[funda2max]

Travelling in car with pregnant woman to Mangalore is risky. I too had this situation seven months ago, after taking advice from TBHP, i politely booked 2 AC under tatkal. Try for it, i am sure you will get in week days. Good luck.

[SmartCat]

Even Tatkal is not confirmed tickets right? Even they go into the waiting list. I don't like this uncertainty.

Is there any way I can find out if my name is there in the confirmed ticket list before reaching the railway station?

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Even Tatkal is not confirmed tickets right? Even they go into the waiting list. I don't like this uncertainty.

Is there any way I can find out if my name is there in the confirmed ticket list before reaching the railway station?

You can get confirmed Tatkal tickets if you are early enough. IIRC tatkal tickets are issued 2 or 3 days before the journey. Online booking starts after 8 am. So if you (and your internet connection) are fast enough, you can get it without a problem.

Try for weekday journeys on the day train, you might just be reminded of a certain trek you did

You can check the PNR status on the Indian Railways website. It will show whether your ticket is confirmed or not. There is also an sms facility, but I do not know how to use it.

AFAIK, confirmation of waitlisted Tatkal tickets is very difficult.

[MX6]

Dude. Don't let doubts cloud you. Keep the tatkal option as back up. But trust me, you are better off in your civic than a train.
Just go by what her doctor says. Nowadays, there are naxals who blow up train tracks as well.
If she's fit to travel inside Bangalore then she's fit to travel around. I do remember you taking her on a trip outside bangalore a few weeks back. That's when the infrared pot hole detector started chanting.
Guess this trip is to go over and leave her at your in-laws place. If the doctor says travel is not an issue, I'd drive down if I were you.

[Anandg]

Hi Smartcat,
I agree with MX6 advice about care to take while traveling via road. I would also suggest you to take a fluffy quilt along with you. In case she wishes to lie on back seats she can use it along with few pillows around her. The use of quilt would not give her warmth but its weight gives feeling of protection due to motion of fluids inside the body-- not scientific but acts like a placebo. It also acts as good sleeping inducer and safety net as well. However take along a known lady with her, as said earlier, Mom are better than gods in these situations.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

You can check the PNR status on the Indian Railways website. It will show whether your ticket is confirmed or not. There is also an sms facility, but I do not know how to use it. AFAIK, confirmation of waitlisted Tatkal tickets is very difficult.

OK Will do all the discovery & experimentation with Tatkal schemes at a later time then. Not now.

Originally Posted by MX6

If she's fit to travel inside Bangalore then she's fit to travel around.

Valid point I guess.

Originally Posted by Anandg

However take along a known lady with her, as said earlier, Mom are better than gods in these situations.

Both the "moms" won't be able to make it for the trip unfortunately (health reasons). Roger on the pillow & the quilt.

[rajshenoy]

Buddy, I would still say try train

Traveling inside bangalore and on highways is totally different.
Reason, in city traffic you may be driving slow and can detect the bad road,pothole, hump easily and if you take the known road its even more easy to slow down in advance.

But on highways, its all about speeds above 70kmph(most of us drive 80-100+) and you can encounter sudden jerks due to one single pothole that you did not notice.

Flight is difficult and prone to delay, i am hearing that its raining badly and most of the time flights are getting delayed.
(I took my wife by flight 2 yrs back in june when she was almost 8 month old and i guess they allow till 8th month)

How often do you drive to Mangalore? if its often then it should be ok, but this is not the time for first time adventure.

Good luck

[HappyWheels]

To SmartCat (nice nick!):

I had done the same route when my wife was 7 months pregnant. This was on first week of October last year, when the Shirdi ghat was in its full glory!

Wife was fine enough on reaching there, that we head out to the beach after lunch and a 30 minutes rest.

Two things that worked in our favor are:
- The vehicle was a Safari
- She is used to traveling a lot in a smaller vehicle!

So, if your wife is used to a lot of travel then she should hold out fine.

Another point to look at is what Rajshenoy asked above - how often have you driven to Mangalore? The speed you mentioned is fine, but on unfamiliar roads, it is high. If the road has some uneven surface, a dip can cause discomfort for her. Best bet is to piggy tail a vehicle at safe distance. You will least have a forewarning.

Apart from this, am off to Mangalore tomorrow afternoon. Starting at 2pm from my house. Was warned, and got confirmation from a colleague who traveled yesterday, that Shirdi ghat is covered in heavy fog at night time. Hope it does not delay us too long!

[hemanth.anand]

Flight would be the best option in such times I feel.
(I haven't read the thread from top to bottom...so don't know if ticket availability was discussed)
Train is a good option but I never like the railway stations itself and they are not friendly for special users. (Bangalore station has improved a bit in this though)
"To be moms" are always special and deserve more.

Though you might be "the best driver" and your wife might be "travel friendly"...But when it comes to this, you shouldn't compromise with safety I feel.
Cars can never go smoothly on this stretch of road. movements that don't affect a normal person will have their effect on Special people.I might sound pessimistic but there's no harm in being careful.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

But on highways, its all about speeds above 70kmph(most of us drive 80-100+) and you can encounter sudden jerks due to one single pothole that you did not notice.

