Travelling abroad at 34/35weeks?

[Talcott2007]

So my DP has jut come up with the idea to drive to France on the early May B/H weekend to visit family we would be looking at a 5hr drive each way. I'm not sure I want to go. I will be 34/35 weeks at the time my consultant has already said that I will in all probability be induced at 38 weeks as I have some underlying medical issues which could put me and baby at increased risk if I go 'over'

I guess I'm just worried about the possibility of going into labor early and having to deliver away from the the medical team who know all about my condition. (although there is no reason to suspect this would happen, but then again - I arrived at 35+2 myself) My French is also far from fluent so if something did go wrong I wouldn't be able to communicate well without DP translating.

DP thinks I'm just over thinking everything and that the chances of me going into labor aren't even worth worrying about and even if they were it's not like there would be no access to medical care so everything would be fine regardless etc - To be clear DP isn't insisting we go or anything and if i say I don't want to go he will be fine with it but deep down I know he would really like to see his family again before baby arrives. AIBU and OTT about the whole thing?

What would other people do?

Er, no.

Either holiday near home or just stay home.

C'est tout!

I went on a business trip at 36 weeks, the last possible moment when I could fly. At the time I traveled I was fine but from then on I seemed to go down with one thing after another. I dont know if it was the stress of travel or just coincidence but my last few weeks of pregnancy were very hard going.

Find a nice hotel and have a babymoon

DH and I went to Paris at 32 weeks. I was pretty gung ho about the fact that we could get home fairly quickly and I was unlikely to go into labour that early.

What I hadn't factored in was that it was stressful being away from NHS support. When I had a day of reduced movement I was beside myself with worry. If I'd been at home I could have popped into the hospital for monitoring which would have put my mind at rest. In France I could only phone the hospital and have then tell me I'd need to come home if I wanted to be sure DS was ok.

DS was absolutely fine and arrived at 37 weeks. But I wouldn't travel outside the UK again that late in pregnancy after that experience.