Traveling for Two: Advice for Pregnant Vacationers
Schlepping bags through an airport and long car rides in an automobile are not the most memorable aspects of anyone's vacation -- and if you already happen to be carrying a little extra baggage these days because you're pregnant, those memories may be all you will remember unless you plan your trip well.
But experts say pregnant travelers need not be detained from vacations and other travel plans. "Up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy, if the mother is doing well she can do all sorts of traveling," says Marcos Pupkin, MD, chair of obstetrics-gynecology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
But the closer to delivery time, the less advisable travel becomes. And complications of any kind indicate the need to see a doctor before traveling, Pupkin says.
"Anytime the patient is having contractions, low abdominal pain that could mean contractions, or bleeding from the uterus, traveling should be avoided," he tells WebMD.
Whether traveling by plane or car, pregnant women are apt to be sitting for long periods. "For a four- or five-hour drive I would advise pregnant women to get out of the car every hour and a half and walk for one minute," Pupkin says. "The same is true for flying. Keep your legs working once per hour and walk in the corridor of the plane. This becomes even more important as you get to the third trimester."
And Pupkin offers a tip to pregnant women traveling in the passenger seat of a car or in a plane: Place a small box on the floor where you can elevate your feet slightly above the ground. "You don't want the back of your legs compressed all the time," he says. "That closes off circulation returning from the feet."
But comfort for mom and baby is not the only concern for pregnant women taking to the highways. In a nation that reported more than 40,000 traffic fatalities in 2000, buckling up and driving sanely is a must when one of your passengers is a fetus.
Mark Pearlman, MD, reports that of nearly four million deliveries every year, about 7% are complicated by trauma, and about two-thirds of those are related to motor vehicle accidents. That can amount to 250,000 traffic accidents involving pregnant women every year, says Pearlman, who is vice chair and professor of obstetrics-gynecology at the University of Michigan Health Systems.
But experts say pregnant travelers need not be detained from vacations and other travel plans. "Up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy, if the mother is doing well she can do all sorts of traveling," says Marcos Pupkin, MD, chair of obstetrics-gynecology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
But the closer to delivery time, the less advisable travel becomes. And complications of any kind indicate the need to see a doctor before traveling, Pupkin says.
"Anytime the patient is having contractions, low abdominal pain that could mean contractions, or bleeding from the uterus, traveling should be avoided," he tells WebMD.
Whether traveling by plane or car, pregnant women are apt to be sitting for long periods. "For a four- or five-hour drive I would advise pregnant women to get out of the car every hour and a half and walk for one minute," Pupkin says. "The same is true for flying. Keep your legs working once per hour and walk in the corridor of the plane. This becomes even more important as you get to the third trimester."
And Pupkin offers a tip to pregnant women traveling in the passenger seat of a car or in a plane: Place a small box on the floor where you can elevate your feet slightly above the ground. "You don't want the back of your legs compressed all the time," he says. "That closes off circulation returning from the feet."
But comfort for mom and baby is not the only concern for pregnant women taking to the highways. In a nation that reported more than 40,000 traffic fatalities in 2000, buckling up and driving sanely is a must when one of your passengers is a fetus.
Mark Pearlman, MD, reports that of nearly four million deliveries every year, about 7% are complicated by trauma, and about two-thirds of those are related to motor vehicle accidents. That can amount to 250,000 traffic accidents involving pregnant women every year, says Pearlman, who is vice chair and professor of obstetrics-gynecology at the University of Michigan Health Systems.
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