Travelling abroad when pregnant!

[cnchapmanxx]

Hi girls!

I've only just recently found out I'm pregnant. I go on holiday in 4 weeks so il roughly be around 8 weeks when we fly. Do you think I will have started with sickness/nausea by then? We're flying to LA so a lovley 11 hour flight 🙈 Anyone been on holiday whilst they were 8/9 weeks and any advice? Xxx

[Afreshstartplease]

Gosh , I was fairly sick at that point

I discovered I was pregnant on a hot foreign holiday a few years ago. It was awful. The heat knocked me completely on my arse and lack of familiar food wasn't good. I did struggle.

I'm flying this time at 20 weeks, hopefully it'll be better !

[cnchapmanxx]

Afresh
Oh fuck haha! Not good.. I'm praying I'm one of the lucky ones that maybe gets it a bit later. I think I could cope with the morning sickness as we only fly st 3 in the afternoon!

Should I speak to my doctor to see what they recommend to take? Had this holiday booked since October and tbh getting pregnant happened a lot quicker than we thought! X

[Afreshstartplease]

Morning sickness isn't always in the morning though!

I've spent weeks being sick early evening!

Anyway. Fingers crossed!

[cnchapmanxx]

Oh isit not?

Oh well let's see how I get on haha! Thankyou and enjoy your holiday :)

[balalalala]

I flew only to France at 7/8 weeks and had no issues at all, however I'm now 20+3 and never really got sick or nauseas so might not be the best benchmark.

[cnchapmanxx]

France is still abroad Hun haha! Just wanting to get some advice my oh is terrified especially with it being a 11 hour flight and all the walking etc at least in May it might not be too hot! X

[Helbelle75]

I go to France on a school trip at the end of May when I'll be 12 weeks, then fly out to Greece with DH a couple of days afterwards. I'm hoping sickness will have come and gone by then!
I'm sure you'll be fine but perhaps seek some advice from your midwife or GP.

[cnchapmanxx]

Thanks helbelle!
I'm ringing the doctors Monday and getting an appointment so il mention it when I go in! Aw your holiday sounds lovely! Hope you enjoy it! X

[Danaust]

I flew at 9 weeks( am now 17 weeks) from Australia to London with my 3 year old! I was feeling extremely nauseous so sipped on ginger ale on the flight and it did seem to help.

When I had my booking appointment I was told I was high risk for dvt (age >35 *+ pregnancy + long haul travel) so consultant has prescribed baby aspirin for the remainder of the pregnancy.

[Kariana]

I have recently done a holiday at 9/10 weeks (booked before I was pregnant) and although the flight was a lot shorter (3 and a half hours) there are some tips I can give.

1. My nausea was dreadful morning and evening with it easing in the afternoon - everyone is different, but don't rely on it disappearing after the morning. Take travel sickness bands! You'll also be exhausted by this point in your pregnancy so lower your expectations of the amount of activities you will be doing on holiday - especially because jet lag will hit you hard.
   
2. Do not underestimate how much water you will need on the flight. Even if you usually rely on in-flight drinks because airport water is extortionate in price, don't risk it this time. Buy several bottles and make sure you drink them, pregnancy and flying makes you more dehydrated and the extra cost is worth it.
   
3. Linked to the above, get an aisle seat if you can - don't underestimate how many times you will need to use the bathroom. Also you should take more walks around the plane if you are pregnant.
   
4. Buy those flight socks and wear them. Even on my short flight I could tell there was something different about the way my circulation was reacting. I wouldn't fly again without the socks whilst pregnant, certainly not on an 11 hour flight.
   
5. Be prepared for cramps, particularly after take off and landing. You might not get them of course because everyone is different but some light cramping is totally fine as your body/uterus responds to the change in pressure. If you're in agony that's obviously different, but very unlikely as flying has no effect on a pregnancy at this stage.
   
6. Take biscuits and snacks for the flight - not to overuse a phrase but don't underestimate how hungry you will be! The in flight meals will not be enough, especially as you will need to eat little and often to combat nausea and keep your blood sugar from dipping. Plain digestives or ginger biscuits with real ginger are best - pack them in your hand luggage. As an extra tip take them out and put them separately in the tray when going through security. The x-ray scan operators can't tell what they are on the x-rays and your luggage may end up being searched. The security guy opened my bag, then laughed and said "oh it's biscuits!" and let me go on my way so it's no big deal, but might save you time and stress!
   

To be honest I'd be surprised if your doctor gives you anything for nausea unless you are vomiting a lot by that point, as they try not to give medication during pregnancy so you might just have to put up with it. As a little extra though, during the first few days of my holiday my nausea all but disappeared. I'm convinced either the change in climate or the flight affected my hormones and made me feel a million times better. I was suffering awfully beforehand so it was a nice little break. It all came back before the end of the holiday sadly, but those few days were a blessed relief, if a little worrying because obviously the symptoms indicate that your hormones are doing their job.

