Being on the family way is always an interesting time for a woman and the people around her. A pregnant woman has a lot of special needs that has to be met, and these needs make what would otherwise be an ordinary situation a little heightened, if not tense. Such situations include traveling.
There is nothing wrong about a pregnant woman going on a trip. However, some circumstances in the course of her journey can prove stressful for her, such as getting on board an airplane and getting confined there for at least an hour, depending on the length of the flight. If a pregnant woman is traveling by airplane, for the sake of her peace of mind, not to mention that of her spouse and her traveling companions, she should take some precautions that will make her flight go easy on her pregnancy.
One of these precautions is for her to visit her doctor first before booking the flight. Usually, it is perfectly fine for a pregnant woman to travel by airplane, but just to be on the safe side, it would be better for her to get her doctor’s go-signal first before flying.
Another thing she should do is to come on board the airplane prepared. She should have with her some antacids and painkillers for when the closed atmosphere of the airplane and the cramped seats wreak their havoc on her body. And should she crave for some food, she ought to have some snacks with her, or have enough money to buy some on the plane.
A pregnant woman should also allow herself enough time to move around the airport, especially when she could do no more than waddle. Therefore, she should arrive a lot earlier that she is supposed to at the airport so she would not have to run to catch her flight. Also, she should bear in mind that pregnant women are only allowed to bring with her carry-on luggage weighing 20 pounds. In this case, even her overnight bags should be checked in.
Once she is on board the plane, she should take the seat along the aisle. This will make it easier for her to move around, and she will definitely need to move around a lot. A pregnant woman should force herself to stretch and walk around to get her circulation in tiptop order during the flight. She should also drink a lot of fluids, but best drink fruit juice to cut the number of trips she has to make to the bathroom.
When people see a pregnant woman, they have this tendency to either give her a pat on her belly or relate to her some of the goriest details ever about giving birth. If these things upset or disturb her, she should not hesitate to say so and tell these people to back off.
Most importantly, if she feels that something is wrong about her or her baby, she should not be afraid to seek help and ask the flight attendant.
