Ive Been Traveling Flying on South Again
When I was most 30 weeks pregnant with my daughter, my all-time friend and I took a trip to Sedona. We flew from Boston to Phoenix, rented a car, collection out see the area's carmine rocks, hiked them merely before sunset, explored the 1000 Canyon, drank tequila (her) and mocktails (me), and saw psychics.
Information technology'due south a trip I'll ever remember fondly; my last before I became a mother.
Because I was in my third trimester—a time when some airlines inquire for a doctor'south annotation equally a clean pecker of health and friends and strangers alike inquire "Are yous sure you should be traveling?"—I turned to a professional before flight while pregnant. When I asked my doctor which precautions I should take while traveling, she told me, always-then-pointedly, that pregnancy was not a illness. Because I was a low-risk patient with no prior health concerns, she prescribed me a unproblematic plan: extra water and a college stride count on the flight, plus encouragement to enjoy myself.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) states that "in the absenteeism of complications, occasional air travel is prophylactic for pregnant women," who tin (and should) travel throughout almost all of their pregnancy—simply still, questions remain. Hither, doctors reply the near common, to clear the air on traveling during pregnancy and making your flights a little more than enjoyable.
Practise you need a doctor's note to fly?
That depends. Some airlines—like Emirates or United—do require a dr.'s notation to fly (after 29 weeks for the onetime, 36 weeks for the latter). British Airlines fifty-fifty restricts women from flying after the end of calendar week 36. Others, Virgin Atlantic amid them, call for a doctor's note at 28 weeks at the beginning of the 3rd trimester. Some airlines won't ask whatsoever questions.
A doc's note would comprehend an airline from perceived liability, explains Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., a lath-certified ob-gyn and a clinical professor at Yale University Schoolhouse of Medicine. After all, at that place'southward an increased hazard of complications in pregnancy'due south tertiary trimester and, obviously, the risk of labor increases. "Airlines want to avoid in-flying emergencies as much as possible," says Erin Higgins, Yard.D., an ob-gyn at the Cleveland Dispensary.
I didn't air current up having to use the physician's note I asked for. Merely check with your airline before traveling to brand certain you're aware of their specific policies and prepared in the event y'all might need a notation.
What (if any) are the increased risks of flight while pregnant?
In general, women with loftier-risk pregnancies might be advised to limit travel throughout pregnancy. High-risk pregnancies cover a broad range of factors that can include being older than 35, carrying multiples, having preeclampsia (high claret pressure in pregnancy), gestational diabetes (diabetes in pregnancy), or preterm labor (when you have contractions and your cervix begins to open up between 20 and 37 weeks). But advice to stay put has less to do with risks associated with flying (as Minkin says, "airplanes are pressurized to virtually 5,000 feet and women in Denver practise well with pregnancy") and more to do with the fact that depending on your destination, there might not be a hospital that can handle pregnant patients, let alone high-risk pregnancies, nearby.
If you're high-risk, your dr. will all-time be able to tell y'all what kind of travel is okay for you.
For low-take a chance women, in that location's some worry well-nigh staying all the same for hours on end. "Pregnant women and recently delivered women are at high take chances for getting claret clots in their legs," says Minkin.
During flu flavour, in that location'south likewise obvious concern near getting sick onboard. "In some flu seasons, certain strains can be more than problematic for meaning women," says Minkin, who points to the swine flu outbreak a few years back. No matter what, you lot will want to practise destination research. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests women planning on visiting locations with a history of Zika speak with their doctors.
Being pregnant didn't stop me from traveling to nine countries on iv continents.
For well-nigh travelers, risks to the babe from exposure to cosmic radiation (radiation from the dominicus and stars) are negligible, the ACOG says. (If you're a significant pilot or part of an aircrew, it is possible to accept an increased risk, so it's all-time to talk to your doctor.)
When is the best time to travel?
Typically, travel during the 2d trimester—when offset-trimester nausea and fatigue fade, (some) energy returns, and you enter a flow of pregnancy that's linked with fewer complications—is most comfy, doctors agree. Use these three strategies to feel your best in-flight:
Book an alley seat and have regular walking breaks
Fifty-fifty though the bear witness linking swelling and blood clots in the legs with air travel during pregnancy is lacking, doctors concur that movement is important. Strolling the aisles a few times throughout a flight is plenty to aid keep the blood in your legs from pooling, which can increment the gamble of blood clots and worsen swelling. Flexing and lengthening your ankles while seated can also increase circulation.
Bear your water bottle on
Meaning women should aim for near eight to ten glasses of h2o a twenty-four hours, which is well-nigh two liters. Travel water bottles are an piece of cake matter to pack in your carry-on to keep your drinks common cold fifty-fifty on long-haul flights.
Bring a hammock for your feet
Back injure? Higgins favors a pes hammock to help convalesce lower dorsum pain that can be exacerbated by sometimes uncomfortable seats.
Source: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/what-to-know-about-flying-while-pregnant
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