Flight is difficult and prone to delay, i am hearing that its raining badly and most of the time flights are getting delayed.
(I took my wife by flight 2 yrs back in june when she was almost 8 month old and i guess they allow till 8th month)

How often do you drive to Mangalore? if its often then it should be ok, but this is not the time for first time adventure.

Good luck

A couple of jerks due to small potholes should not be an issue. My wife bumped in to the seat in front while trying to walk in the Euro star (at 300 kph) when she was 6 months pregnant. Small bumps, small jerks are not an issue unless she's adviced strict bed-rest by the doctors.
If you do intend to take the flight, you know the standard drill. No x-ray. But then in Indian airports, it's literal invasion of privacy as they want to rub the lady all around to ensure there are no concealed weapons. Both at London and Paris, I just had to tell the authorities that my wife is in the family way. They smiled, wished us luck and opened a path 25 metres away from the x-ray machine just for her and never bothered to ask a single question.
One can fly till 35 weeks. Beyond that only Kingfisher allows to fly provided you take a doctor along! Anyway, air-hostess are trained to handle premature parturition!
Main reason why they don't advice flights is that at higher altitude, one wouldn't want the mother's blood to be pumped faster which boosts up the pressure in the foetus.
I'd still suggest the drive or the train (but it's difficult for pallavi to get up turn around the other side and lie down in a narrow berth).
BTW. What does Pallavi say? Planes? Trains? or Automobiles? (to rhyme with the comedy caper planes, trains and automobiles).

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Buddy, I would still say try train

Originally Posted by MX6

One can fly till 35 weeks. Beyond that only Kingfisher allows to fly provided you take a doctor along! Anyway, air-hostess are trained to handle premature parturition!

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Flight would be the best option in such times I feel.

My FIL/MIL already had a bad experience with the Mangalore train. Their name was not there in the final list, and the TC offered to accomodate them, in different seats, for Rs. 500 bribe + ticket price. Don't want to try those stunts now.

Plus, my wife has a "premature delivery" risk (as told to us by the doc). Trains & flights can't stop in an emergency - but a car can.

Air-hostesses are trained to handle premature delivery? Are you sure Indian air hostesses are trained to do that?

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

How often do you drive to Mangalore?

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Another point to look at is what Rajshenoy asked above - how often have you driven to Mangalore?

I would have driven to Mangalore and back 25+ times - on different routes

I think I'm the original discoverer of the Bangalore - Magadi - Kunigal shortcut, but nobody believes that.

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

I had done the same route when my wife was 7 months pregnant. This was on first week of October last year, when the Shirdi ghat was in its full glory!

Two things that worked in our favor are:
- The vehicle was a Safari

Tata Safari. Possibly the best vehicle for mastering the art of travelling between Bangalore & Mangalore!

Originally Posted by MX6

BTW. What does Pallavi say? Planes? Trains? or Automobiles? (to rhyme with the comedy caper planes, trains and automobiles).

Car. The Mangalore plane crash and reports of flights skidding on the runway and flights being re-routed to Kochi has freaked her out. Train as an option comes last.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Tata Safari. Possibly the best vehicle for mastering the art of travelling between Bangalore & Mangalore!

But my Grand Vitara does this route every 7-10 days without any niggles or garage visits.

[SmartCat]

aha, but the ride quality? I haven't driven the GV yet, but isn't Safari better on that front?

And I'm choosing to ignore the GV's "fun factor" in the ghats rather conveniently.

[MX6]

Premature delivery risk means you better avoid the train completely. Check whether you can get a midwife to travel with you in the car with your wife. Anyone. An aunt, A nanny, A nurse. Basically, some lady who has gone through these kinds of scenarios.
And be positive. That helps a lot. For all you know, this could be the best trip for your wife.
On one of our Paris trips, my wife got over excited looking at the fireworks in Disney.
With wide eyes, she told me that she felt a lot of moment (virtually could feel the baby do all kinds of random brownian motion kind of movements) in her tummy when the fireworks were up there.
It was like the baby was enjoying the fireworks as well swimming inside the womb!
Remember to plan out your medicine and first aid box very carefully!

And regarding indian airhostess, just look around when you see Air India airhostess. Their age should give you enough comfort that they can handle anything mid air!
Anyway, Airhostess are supposed to be trained in things like save a choking person (if he swallows something) using heimlich manouver, administer life saving drugs, perform cpr, deliver baby/ies etc. They are not there just to tell you about the rubber duckling you are supposed to inflate and the belt you are supposed to wrap around.

[SmartCat]

Yes, because of this new development (doc told about the risk only today), we are planning to "import" both FIL & MIL somehow - let's see. Plus wife has been put on a course of tablets to avoid premature labor.

And the gynec mentioned that wife has to be on the back seat only. Plus, she also had a chart to show how pregnant women should wear seatbelts.

Nothing to do with the topic, I know, but the gynec drives a Hyundai i20 CRdi !!