Travelling during pregnancy

Pregnant women nowadays carry on with their lives doing regular activities such as working, doing household chores and just being out and about. And, yes, travelling is absolutely one of those things - including plane rides, road trips (driving) and even taking public transport.

Flying is probably one of the most common forms of travelling. Each airline has certain policies for pregnant women. At an earlier stage, the woman may be asked to provide a doctor's letter. Airlines have the right to refuse a pregnant woman who is on her 37th week or later. Thus, she must never forget to check with her doctor for advice whether it is safe for her to fly or not.

The best and possibly the safest time to fly (with the doctor's approval, of course) would be during the second trimester. She and her spouse are most likely to enjoy without the woman having to go through the all-day-sickness stage, which normally happens on the first trimester, or having to go through extreme back pains, cramps or even possibly an early delivery, which is likely to happen around the third trimester. Especially if it is her first child, it is absolutely advisable to take heed of the doctor's advice since travelling on a plane is rather hard having a baby. Yes, taking a child on a holiday is fun in many other ways, but it has to be considered thoroughly way beforehand in order to avoid any undue inconvenience.

 Flying can sometimes be a pain, most especially for pregnant women as frequent toilet visits are very common. It's best to choose a short-haul flight for more comfort. Overall, flying is absolutely safe for pregnant women.

A good option is going on a road trip on one's own vehicle. There is no checking in or luggage limit to worry about. The woman is able to do things at her own time and decide her own itinerary.

 For safety's sake, the seatbelt shall be put to good use, especially if the pregnant woman does the driving herself or is in the front seat. The waist part of the belt shall be tucked under her belly; it's more comfortable that way, especially when the vehicle comes to a sudden stop and the belt locks. But, as much as possible, she shall not do the driving closer into her due date, as she may get sudden foot or leg cramps, or even worse, go on labor!

Lastly, public transport is another good option for a pregnant woman to travel. She can just hope that there is someone among the passengers who would be kind enough to give up his seat for her (and possibly a seat for her spouse, too). If she's not lucky, she'll find other passengers who simply pretend to be asleep when they see a pregnant woman board the bus.

The downside to taking public transportation when travelling with a big belly is that a seat is not guaranteed to be available, unless seat reservations are an option. Although, the expectant mommy may just have to ask another passenger politely to give up the seat for her.

 Definitely, every pregnant woman has the right to enjoy a trip before the more demanding responsibilities of motherhood come along.