Protecting Your Health While Traveling
Check with your doctor before planning your trip. In most cases, traveling during a healthy pregnancy is safe. However, checking with your doctor before you travel allows them to advise you of any special precautions you need to take before or during your trip. Your doctor may recommend against travel if you have or recently had a diagnosis of: Heart disease Gestational diabetes Bone fracture Severe anemia Respiratory disease Hemorrhage Preeclampsia
Schedule a checkup before you leave. Talking to your doctor ahead of time also ensures that you schedule a checkup for before you take your trip. Generally, you will schedule a regular prenatal visit for 3-days before your trip. This gives your doctor enough time to rule out any potential complications. If any serious complications arise, your doctor may recommend postponing or canceling your travel plans for the safety of you and your baby.
Get all of your vaccinations updated. Getting necessary vaccinations before your trip may help to protect you from becoming seriously ill while you are traveling. Talk to your doctor about what vaccinations are recommended for traveling to your intended destination. Your doctor can advise you on what vaccinations are safe to get at this stage in your pregnancy. For example, if you are near your third trimester, your doctor may recommend getting Tdap (protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) and a flu vaccine. However, they will likely advise against getting any vaccine with live viruses while you’re pregnant, such as the MMR or shingles vaccine. This helps minimize risk to you and your baby.
Pack all the medications you will need. You will need to continue to take your prenatal vitamins plus any prescribed medications while you are traveling. Make sure to bring enough to last for your entire trip. You may also want to bring some additional medications to help make your trip easier or just in case you need them, such as some acetaminophen for pain or a prescription medication for motion sickness. If you are running low on any prescriptions, ask your doctor to refill these early to ensure that you will have enough for the trip.
Wash your hands frequently. Frequent hand washing may help protect you against germs and bacteria that could make you ill during your trip. Wash your hands with soap and warm water every time after you use the restroom, before you eat, and any time your hands are dirty or have been near dirty objects.
Ensure that water is safe to drink. Unclean water poses a serious risk to you and your unborn baby, so always ensure that your drinking water is clean. If you are traveling somewhere where drinking the tap water is not recommended, then you will need to purchase bottled water. If bottled water is not available, bring tap water to a roaring boil for at least 1 minute, then let it cool completely before you drink it. Avoid brushing your teeth with tap water or letting water into your mouth while showering in countries where the tap water is deemed unsafe. Check all bottled water you purchase to make sure that the plastic seal is intact. Some vendors may try to sell you tap water in used water bottles.
Get up and walk around every 1-2 hours to prevent deep vein thrombosis. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), also known as blood clots, is a serious concern for pregnant people. To help reduce your risk of blood clots, take frequent walking and stretching breaks every hour or so during your travels. This includes when you’re out and about, as well as when you are driving, on an airplane, or otherwise in transit. If you are flying, book a seat that is next to the aisle so that you can easily get up and walk around. Try to get up once per hour and walk up and down the aisle. You can also stretch your legs and rotate your ankles while sitting in an aisle seat. Staying hydrated is also an important part of preventing DVT, so drink plenty of fluids while you are traveling.
Ask your doctor about wearing compression stockings while you travel. Compression stockings can help to reduce your chance of blood clots, which are a concern for pregnant people. As an added benefit, compression stockings may help to increase your comfort while traveling by improving the blood flow in your legs and reducing swelling. Make sure to check with your doctor first, because compression stockings may not be recommended if you have severe leg swelling or other complications with blood flow. Your risk of developing a blood clot also increases during travel, which is why stockings may be useful to some people. Compression stockings are only effective when worn correctly. That means they must be flush against the skin without any folds or wrinkles. Ask your doctor about the proper way to wear and adjust compression socks if you are unsure. You can buy compression stockings without a prescription, but your insurance may pay for them if your doctor prescribes them.
Keeping Yourself Safe and Comfortable
Wear loose, comfortable clothing and shoes. Tight, structured clothing and shoes may make you uncomfortable when you travel. They may also increase your risk of developing blood clots. Instead, wear something loose that fits you comfortably. Opt for stretchy pants with an elastic waistline and a loose fitting top, or wear a loose-fitting jersey or cotton dress. Pair your outfit with a pair of comfortable walking shoes, such as sneakers or supportive sandals. You may also want to dress in layers to help keep yourself at a comfortable temperature. For example, you could wear a short-sleeved top with a cardigan or pullover. That way if you feel a chill, you can simply throw on your cardigan.
Wear your seatbelt at all times while you’re in transit. Buckle your seatbelt when you are going to be riding in a car, on a bus, or on an airplane. Make sure that the seatbelt is low around your hips and positioned under your belly. The top strap of a car seatbelt should go across your chest and be positioned above your belly. On an airplane, keep your seatbelt buckled even when the “fasten seatbelt” sign is off. Unexpected turbulence may jostle you around and could even cause injury if you’re out of your seat during severe turbulence.
Move your seat as far away from the steering wheel as you can when you drive. If you will be driving, position yourself as far away from the steering wheel as you can while still being able to fully operate your vehicle. Take some extra time to get adjusted and make sure that your position is both comfortable and safe. If you put your seat all the way back and it is hard for you to reach the steering wheel, you need to be closer to it. Don’t put yourself in unsafe positions just to create more distance between you and the wheel.
