Did anyone fly when pg? How many weeks pg? How many hours flight?
Hi all,
Just wanted to know how many of you flew whilst pg, I was going to fly to Kuala Lumpur at 10 weeks but my Ob said the fact that I'm still in my first trimester he wouldnt recommend it, esp since the flight is 8 hours. So, I've had to cancel my trip.
My GP however said, it's safe especially in the second trimester, where the risks are down to 1%.
I would love to hear some experiences.
Much appreciated
I flew to QLD when I was 16 weeks pregnant...apart from some slight discomfort being squished into some tiny aeroplane chair, it wasn't too bad - admittedly though it was only a 3 hour flight!
I flew in both pregnancies. First time i was 14 weeks, the flight was 3 hours. Second pregnancy i flew at 10 weeks and was told it was fine. The flight was 2 hours. All was well.
Prama - I too have flown several times during this pregnancy, a few times in each trimester... but they were only short interstate flights. I think there is more risk in flying internationally because of the higher altitude?
I was 13 weeks with this pregnancy and flew to japan and back......no probs, just hard to get comfy in economy....and a bit of jet lag coupled with pregnancy hormones did make me more tired than usual.....but have heard/read flying in 2nd tri should be okay....
Hi - I've avoided flying while preg - we went to Tasmania once when I was preg and opted to take the Spirit of Tasmania boat trip, thinking that would be gentler than flying, and I have never been so sick in my life! It was awful.
My sister flew from England to Australia in her first trimester and didn't have any problems.
I have heard there can be a risk re change in altitude and possible pressure to the placenta
Thanks everyone. looks like it's ok to fly, and i've seen pg women on long distance flights. I've read that flying on large commercial flights is ok cos of the air pressure whereas smaller planes are not pressurerised well and maybe not have as much oxygen as needed for a pg lady. And the other concern with long distance is DVT.
And I suppose turbulence wouldnt be good either.
Berry - poor you on the ship, that's awful! Just being on the train to work some mornings is hard enough!
Franstar - you're almost there!! Hope your labour isnt too long, good luck hun, bet you cant wait to see little bubba!!
I flew once in my first trimester and once in my second. Both round-trip flights were awful for me! The smells on the plane made me incredibly nauseous, I felt all crampy and bloated being squished into their confined seating, and the turbulence was terrible. Luckily both flights were onlky 2 hours otherwise I would not have been able to do it.
I flew to Sydney and back (from Adelaide) at 16 weeks, and Perth and back at 21 weeks. Somewhat uncomfortable, but nothing major. I'd say that your health professional recommended not flying OS in the first trimester due to the risk of miscarriage.
What I mean by that is that if you are going to miscarry, it'd be better to do it on the ground, in your own country, with access to medical help, than in mid air, or in an unknown country, with a potentially inadequate health system.
I flew at 31 weeks - 2 hour flights.
I was fine. I think as long as you arent a risk for preemclampsia and your dr gives you the ok you will be fine to fly.
Nessa - Congrats!!! That's wonderful news.
My GP was ok with flying but Ob was quite prudish. His main concerns were DVT, and that the first trimester is high risk and that I would be 8 hours away fromhelp if anything happened.
Have a chat with your GP or Ob (if you already have an appointment by then). Maybe take a letter from you GP with you for the airlines. How long is your flight?
Hi! I've just done the mega-long-haul flight from the UK and wondered if sharing a few thoughts might help? My ob was fine with it but recommended we determine I didn't have a low-lying placenta first and again suggested the 2nd trimester as being a better time to make a long-haul flight. I still found it hellish and probably wouldn't do it again when pregnant, but then again 22 hrs on a plane, alone, with 1 hr stopovers is always revolting. But it IS possible. I would have found 8 hours far easier and been much more comfortable! You've probably already thought of these, and others have mentioned them too, but JIC...
- Get travel insurance!! A bit of research is a good idea. The best policy DH and I could find had great cover up to and including the 24th week. Most others we found seemed to only cover up to and including the 26th week and had the disclaimer of not including "anything event associated with or consequent upon the birth of a child" - i.e. no neonatal care in the case of a premature birth after 20 weeks. If your destination has reciprocal medical agreements with Australia (as mine did) then that helps matters. We were particularly anal about this as I was going for 2 months and DH was only joining me for a few weeks of this time.
- Get a copy of your obstetric history (your ob will print one out for you) and keep it in your hand luggage.
- Request an aisle seat (unless you prefer window) when you book your ticket: thank god I did this as I visited the toilet probably once every 30 mins.
- Drink at least a glass of water an hour - helps prevent dehydration and is supposed to lessen the risk of DVT. (Prob why I peed every 30 mins). I bought a massive bottle of water after the security screen (fluids). And do your DVT exercises.
- Consider pre-ordering a "special meal" on the flight if you don't routinely anyway (check how long beforehand you need to do this). My MS returned without warning! (even the vege "special meal" didn't help, but I took some bagels, fruit and crackers with me and ate those instead, and took some peppermint tea bags.) If you get stuck ask for extra bread or something if you can't stomach what they've served up.
- If you have any concerns let the ground crew know when you check in that you are pregnant and when on board, don't be afraid to ask the flight attendants for any help whatsoever. I found them invaluable as I was travelling both legs alone.
- Take a neck support pillow, eye mask and earplugs if you want to get any sleep at all!
- Give yourself sufficient time to recover from jetlag - can't remember what the time difference is b/w OZ and KL? I was stuffed for a week both times whereas I normally bounce back within a day or two. Be kind to yourself.
- Oh - and most importantly - enjoy it!!!!
Last edited by Queenie; July 29th, 2007 at 12:01 PM.
i think i may be more concerned about the conditions you are staying in when you are in KL rather than the flight. I mean, making sure you know what you are eating, that it is prepared safely, drinking water is safe, hygeine standards of your accommodation, and activities you will be doing. For example, i imagine it wouldn't be a great idea to go trekking through moutains, staying in local villages and eating food that you don't know what it is. Unless you are a local, your body may not be used to these conditions.
Thanks Queenie, that was great info! Thanks so much.
When I rang the airlines to cancel my flight, the lady did tell me to get travel insurance if i were to fly in my second tri. I'll check what medibank offers. Sydney is currently only 2 hrs ahead so not much.
I flew to Amsterdam last year and being non-pg almost made me tear my hair out! Your pic is great!
Plus my cousin who lives close to my parents is a doctor, so that really helps.
LG - thank you.
My family is in Kuala Lumpur so all is good. I was going to fly back for my mum's 70th, next week. Kuala Lumpur is very safe, so I'm not worried at all. I think the wait for emergency here is much longer than it is there!! lol.
I was so looking forward to my mum's home cooked meal, warm weather and TLC away from m/s!
Def sounds like a good idea then Weighing up risks and benefits, a bit of TLC from mum beats the risks imo!! I couldn't have coped without my mum especially when i was experiencing bad m/s she would come and take DS to playgroup, kindergym etc to give me a break and make sure Evan didn't miss out on his activities, and she cooked meals for me! Makes such a difference! Have a great trip!!
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Did anyone fly when pg? How many weeks pg? How many hours flight?
Weighing up risks and benefits, a bit of TLC from mum beats the risks imo!! I couldn't have coped without my mum especially when i was experiencing bad m/s she would come and take DS to playgroup, kindergym etc to give me a break and make sure Evan didn't miss out on his activities, and she cooked meals for me! Makes such a difference! Have a great trip!!
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