Anyway sorry for the super long post but hopefully my experience will help a little. Remember not to overdo things on holiday, relax but enjoy yourself as well. I'm sure you will have a lovely time and hopefully will be one of the lucky ones who doesn't get too much nausea!

[cnchapmanxx]

Kariana - thankyou so much for your help it was lovely reading it all I've screen shotted it and will keep it for when we go. I'm defo gonna get the socks and take extra water with me. DH has said he might even upgrade me to first if needs be. We are spending 2 weeks on the west coast of America, 5 days in LA, 3 days San Fran, 6 days Vegas so it's going to be exhausting. I naturally drink a lot of water anyway so il make sure I'm stocked up when we are out walking.
Feel a bit tight on DH as he's super lookin forward to the holiday hope I don't ruin it with my tiredness and sickness if it has kicked in by then!

Thanku for your helps girls! Xx

[Northernlight22]

I went to Iceland at 8/9 weeks pregnant - I got tired quickly and felt quite nauseous but just drank plenty water and took plenty ginger biscuits with me.

I had the travel sickness bands too which I wore during the flight and when we were doing any excursions.

[Helbelle75]

Kariana that's brilliant advice thank you. We fly to Greece, so not too long a flight, and I'll be 12 weeks, so will definitely look at sickness bands and compression socks.

[coppergrey]

Amazing advice, Kariana - thank you!

I'm flying to the US at the beginning of May - currently 8 weeks pregnant. At the moment I get pretty nauseous in the afternoon but it eases in the evening. Tiredness is my main worry as we're doing two states with a lot of walking and seeing friends too, so lots of eating out/socialising/late nights. I'm going to bed at 9pm at the moment so it'll be a shock to the system!

I'm hoping to just take it as it comes - if I'm feeling sick or tired, I'll slow down a bit. I'm taking lots of snacks (Mini Cheddars are my thing right now) and water for the plane but will definitely look into compression socks, too - great idea.

Hope you have a great holiday OP - try not to worry and just enjoy it!

[SolomanDaisy]

You may be lucky and not have the nausea and tiredness. I flew lots in my last pregnancy and never had any sickness (different story this time!) It's possible you'll be feeling fine!

[Shortninbread]

Just back from 23 hour flight from Australia at 6 weeks preg. Vomited on the plane but only from having a long spell with no food. Crackers and mints to hand are a good idea. I had no morning sickness with first two, so this one very different, and perhaps you won't get sick. Also, anti-bac hand gel or wash hands regularly on the flight to help avoid catching bugs. Have a great holiday!

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

I flew when pregnant and it was all fine. I bought flight tights rather than socks and wore them for days on holiday when we were walking a lot - found them helpful. I didn't really have any sickness. Hopefully you won't either!

[cnchapmanxx]

Thanks girls for you advice!
It's 3 weeks 6 days todsy haha! Hopefully I won't but I've got lots of stuff to take if I am! ☺️☺️

[SalmonMaki]

I flew to the US when I was 20 weeks pg, for a week for work. Most of my morning sickness was over by then luckily.

Definitely try for an aisle seat, take walks around the plane if possible and wear flight socks.

But most importantly, make sure your travel insurance covers medical attention for pregnancies - please check your insurance details or with the provider.

And of course, have fun on your trip.

[LittleLionMansMummy]

9+1 here and tbh the tiredness is much more of a problem than nausea. The nausea is manageable and comes and goes - some days barely nothing, others it's worse but not at all times of the day. But the fatigue is something else! I wake up feeling reasonably ok and by lunchtime I've lost all mojo and counting down the hours till bedtime! You may be lucky op. I breezed through my first pregnancy with barely a symptom until late 3rd trimester. It appears it's pay back time with my 2nd!

[malvinandhobbes]

I flew to the East Coast of USA at 10 weeks, the LA at 20 weeks, and plan to fly to the midwest at 31 weeks (pending midwife approval).

You've had good advice on flights. Drink plenty of water. Sit near the aisle, you may need to pee every hour. I've never worn the socks but fidget a lot. If you can get a seat upgrade, even to the bulkhead that will be helpful. The only time I sleep well on planes is when I'm pregnant.

For me, the flights can be managed. I upgrade in pregnancy so they seem better than normal to me. The real problem is the jet lag. When I was 8 weeks pregnant I was at maximum fatigue and hormonal distress. I suffer jet lag pretty hard normally, and that seems worse when pregnant. You may need to adjust your holiday plans accordingly. If your LA plans involve a lot of theme parks you may want to re--think. If you are just going to the beach and museums you'll probably be fine. We were just in LA and the sunshine was marvellous (although i was sad not to drink lovely california red wine)- have a lovely holiday!

[Sprink]

Six days? That's a long time to be in Vegas.