Avoid foods that make you gassy before and during travel. Gas-producing foods can increase your discomfort while traveling, so it is best to avoid them while you’re in transit. To be extra careful, limit your consumptions of these foods up to 24 hours before you leave too. That helps keep any side-effects caused by last night’s dinner from derailing your morning flight plans. Steer clear of carbonated beverages, beans, prunes, and any other food or drink that you know will make you gassy. For example, if eating raw vegetables gives you gas, then avoid eating raw vegetables until you reach your destination.
Planning Trips Responsibly
Plan your trip between weeks 14 and 28 if possible. The second trimester of your pregnancy is the safest and the most comfortable time to travel because the high risk period for miscarriage has passed and you should no longer be experiencing morning sickness. If possible, plan your trip so that it will fall within this timeframe. Do not travel after you are 36 weeks pregnant. You should also avoid traveling after 32 weeks pregnant if you are carrying multiples, have an increased risk of premature birth, or otherwise have pregnancy complications.
Choose refundable options for your flight and hotel whenever possible. You may not anticipate having to cancel your trip, but refundable booking travel options may save you a lot of money and hassle if you have to call things off. Look for airfares and other travel tickets that are refundable, even if you have to pay a little more. Likewise, book hotel rooms and other accommodations that you allow you to or make last-minute changes to your travel plans. Read the fine print on any travel plans you make so you know how long you have to cancel and what exactly you will need to do. Some airlines may not give you an outright refund if you need to cancel, but instead apply the value of your cancelled ticket to the next ticket you book with them. Most hotels with refundable bookings will let you cancel or change your reservation up to a certain point before travel. Depending on your hotel, this point could be 1 week to 24 hours before your check-in date. Always check with your specific hotel to be sure.
Check your airline’s protocol regarding pregnant passengers before booking. Each airline has different policies and protocol regarding pregnant passengers. Call or check the website of the airline you plan on using before you book your travel to ensure that you will be in compliance with their rules regarding permission to fly and adherence to safety protocol. For example, if you are past your 7th month of pregnancy, some airlines may require you to bring copies of a certificate from your obstetrician giving you permission to travel.
Avoid countries with outbreaks of mosquito-borne or waterborne illnesses. Zika, malaria, and dengue are all diseases carried by mosquitoes. These all also pose a risk to the health and wellness of you and your unborn child. That is why it so it is important to avoid areas where exposure is likely. Do not book travel to any regions where there are active outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses. Your national center for disease control will likely have travel warnings regarding these countries available online Likewise, areas with waterborne illnesses due to lack of proper sanitation or contaminated supplies should be avoided, as these can spread bacteria like E. coli, which may cause moderate to severe illness. If you must travel to a country where any of these illnesses are a concern, do everything you can to prevent their transmission while you’re there. Talk to your doctor about what precautions you need to take, and limit your time in these areas as much as possible.
Planning for Medical Emergencies
Research available medical care for the areas you intend to visit. No matter where you plan to go, it is important to ensure that you will have access to medical care if you need it during your trip. Check online to find the hospital nearest to where you are staying. Save that location in your phone and/or GPS device. Ask your doctor for referrals or recommendations for the area you will be visiting. They may have connections to a particularly good facility in the area. They may also be able to give you warnings if they know the area you are visiting is not fully equipped to treat pregnant people.
Call your insurance company to ask about specific travel coverage. Some insurance companies do not cover your medical expenses when you are out of their service area. Check with your insurance company to find out if you will be covered in an emergency situation. If not, you may consider getting a supplemental travel insurance policy so that any necessary medical expenses will be covered during your trip. Travel insurance comes in packages that cover some or most of your medical care needs while you’re gone. Some travel insurance policies may also cover things like lost baggage, cancellation fees, loss of money or goods due to theft, and missed flights. Travel insurance is available from private companies like Travel Guard and Travelex. Different companies may have different policies and premiums for pregnant individuals, so be sure to read over each policy carefully before signing up.
Pack a copy of your medical records. If you do need to seek emergency medical attention during your trip, having a copy of your medical records on hand. These may help the healthcare provider to identify a problem or complication and properly treat you. Obtain a copy of your medical records from your doctor and keep it on you at all times during your travels. Make sure your travel companions know where to find your medical records in case you are unable to get them yourself. It can also help to keep a digital copy in a cloud storage space such as Dropbox or Google Drive. That way, if your hard copy gets lost or damaged, you can still pull up your records
Seek immediate medical attention for critical symptoms. In some cases, such as if you experience unexpected bleeding or think you may be in labor, you may need to seek immediate medical attention. Go to an emergency room or call for emergency services if you experience: Vaginal bleeding. Ruptured membranes (water breaks). Contractions. Pain in your abdomen or pelvis. Severe diarrhea or vomiting. Swelling in face and hands. Persistent headache. Seeing spots or having other vision changes. Warmth, redness, swelling, and pain in your leg.
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