightseeing car. I can see how this might create a problem for an expecting mother and child (and a very serious one if she falls). You do have the option on those trains of having a lower-level coach seat or sleeping compartment where food can be brought to you, but you don't get as nice a view and don't get to leave your car until the next station stop.

 

[George Harris]

The question need more information before an answer can be given. I would think this question better posed to the doctor first and then to other women who have traveled while pregnant.

Such stuff as:

What stage, as in about what month?

Have there been difficulties with this or previous pregnacies? If so, some information probably needed on whether the train motion would cause difficulties.

All that said, usually there is no real issue with train travel while pregnant unless there is difficulties with travel by any method. It can be easier than a long car trip because you don't have to stop and hunt up a bathroom, it is traveling with you.

 

[GG-1]

be easier than a long car trip because you don't have to stop and hunt up a bathroom, it is traveling with you.

Now that is a wise man answer. Aloha

 

[Kramerica]

Is it safe to take pregnant wife on a long distance train?What happens if she needs medical assistance?

Last June my wife and I rode coach on the Empire Builder from Seattle to Milwaukee. She was 6.5 months pregnant at that time, and didn't have any problems. (But another month later it wouldn't have been as easy) We didn't really think about the medical assistance thing, as she wasn't near the end. When we were in western North Dakota, we did hear about a family who had an infant with a high fever. There was at least one nurse and one doctor (both passengers) who helped them out. Someone else with local knowledge recommended they wait until Minot to get off and go to the hospital, since that would be the best medical care. My point is that there is likely to be medical care available on the train if there is truly an emergency, in addition to Amtrak calling help to the next station.

 

[AlanB]

In a serious emergency, the conductors don't have to wait until the next station stop. Arrangements can be made to have an ambulance meet the train at a RR crossing.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Actually, because of the fact that a train is on the ground and stays there, it is probably safer for a pregnant lady than flying. Both for the reason of pressure, and because, as Alan stated, in a real emergancy assistance can most likely be gotten quicker- the train doesn't have to "land".

That being said, I'm a sizable guy- 300lbs, 5'11" tall. I will vouch for the narrowness and tightness of the stair cases. Also, the hallways of the Superliner sleepers are narrow such that I benefit from walking diagonally. Obviously, me being bounced against the hard metal walls of Superliner IIs is more of an annoyance than a health issue, but I am not sure about a pregnant woman.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

In a serious emergency, the conductors don't have to wait until the next station stop. Arrangements can be made to have an ambulance meet the train at a RR crossing.

Does that have to be an at-grade crossing, or could it also be a grade-separated crossing?

And does meeting an ambulance outside of a station work acceptably well with an Acela trainset which is designed for high level platforms only?

 

[gswager]

Acela is fast, much faster than ambulance. Problem is there's no ER entrance. :lol:

For crossing, that would be at grade crossing.

Superliner is high platform. For low-platform, the attendants use the yellow foot thingie, similiar to stepladder.

 

[AlanB]

In a serious emergency, the conductors don't have to wait until the next station stop. Arrangements can be made to have an ambulance meet the train at a RR crossing.

Does that have to be an at-grade crossing, or could it also be a grade-separated crossing?

And does meeting an ambulance outside of a station work acceptably well with an Acela trainset which is designed for high level platforms only?

It would probably depend on the type of grade seperation and just how hard it might be for the fire/rescue crews to reach the train. More than likely though, they'd just roll a few more feet to the next real grade crossing, rather than struggle. And once you're outside of major cities, most local roads aren't grade seperated anyhow.

As for Acela, there are ladders on board that can be used, and the rescue companies would have them too.

 

[George Harris]

be easier than a long car trip because you don't have to stop and hunt up a bathroom, it is traveling with you.

Now that is a wise man answer. Aloha

Just experienced.

 

[Guest_Yerry_*]

I called and asked my mom; she's 82 now, but she spent six YEARS of her life (8 kids) pregnant, so I can safely call her an expert. She also knows a surprisingly large amount about trains-- about 10 years ago the Pere Marquette (370/371) had a Superliner consist, and she pointed out the transition-coach 39941 and said, 'That's not a Superliner. That's just like the Santa Fe El Capitan I rode when I was pregnant with Dennis (1956). Good memory too, obviously.

