Pregant - should I leave UK?

[daisysnow]

Hi all,

I am getting worried about the whole coronavirus situation. I'm pregnant with due date in beginning of May. Currently living in central London with antenatal care in one of the teaching hospitals in the city centre. (I'm already a bit unsure about option of getting infected in the hospital when going for antenatal appointments and future labour.)
Do you think I should try to self isolate in London / move to countryside for couple months or leave UK and temporarily move to my home EU country which has far less cases at the moment and generally better health system? (I would not need to pay for giving birth there and ehic should cover us if anything more serious happened.) Obviously nobody knows how the situation will evolve here or there... If we move, we would be thinking moving back in 2-3 months if everything returns back to normal... Obviously traveling pregnant on bus (which is still an option) brings its own risks and then back with a tiny baby by car sounds a bit complicated. But what is better - extremely overwhelmed NHS or moving at this time?

You couldn’t pay me to get on a plane or train right now - all that recycled air. Sure fire way to catch it in my opinion

Why can't you go out by car?

I wouldn't get on any long distance public transport now (or any at all if I could avoid it).

Based on what you've said, would consider if journey both ways by private car and you can afford to be stuck abroad for more than a couple of months.

This is a difficult one for us to advise you on OP. Only you know how easy or difficult it would be to return to your home country. Will you have family support there?

I thought there was no travel out of UK?

Surely you won’t be able to get the care you need elsewhere? Everyone working in health in any country or any area won’t be pleased to see you. Stay where you are known unless they say not to.

Just stay where you are! Why is this so difficult to understand?

Are you even sure you could travel at this point? Would your country accept you without putting you into quarantine?

I don’t think this is one that you can outrun. Stay put and pay close attention to the guidelines. It’s a scary time for all of us but most of that fear is because what’s needed is so far removed from anything any of us have experienced. It’ll be okay.

Please stay where you are, stay at home, don't travel, you can't travel by plane because they've stopped that now I think, beat to just stay where you are, I know a couple of my friends who are pregnant bthat are just staying home unless they have a midwife appointment.

No.
Your home country may have little reported cases just now, but what if you are carrying the virus and spread it?

Hey OP, I fully sympathise. I'm pregnant, due end June and live in central London also. My hospital is the big main teaching hospital. I too feel really really scared about what on earth my birth will be like, and the conditions in the hospital, whether I'll be safe. But I don't think it's advisable to leave. Depending on where you want to go, other countries are ahead on the process of this and you could be walking into an even worse situation, plus the government are about to announce very stringent measures this evening so you might not be able to travel.
I am self isolating and today I made the decision not to go out even for walks from now on. I'm staying at home and organising food deliveries. This will be my life until the birth. My midwife has been in regular contact about how we can manage antenatal appointments, so I would speak to yours about your options if you haven't already.