Advice on Flying and Travelling Abroad for Pregnant Moms

For my college graduation, my parents got me an all-inclusive 10 day vacation to Paris. For me, this was the chance of a lifetime...I had never been out of the country, and of all of the places in the world I wanted to visit, France was at the top of the list. However, right before my graduation, I was surprised to find out that I was pregnant! While this was great news, it also put a little damper on my plans because I would be 33 weeks, or nearly 7 1/2 months pregnant for my trip.

What was I to do? My options were to cancel the vacation and miss out all together, or book a trip for after my baby was born. But if I waited until after the baby was born, I would be torn between leaving him home, or taking him with. So I chose the riskier road, and my big belly and I visited the city of lights just the same.

While this ended up being a great vacation for me, this is not an optimal choice for every pregnant woman, especially those who are as far along as I am. For many women, the possibility of early labor, blood pressure problems, exhaustion, and the general discomfort may be enough to keep them on the ground. For some women, flying while pregnant is scary

However, I was willing to tempt fate and try to enjoy my vacation anyway. While going into premature labor in France wasn't exactly what I wanted to do, I figured that there were plenty of good hospitals there if an emergency should happen, so why should I stay at home? If you have any sort of medical complications due to your pregnancy, I urge you not to take the risk of travelling abroad! I was in perfect health and felt great, so I was able to take the risk, but please don't put you and your baby in danger. Wherever you planned to go will still be there once your baby is born.

For all the mommies-to-be who are healthy and feel up to the challenge of travel, read these tips to make your continental vacation even more pleasant:

1) Make sure that the airline you are taking will allow you to fly: When I went to France, I flew United. Their rules, at the time of this publication is that they do not allow women more than 8 months pregnant to fly. I was just under the wire, but no one said anything to me...not even a flight attendent. Some airlines have very stern restrictions, and others have no restrictions at all.

2) Bring along medical documents: Make sure to pack all of your medical information in a plastic zipped baggie in your suitcase just in case something does happen. Include your doctors number at home, medications you may need, and any information about your pregnancy that may be pertinent.

3) Wear compression/support hose or socks: This one is important! For my nearly 10 hour flight over to France, I didn't bother wearing any and my legs and feet looked like tree trunks. However, I wisened up on the way home and wore them. My feet still swelled a little, but not nearly as bad. And on that note...

4) Fly first class or in the bulk head: ANYTHING better than coach is best when you are pregnant. For one thing, you need an ample amount of room to levitate your feet. For another, all the extra bulk you are carrying is easier to maneuver if you aren't trying to push past five other people in a cramped aisle. Bottom line: get the best flying accomodations you can.

5) Get up and walk during your flight: Go to the bathroom, just stand and stretch your legs or do leg excercises while sitting in your chair. You will probably need to visit the bathroom often anyway, but just make sure that you keep your legs going at least ever hour.

6) Always buy water: When you finally get to your destination, buy water whenever you can. Water fountains were virtually non-existent in France, as I happened to find out. Luckily, I packed a very large purse so I was able to keep a piece of fruit and a bottle of water with me at all times.

7) Always go to the bathroom: As all pregnant women know, sometimes our trips to the bathroom are on an hourly basis. One thing that most of the travel guides I read failed to mention was the lack of public toilets. Many of the public toilets that were available were also very dirty, did not work, or were crowded. The best ones were pay toilets, and even those were sometimes awful. The bottom line: whenever you are at a restauarant, attraction or otherwise, use the toilet, because it may be a long time before you come across a nice one again.

8) Lean on a friend: Luckily, my teenage sister was also with me for my trip to France, so I had someone to lean on. She helped me down sloping cobblestone paths, slippery staircases and getting on the metro. While I was lucky enough not to wipe out, she was there to spot me just in case.

9) Wear comfortable clothes and good shoes: This is a no brainer for any pregnant woman, but make sure that you pack accordingly.

10) Have fun! So what if you can't try French wine? Enjoy the scenery and the last little bit of peace before you little one arrives.