Car Travel Tips for Pregnant Women

Traveling by car while pregnant necessitates a lot of planning and looking ahead to avoid an unpleasant trip. However, if you do it right, a long vacation using your car can be a great way to cut airline or train costs, as well as provide a bit of extra comfort that mass transportation won't allow you to feel. Here are some simple tips you can follow to help make your car trip while pregnant more enjoyable.

Plan to take it a bit slower than you usually do. Lots of bathroom trips mean slower going, and it's easier to start to feel uncomfortable if you've been sitting still for a long time. Plan for some time to get out and stretch if you're taking a trip by car while pregnant. Stretch and relax as much as you need to make sure that you're comfortable. Stop even if you don't feel that you need to urinate, because the stretch will make you able to continue more comfortably.

Bring lots of water and other liquids. You dehydrate more quickly while pregnant, and you have to remember that you have another living being expending some of your resources. Bottled water from vending machines can get expensive, and, although many rest stops offer water fountains, they may not be cold or they may not taste "right" to you.

If you're in your first trimester or still getting morning sickness, plan to bring some sort of bag or plan for a contingency plan. If you're traveling by car, chances are that you're using some highways, or, at the very least, some roads where easy exit from the road might not be feasible or safe. Not to be too graphic, but an opaque bag will reduce the chances of continuing to be sick after the first time.

Bring snacks that soothe your stomach, if you're still getting morning sickness, or, if you're not, snacks to keep your energy up. Your caloric intake should increase by approximately 300 calories per day while pregnant. Of course, this is not very much (my doctor told me that an extra bagel with cream cheese should cover it), but keeping something on your stomach can lead to a more pleasant car trip while pregnant. I found that regular snacks made more sense than big meals, particularly during the first and third trimesters.

Keeping your feet up when possible or changing positions in the car can lead to a more pleasant car trip while pregnant. In the last half of pregnancy when swelling of the feet is common, keeping your feet up before they start to swell will help avoid a lot of discomfort. Make sure, however, that you're not keeping your feet somewhere that will impede your driving partner's sight of the road or rear view mirror.

Be prepared to stop your car trip while pregnant at a hotel if you just cannot do it anymore. Although we were always the sort of people to push through to arrive at our destination without a stop over, the few car trips we took while I was pregnant necessitated a trip to a hotel about halfway through. It can be very difficult to sleep in any case while pregnant, and many people do not sleep very well in the car. A hotel bed can provide a lot of comfort and recharge you for the rest of your trip.

Keep a dialogue with your partner to make sure that this person knows your needs. Pregnancy is not the time to play a martyr, and assuming someone else will need to stop as often as you do will almost certainly lead to disappointment.

Make sure you bring your prenatal vitamins. These can be picked up at any grocery store or pharmacy, but, if you're traveling to an area that might not have the same kind that you use, or if you use prescription vitamins, you don't want to be stuck with something that can lead to additional stomach upset.

Bring along any medical information and your insurance cards. Although this is good practice for anyone going on a car trip, for pregnant women it is particularly important. Make sure to check with your doctor before you leave about anything you should know about your particular pregnancy, and make sure that you know what to do in case of an emergency.

Car travel while pregnant can be a lot of fun, if it's done right. Good luck!