the9months

Traveling while pregnant

You can travel safely by car, boat, plane, or train through much of your pregnancy. After 36 weeks of pregnancy, airlines request that you not fly, and your doctor may ask you to stay within driving distance of the hospital. Before week 36, a few simple precautions will keep you safe on your journeys.

* Always wear a seatbelt when driving or riding in a car. Pregnant women in a recent study who used a three-point restraint, with or without airbag deployment, reduced the risk of injury to the fetus by 84%. Place the lap belt as low as possible across your abdomen, against your upper thighs, and the upper belt across your shoulder and between your breasts. Adjust both parts of the belt to fit snugly.
* Traveling by air is safe until week 36. Metal detectors at the airport security checkpoints do not harm fetuses. When you fly, ask for an aisle seat so that you can stand up and walk around whenever possible and reach the bathroom easily. Avoid flying in small planes with unpressurized cabins at altitudes higher than 7,000-9,000 feet.
* Discuss any long-distance traveling with your doctor as you near the end of your pregnancy. If you must travel in your second or third trimester, be sure that you will be able to stand up and walk around at least every two hours to reduce swelling in your feet and legs.
* Carry light snacks with you to avoid nausea, and drink extra fluids (especially when flying). Do not take any over-the-counter motion-sickness or anti-nausea medications before flying or boating.
* Schedule a prenatal appointment before you leave and take a copy of your medical records with you. If you plan to be away for more than a couple of weeks, ask your doctor for the name of a doctor in the area you are visiting, in case of emergency.
* If you are traveling out of the country, talk to your doctor first. Depending on where you are going, you may need immunizations you can’t have during pregnancy. Some places may expose you to contaminated water or food that can cause diarrhea and other illnesses of concern to pregnant women.

Your Baby’s Development

* Though the fetus has no body fat at this point, it will gain more weight in the next few weeks, and by week 25, it will weigh almost twice as much.
* The motions, or “quickening,” are increased leg and arm activity because of muscular development.
* The fetus’s respiratory system is still immature and requires much more development.
* As the fetus swallows amniotic fluid, its body will absorb the water from the fluid and the rest will go into its large bowel.

Courtesy: University of Virginia Health System

Tags: seatbelt, traveling, week 21

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 6:51 AM and is filed under Week by Week. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.