  |
|
|
|
Traveling Pregnant -- and Loving It!© Lain Ehmann
My son, Benjamin, logged thousands of frequent flyer miles before he was even born. While pregnant, I made trips to Boston, Las Vegas, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Germany, Italy and Paris. And now that I'm four months pregnant with my second child, we're doing the same thing.
For the most part, traveling as a mom-to-be is uneventful. But not always -- pregnant women and their spouses have certain considerations that other travelers don't have to think about. How long you can hit the highways and byways is mostly a decision to be made by you and your obstetrician. There are several things to consider, including how far away you're going, how long you'll be gone, your final destination, and your means of transportation. If you're in good health and have experienced no medical complications during your pregnancy, most doctors will give you the green light to travel to other industrialized nations and throughout the US until about your seventh or eighth month. Even if your doctor gives you the go-ahead, though, some insurance plans forbid maternity patients from leaving their immediate area in the last weeks of pregnancy -- by any mode of transportation. Check restrictions early on, before you make vacation plans. Most airlines also restrict air travel for women in the eighth month, and some even require a letter from your doctor if you plan to travel by air at any time during your pregnancy. Again, it's best to discover these rules before you arrive at the airport! If you're traveling to a far-off city or state, it's not a bad idea to carry a copy of your medical records with you, as suggests Ann Douglas in her book "The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby" (MacMillan, 1999). Douglas also recommends carrying your doctor's name and telephone number at all times. Other common-sense measures include bringing any medications with you, avoiding strange foods, drinking bottled water instead of tap, and taking it easy. It can be tempting to adopt a hectic schedule in order to make the most of your trip, but you'll only end up sabotaging yourself. For instance, on a recent trip to Walt Disney World, I wanted desperately to keep up with my two-year-old son and husband, but I just couldn't. The days I skipped my mid-afternoon rest session were awful, while the times I forced myself to relax for a few hours were the highlights of our trip. And the rest of my family seemed to benefit from the downtime as well. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Traveling Pregnant -- and Loving It! in Family Travel is owned by Dr. Tami Brady. Permission to republish Traveling Pregnant -- and Loving It! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
