I just enjoyed a wonderful week in Vancouver, Canada for my anniversary, and I would have loved to have biked around their seawall with my wife...however, my wife became pregnant before we went and I didn't want to subject my unborn kid to danger, so we didn't. I thought a helmut for the belly would be a good idea...so here it is. It probably should have some kind of support system inside of it to prevent a lot of movement in case of a fall. By the way, if you haven't visited Vancouver, definitely go check it out...much better than Charleston, SC in the summer.
-- goober, Jul 22 2005

[goober] you seem like a reasonable, bright guy.
Glad to know you avoided a test of the health care system while there.
-- reensure, Jul 22 2005


Ah, how I wish I had...A little unexpected surgery to get an abscess lanced so my wife could walk set me back $320 something (Canadian),but it was still less than driving down to Washington to get it done.
-- goober, Jul 22 2005


You should try to make it to the Okanogan next trip goober; it's a lot like Vancouver but without the frenzied rat-race edge to it.

You just can't be too careful with babies 'specially the not yet borned ones, (+), and congratulations.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jul 22 2005


Thanks...Vancouver didn't seem very rat race to me, but I lived in D.C. for 3 years so maybe I'm comparing it to that. Where's Okanogan?
-- goober, Jul 22 2005


hooray for you happy news. And hooray too for your adoption of a German to protect your pre-youngster.
-- neilp, Jul 22 2005


Biking the seawall is dangerous? I might understand the danger if you were planning on doing it at night. Or in the wrong direction. Or if your wife a novice rider. But I've seen many pregnant women on the seawall, whether strolling, power-walking, biking or blading. The bike rentals shops have tandem bikes so she could have enjoyed the view and let you do all the work. I guess you'll have to do a family outing around Stanley Park next time you drop by.

<Begin shameless promotional insert - The Okanogan is a valley in lower central BC which is home to many fruit orchards, wineries, golf courses, lakes, and charming towns like Penticton, Kelowna, and Vernon. And friendly people. End of shameless promotional insert>
-- Canuck, Jul 22 2005


Thanks, Canuck...like 2 fries said you just can't be too careful, so we skipped the biking this time...although we were hiking around Lynn Canyon Valley and Whistler, so I guess we were'nt that safe, eh? Yeah, next time we go we'll go as a family. How far away are those places from Vancouver? I remember seeing Kelowna on a map, but I don't remember where.
-- goober, Jul 23 2005


Kelowna is about a five hour drive from Vancouver. The charming towns of Penticton, and Vernon are an hours drive on either side.

In case you were wondering, no, Vernon is not an extremely long town.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jul 23 2005


Congrats to you and your wife, and a bun for the good idea.
-- froglet, Jul 23 2005


Belmet surely? Bun either way.
-- wagster, Jul 23 2005


Thanks froglet...5 hours way too far for me to drive on vacation. Maybe if I move there. Anyone in Vancouver want to house my wife, a newborn, and me next summer?
-- goober, Jul 23 2005


[wagster] Helmut is the German bodyguard [goober] hired to protect his wife and unborn child from all perils. He has to remain very close to the wife at all times, hence making bicycle riding very difficult.
-- jurist, Jul 23 2005


Of course. Silly me.
-- wagster, Jul 23 2005


Yeah, we would've rode in Helmut's side car on his motorcycle, but we didn't want to run over any canucks.
-- goober, Aug 01 2005


They don't allow motorcycles on the seawall, let alone ones with sidecars.
-- Canuck, Aug 07 2005


Sounds like an intersting idea. However, I wonder how well it would actually function.

Is a hard, padded, protective helmet around the belly really going to provide the added safety? I guess it would have to be a little safer...

As the child undergoes rapid growth, several different sizes might be needed, and having a hard-shell around the abdomen is sure to make her pregnancy that much less comfortable. I doubt women would want to wear them, and of course, as with any women's garment, there's sure to be various concerns regarding how well it would fit, and whether it would help or hurt if an ill-fitting bellmut was worn.
-- ye_river_xiv, Oct 25 2008



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