Pregnancy is a delicate time for woman and proper care and precautions must be taken during this period. Many a times, women are required to travel during pregnancy for various reasons like business, personal commitments and vacations. Pregnancy is also a period that involves some risk factors and challenges. It is therefore recommended to consult your gynecologist about the travel plan a few weeks before the travel. One can be really safe traveling during pregnancy, if all the required precautions with necessary information on when to travel are taken into consideration, the insurance requirements are taken care of, and all the necessary vaccines are taken.
A woman might require an emergency medical intervention. So, one should make sure that her destination has all medical facilities for emergency situations. The travel insurance must cover medical care during labor, a premature birth, and also the expenditure involved if the return date has to be cancelled due to a sudden labor.
The early stages of pregnancy might make a woman feel too tired and nauseated. So, most of them do not prefer traveling at that time. There could be some risk for miscarriage during the first three months. As long as one takes the right precautions and has a zero-risk pregnancy, she is safe to travel. The would-be mother needs to follow certain tips to ensure that she and her baby is absolutely safe during the travel. The tips according to the kind of travel involved are as given below
Flight: It is usually safe for a pregnant woman to fly with the exception of the last 4-6 weeks from the due date but still as an old adage says “Precaution is better than cure”. One must consult her doctor or midwife before the journey just to be on the safe side. She also needs to check the airline policies for pregnant women.
There are several airlines that do not allow a woman to travel if she is in her last stage of pregnancy. Some airlines do allow you to travel on producing a medical ‘fit to fly’ certificate from your gynecologist. If a woman has completed her 28th week of gestation period, she might be asked by the airline company to produce a doctor’s letter with confirmation about her due date and also that she has zero-complications in her pregnancy. Drinking plenty of water and walking after every half an hour is recommended for women flying. Pregnant women should not travel to countries where she requires taking an immunization vaccine because some vaccinations can be harmful for the baby.
Car: If a woman is traveling by car, she should make sure to eat energy rich foods like fruits and nuts. Also, she needs to take frequent breaks during her journey. She should wear her seat-belt properly to avoid jerking. There should be adequate air circulation inside the car. If all these conditions are maintained, there will be lesser risks of dizziness and fatigue. It is advisable to avoid driving long distance or in heavy traffic, during pregnancy to the extent possible, to avoid the inadvertent stress involved.
Ferry/Cruise: Those who are planning to travel by ferry should check with the policies of the ferry company as they might refuse, a pregnant woman who has crossed her 32nd week of gestation period, to travel. If a pregnant woman is on cruise, she needs to look out if there are provisions on-board to deal with pregnancy. One should check all these before booking to avoid any risk. The pregnant woman should avoid consuming food and water from outside that can cause problems like stomach upsets. One must carry bottled water for drinking. One needs to keep the body hydrated during pregnancy.
