Tuesday
Mar162010
Can I fly while pregnant?
Most sites agree that flying during pregnancy is safe.
Many airlines won't let you travel past 36 weeks but that's because they're scared you're going to give birth on board and upset the drink service.
The only thing worth mentioning is to be sure to wear your seat belt on the flight even if you're pregnant. I'll get into the seat belt thing in seatbelts (go figure). It's also worth while getting up to walk around on a flight to reduce swelling and the chance of blood clots.
And don't forget to look as pathetic and sweaty as possible both at check-in and boarding – you may be able to score a bulk head seat or free sundae on the flight.
search: flying while pregnant, air travel safety pregnancy
20 Comments
Reader Comments (20)
note on this, while waiting in a long line in security, you can request a wheelchair to get through faster. Pregnancy is considered a disability. Awesome.
Any info on the new scanners & radiation while preg?
Someone also posted this concern on the Facebook page so you're not alone.
From what I can gather the x-rays they emit are relatively low so there doesn't seem to be much of a risk. Still, if the TSA agent looks like Alexander Skarsgard I would go for the pat down...you know, for the safety of your baby ; )
I'll keep you posted if I find out anything else.
I will say this about flying and being pregnant though...I flew a few times during my 1st and 2nd trimesters until I got to a return flight during my 26th week. My legs were so incredibly swollen before we even reached cruising altitude that the skin felt like it was breaking and I was almost in tears. I'm not typically one to "swell" so this was all lovely new pregnant news to me and I decided that would be my last flight for this pregnancy!
My midwife says it's also super-important to stay hydrated because apparently it's easy to become dehydrated while flying (maybe it's the shot-glass size cups they use for the free drink service?). She says your water can break prematurely if you're flying late in the pregnancy and you're dehydrated.
I flew on a weekly basis through 30 weeks with both of my pregnancies. I only flew through one airport that had the new xray scanners at the time. The female TSA agent told me to go through the scanner and then the male one running it told me not to worry..haha.
My advice, stay hydrated and get an aisle seat! I had to pee like a champ on every flight pretty much as soon as we left the gate.
The new scanners are all good- you apparently get exposed to WAY more radiation while flying. I think was about the equivalent of being in the sun for an hour.
Support stockings are ESSENTIAL! My legs swell on the plane even when I'm not pregnant, so having support hose or socks makes all the difference in the world...
We flew from regional Australia to Europe when I was 30 weeks which involved 36 hours (4 flights) in transit and my advice is also support stockings and aisle seats - oh, and leaving your 1 year old behind....
Also, if your flying in the last trimester taking lots of documentation with your due date. On the way home at 32 weeks an adolescent check-in guy in Gatwick decided (despite letters confirming my gestation) that I was too far gone to travel! Luckily his supervisor disagreed on the provision I was flying to the destination where I planned to give birth!!
I flew from Cincinnati to Johannesburg, South Africa 6 and 7 months pregnant.... my advice drink lots of water, try to sleep, and move during the flight since I was flying with my 20 month old staying active was not a problem. I did score business class seats on the flight down and it was awesome.... I have never arrived from a 20 hour flight more refreshed.
Are the new scanners safe if you are pregnant?
Hey Cindy, So far it sounds like they are safe (see my comment above) but I'll keep you all posted!
Thank you, Rachel, for the support stocking suggestion. I'd also like to add that compression sleeves will work, too. If you're a long-distance runner (like me!), you might already know what these are--you can buy them as full socks or as "sleeves" socks with out the foot part. I'm getting married in AZ in February (5 months prego) and after reading this, I'll be packing my compression ware :)
"Most people are unaware about the fact that there is significant radiation exposure associated with air travel because they are well above the Earth's atmosphere," said Robert J. Barish, a radiological and health physicist in New York City. "You'd get as much radiation in a whole-body scanner as you'd get in two minutes at 30,000 feet."
from this article: http://news.discovery.com/human/travel-body-scanners-radiation.html
I flew at 34 weeks from Chicago to Sydney, Aus... While not comfortable at all, it wasn't that awful or scary. Bring all your records or have them easily accessible in email and check into your insurance as part of your planning. Also heard that on some airlines if you give birth while in flight, your child flies free FOREVER on that airline. May just be a rumor, but it kept me looking at the bright side if I did have to give birth in a coach galley somewhere over the Pacific... Plus in some countries your child would be an automatic dual citizen which is also kind of cool... (believe me with the threat of a 24hr one way flight looming you have to think of the benefits)
I flew at 28/29 weeks pregnant and the only actual issues that I had were that i couldnt get travel medical insurance once i hit 30 weeks (by the way, who gets paid for the delivery if it happens in an airplane anyway? Woohoo, skip that medical bill!) and the airline not providing the meal that was listed as complementary on the ticket and then have the gall to offer to sell me a cookie. Other than that, I had no swelling or other problems from the flight.
Just an FYI: Almost all of the airlines actually say that they only request a doctor's note if you're within a week of your due date (for domestic travel). There's no cut off for flying and legally they can't refuse to let you fly no matter when you're due (b/c it's sex-based discrimination), unless you're actually in labor and they have immediate reason to suspect you might deliver on the plane and create an emergency.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_airline-policies-for-pregnant-travelers_6976.bc
I flew at five months pregnant - - - while I felt completely fine for the most part, the key was to "look" and "act" pregnant. Read: lots of back holding/bracing, a little panting, leaning on your wheelie bag for support. I was surprised at how nice people were letting me go ahead in lines and helping me to get comfortable, putting my travel bag in the overhead compartment. The kindness of others really made what could have been an awful trip into an easy experience!
I am 33 weeks and I just returned from a trip to Florida for Thanksgiving with my family. We flew Southwest and they were awesome. No one gave me any trouble about my pregnancy (3rd pregnancy and I look like I'm about to POP) and at the gate they gave me a Pre-Boarding pass because pregnancy is considered a disability. Isn't it though? This means we got on FIRST! Yes, my husband was allowed to accompany me on the plane first even though he had a regular boarding pass. I guess with a "disability" they know you probably can't sling that carry-on into the overhead bin and will need help. I don't know if all the airlines issue pre-boarding passes for pregnancy but it doesn't hurt to check with the agent when you get to your gate.
P.S. You should really fly Southwest if you can, they like to hire comedians as their flight attendants and I was cracking up... It helped me forget about how uncomfortable I was!
Just a reminder as well that you should confirm what your travel insurance covers you for as you are only covered up to a certain time in your pregnancy. I've never been pregnant (yet!) but I do work in the insurance industry up here in Canada so just an FYI! :)