How soon after pregnancy is it safe to go diving?

[Hoyden]

As a DSO at a public aquarium, our program requires a note from the diver's physician clearing them to return to occupational diving activities. We include the following general recommendations based on a DAN article:

• After a normal vaginal delivery – resume diving in about 21 days
• After an uncomplicated cesarean section – 8-12 weeks
• After bed rest due to complications - > 12 weeks is prudent
• Miscarriage – when the physician releases them for full, unrestricted activity

In all cases, we require a doctors note clearing the staff member to return to diving. I did the research for this policy as well as consulting with our Dive Control Board physician and this is where we landed.

 

[girlwithbigtanks]

I started teaching 8 weeks after normal delivery of my son. Nursed and pumped. Just get cleared for regular fitness. The hormones from pregnancy soften your joints, so more prone to injury with heavy stuff.

 

[Sìan48]

@BoltSnap I can honestly say that even though DAN knew I was in the U.K. and needed the European one, they still kept trying to answer my questions as best as possible and the response time was really good! I never bothered with the Europe one as I felt the US one already covered what I needed so I would likely just go back to them in the future .

@Ministryofgiraffes yeah I can find information on when to stop once pregnant so I wasn’t even wondering that. It’s really hard to find information on how soon after birth you can start diving for the first time… I guess it depends for each person, their delivery and health but I guess seeing a dive dr after birth would be the best thing for me.

@Tracy haha I can imagine how strange that must have looked how old was the baby? I’d also have to bare in mind your friend was already an experienced diver whereas I’m not I would have loved to see that though but I guess the issue is possibly sending out the wrong message or something going wrong and them being blamed or something not thought of.

 

[Sìan48]

@Hoyden oh that is exactly the inforemation I was looking for! I wasn’t given this or even pointed to the article as they told me europe most likely have different requirements but even a rough estimate would have been great! Thank you for this!

@girlwithbigtanks 8 weeks? I guess that sounds like a good time as it’s a little over the recommended time. I was wondering if pressure would cause breast leakage underwater the further down you go but figured I would find out when I got to that point lol. Also yeah the loose joints thing has been a killer for me, I’m already Hypermobile but now I’m in so much pain and my joints are so unstable it’s ridiculous! I know I’d have to take it much easier than I did before as it will take a while to go back to normal afterwards.

Despite all this I’m still excited to get started and determine to not let anything stand in my way

 

[BoltSnap]

@BoltSnap I can honestly say that even though DAN knew I was in the U.K. and needed the European one, they still kept trying to answer my questions as best as possible and the response time was really good! I never bothered with the Europe one as I felt the US one already covered what I needed so I would likely just go back to them in the future .

DAN Europe has superior dive insurance than the insurance from DAN USA but has worse attitude. DAN US insurance is decent but DAN USA has a much nicer attitude.

 

[Tracy]

@Tracy haha I can imagine how strange that must have looked how old was the baby? I’d also have to bare in mind your friend was already an experienced diver whereas I’m not I would have loved to see that though but I guess the issue is possibly sending out the wrong message or something going wrong and them being blamed or something not thought of.

The baby was a few, maybe 6 weeks old. It was a baby. She is a very experienced and active diver. Her pregnancy was probably the longest she has ever been out of the water.

 

[Tracy]

@girlwithbigtanks 8 weeks? I guess that sounds like a good time as it’s a little over the recommended time. I was wondering if pressure would cause breast leakage underwater the further down you go but figured I would find out when I got to that point lol. Also yeah the loose joints thing has been a killer for me, I’m already Hypermobile but now I’m in so much pain and my joints are so unstable it’s ridiculous! I know I’d have to take it much easier than I did before as it will take a while to go back to normal afterwards.

The pressure from the water shouldn't have any effect on leakage. There isn't air in them to be compressed. A tight fitting wetsuit or a well fitting semi dry could cause it. A squeezed drysuit could certainly cause it as well.

 

[Sìan48]

DAN Europe has superior dive insurance than the insurance from DAN USA but has worse attitude. DAN US insurance is decent but DAN USA has a much nicer attitude.

Haha honestly I’m not surprised the Europe one have poorer attitude than the US, if they were British you would kind of just expect the stink attitude lol.

The baby was a few, maybe 6 weeks old. It was a baby. She is a very experienced and active diver. Her pregnancy was probably the longest she has ever been out of the water.

She completely stayed out of the water? I see so many of them take up snorkelling or free diving or anything to keep them in the water that isn’t scuba lol

The pressure from the water shouldn't have any effect on leakage. There isn't air in them to be compressed. A tight fitting wetsuit or a well fitting semi dry could cause it. A squeezed drysuit could certainly cause it as well.

Oh I wasn’t thinking anything to do with air.. I was thinking when you wear too tight clothes or have anything squeeze the breasts they leak and when you go down into the water especially the further you go down the more the pressure builds up, squeezing you (you see it a lot in free divers or skin divers with their ribs/stomachs getting sucked in).. So that’s where my trail of thought was coming from…

 

[Tracy]

She completely stayed out of the water? I see so many of them take up snorkelling or free diving or anything to keep them in the water that isn’t scuba lol

Oh I wasn’t thinking anything to do with air.. I was thinking when you wear too tight clothes or have anything squeeze the breasts they leak and when you go down into the water especially the further you go down the more the pressure builds up, squeezing you (you see it a lot in free divers or skin divers with their ribs/stomachs getting sucked in).. So that’s where my trail of thought was coming from…

There isn't a lot of snorkeling and free diving done here in the Great Lakes. I think she was dry the entire pregnancy.
Air is what the water pressure is working against. Your body is mostly liquid so we don't compress at depth. A well fitting semi dry suit will compress you until it gets full of water. A tight fitting wetsuit will compress you, but it won't change with depth.

 

[Angelo Farina]

My first son was born in September and my wife did dive the following summer, in August, that is 11 months later.
My second son was born in March, and my wife resumed diving in September, that is 6 months later.
In both cases only after passing the yearly medical examination required for getting the medical certification allowing her to dive.
In any case, ask to your doctor, and possibly pay the 50 euros required for a written medical certification, which will come handy if anyone at the diving center raises concerns seeing you giving milk to your baby from your breast (which happened to my wife).