I first had to correct her and tell her that I had asked if she spent time RIDING a train WHILE pregnant; she thought I asked her if she had GOTTEN pregnant on a train. Intelligent people fear my mom.

Anyway, she said that the limiting factor was the actual being pregnant, not riding a train. Do what the good doctor says. As pointed out already, any emergency services that may be needed are more accessible from a train than from a plane, and even better than car, in many cases. She had two early (me being the earliest-- started off as the troublemaker right away), and in both cases, my dad had his hands far beyond full just keeping her comfortable, let alone managing attempts at getting medical assistance.

Superliner entrances are actually very low.

Altitude? Whether by car, plane, or automobile, the lowest crossing of the Continental Divide is Raton Pass (Cal Chief). I-25 is right along side, but the freeway passes to the West are actually higher. Also, altitude sickness is self-limiting-- if you try to do something that you can't, you simply won't be able to do it at all. Again, her doctor will know.

Finally, Mom said that she was amazed at how popular she would get when she was pregnant. Even total strangers will drop by and offer assistance for the slightest thing, to the point of being highly annoying.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

It would probably depend on the type of grade seperation and just how hard it might be for the fire/rescue crews to reach the train. More than likely though, they'd just roll a few more feet to the next real grade crossing, rather than struggle. And once you're outside of major cities, most local roads aren't grade seperated anyhow.

Unless they're on the NEC, where the only at-grade crossings are in Connecticut.

Westerly, RI to Kingston, RI is 17 miles, and Kingston to Providence is 27 miles, and there's no commuter rail along that track. If someone had a medical emergency 5 miles into that 27 mile stretch, I'd hope they have some reasonable way of getting help without needing to go the other 22 miles (even at 125 MPH, where that will take roughly ten minutes) or reverse direction.

Do Amtrak crews and/or dispatchers have detailed lists of all the crossings and how quickly an ambulance can reach each crossing from wherever they're dispatched from that would enable selecting the crossing that will result in the ambulance meeting the train as early as possible?

 

[AlanB]

Do Amtrak crews and/or dispatchers have detailed lists of all the crossings and how quickly an ambulance can reach each crossing from wherever they're dispatched from that would enable selecting the crossing that will result in the ambulance meeting the train as early as possible?

Well the crew (conductors/engineers) has to know every grade crossing in order to qualify to work the route. And many know various landmarks and such after that, but I rather doubt that they know every road that comes close and I'm certain that they have no clue how long it would take an ambulance to reach any given point. After all, even the dispatchers for fire/ambulance services don't always know which ambulance will respond to any given call, in large part because the closest one might already be committed to another emergency or a volunteer operation that's unstaffed at that hour.

The conductor will radio the engineer, who in turn will radio the dispatcher. It's up to the dispatcher to coordinate with rescue crews, where the best place to stop the train is for all concerned. That means where can he safely stop the train without disrupting local communities by blocking other crossings, where can rescue crews reach the train, where are the and rescue crews coming from. Also factored into that decision would be how serious is the problem, is the medical personel already on the train, and so on.

But it certainly is possible that the decision might be to keep the train moving for that 10 minutes to reach the next station. After all, if it takes the rescue crew 20 minutes to reach the train, or even say 10 to reach it where it stopped but then 15 to evacuate the person because of the nature of the high level Acela and the surrounding environment, then the person is most likely better off staying on the train to the station.

 

[Trogdor]

Superliner is high platform. For low-platform, the attendants use the yellow foot thingie, similiar to stepladder.

Superliner's aren't high-platform. They are low-platform cars (the little stepstool is just to accommodate platforms that may not be above rail height.

High-platform cars are single-level cars such as those found in the east (and the occasional Horizon/Amfleet sets running on the West Coast). Most single-level cars (i.e. except the Acela) have a trap door that can be opened to allow people to step down to a low platform (often also with the yellow stepstool).