traveling while pregnant

what is typically the latest you can travel (by plane) while pregnant? my husband's company is having a huge convention in LA in august, and i told him there was probably no way i'd be able to go with him (i'll be around 28 or 29 weeks at that point).
thanks!

 

It all depends on your doctor. I had a pretty laid back doctor and he let me fly when I was 22 weeks along (I had just found out I was expecting twins the week before!). My doctor was fine with travel up to around 34 weeks, as long as I didn't go if I was experiencing any cramping and was still pretty comfortable (yeah, right). Those were his conditions, along with the understanding on my part that the babies could come anytime and I would have to be okay with taking the risk of having them in some other city.

I don't know how far along you are right now, but when you're at that stage I'm not sure whether or not you'll want to go! Even at 22 weeks, it was pretty uncomfortable being on the plane, plus it's hard to be drinking all the water you need to when they won't let you bring any on the plane. (I must've drove the flight attendants crazy). Then again, if these are your first babies, it could be one of the last vacations you get with your dh by yourselves.

Most doctors want you sticking around home a lot earlier than mine.

 

I think all doctors differ on this.

With my twin pregnancy, I wasn't allowed to fly after 20 weeks. With my singleton, it was 24 weeks.

 

I was uncomfortable flying at 12w and decided that that was going to be it for me - I've done plenty of traveling in my life and can wait til the babies are born to resume . . . Basically, I was not only uncomfortable, but also, I didn't want to risk being away from my docs (who really are the BEST, in my opinion) if anything happened. And that was just at 12 weeks! I guess what I'm saying is, regardless of what your doc says, think about your physical comfort but also about how you would feel if (unfortunately) you were out in LA and found yourself in some sort of medical emergency - the babies would be viable at 28/29 weeks. So in that case, would you be ok seeing whatever doc the local hospital assigned you to or do you only want to see your own docs? There's no right answer - that is just a personal decision for you to make.

 

yeah, i'm not comfortable sitting for too long as it is, so i can't imagine having to sit "in the upright position" for 4 hours. and getting up to pee every 10 minutes (and i can't imagine it being very easer to "hover" over the airplane toilet when i'm that huge! haha). maybe we'll take a little road trip somewhere before that just the two of us

 

My doctor said if I want/have to go anywhere further than 2 hours away after 24 weeks I would have to come in for an FFN test, pass that, and then they would give me the names of the best/closest hospital where I was going to go to if I had problems while there. They said flying would be better than driving, but to try and get an aisle seat and also to check with the airline b/c some airlines will not let you fly past a certain point in your pregnancy- they dont want to be liable if you go into labor on the plane or something

 

My doc said no travel after 28 weeks.

I am 15 weeks now. Last weekend we made a cross country trip (we live in Seattle - we flew to DC). My doc was not to happy when he found out about that. I hadn't mentioned because I didn't think it was a problem - he hadn't said no long flights, he had just said nothing after 28 weeks. So anyway, he made a face and said I probably shouldn't do that again. He asked if I had any other trips planned - I told him two to California (about a 2.5 hr flight) - one in may and one early July. He thought that would be ok, but again emphasized nothing after 28 weeks. I'll be about 27 weeks for the one in July, so cutting it a bit close. I'll cancel if I'm having any reasons to be concerned.

 

I flew with my single at 6 months. I dont think i would fly with twins though. I would ask your dr and see what they say about it.

 

I flew at 16 weeks and endured a 5 hour driving trip at 28 weeks. My OB wanted me to stop at 30 weeks. How far of a flight is LA for you?

I would say that you might still be okay around then but it is all dependent on how your pregnancy progresses. If everything is normal around that time, your OB may approve it, but I would recommend asking for one of those golf cart guys to tote you around the airport rather than walking... that will definitely be too much.

Finally, if you do end up going, be sure to grab copies of your prenatal records in case there's an emergency.

Good luck!

 

Do you have to make the decision right now or can you see how things go?

I went on a road trip (I know flying is not the same but.....) when I was 28 weeks. At my 27 week appointment everything had been just fine. I went on the trip and when I went to my next appointment after the trip my peri sent me to L&D because the u/s showed my cervix had shortened. When they hooked my up they found I was contracting every 2 minutes, under 2cm in length, 2cm dialated and 80% effaced. I can't help but think the trip had something to do with this even though I thought I was doing everything right. Everything was perfect before and obvious issues after, they ambulanced me to a Boston hospital and thought I was going to deliver that night, it was pretty scary. I know not every situation is like mine so please don't think I am telling you if you go _________ will happen but wanted to share my experience as I do believe my PTL issues were completely related to my adventure. Thank goodness everything turned out fine,. K&K were born at 36 weeks and not a moment in the NICU, but it was very scary and long weeks of bedrest that I can't help but think would never have happened if I hadn't gone on the trip.

 

I am 20 weeks along and I plan to travel for another 5-6 weeks. I travel for work and go to a different city weekly. My doctor says it is okay as long as I am comfortable and also since I had a very smooth pregnancy with my daughter last year.

I don't know if it makes a difference if one is a regular traveler or a occasional traveler... for instance, is a regular traveler more accustomed to the take off and landing conditions and the changes in pressure?

With that being said, if at any point I do feel uncomfortable then I will not hesitate to immediately cancel my trip and consult with my doctor. I am very fortunate that my manager is a family man and very understanding.

We are actually planning to fly to Southern California as well in a few weeks -- except to San Diego. I lived there for 9 years before moving to Texas and want to take a trip there and enjoy the beach with Sienna before having the twins.

I would suggest to go only if you feel comfortable. If you have any qualms about it then trust yourself because women intuition is usually right!

Good luck!

 

I flew at 17 weeks, and it wasn't too bad, although my feet did swell.

I canceled a long car trip at 24 weeks, because my OB really frowned on it (10 hours of driving each way), and I just thought it would be too much.

Now, I'm almost 28 weeks, and there is NO WAY I could fly anywhere, or even sit in a car for more than a couple hours. I'm way too big and uncomfortable. I haven't really asked my OB because we're not planning on going anywhere, but I'm fairly sure he'd say "not a chance" at this point....