going abroad at 32 to 34 weeks

[Stephc1234]

I booked a family holiday way before i fell pregnant. I have now found out my due date and realised i will be 32 weeks and 5 days flying there. We're going for 2 weeks to Fuerteventura in august. Is it a good idea to still go? Has anyone else been abroad this late one in their pregnancy?

you need to check whether the airline will take you. assume you already have holiday insurance in case you need to cancel? you are most likely going to need a fit to fly letter from your GP/midwife. any reason why you might not get this that you know of?

make sure you fly with your notes and that you know where the nearest maternity hospital is.

tbh I think its not a great idea. you are going to get very tired and it will be pretty hot out there. can you cancel and rebook or go a bit earlier?

its not a given that you will get the fit to fly and also check what you are covered for with your insurances. hope all goes well for you.

Bit different as I drove to Portugal. . Came home 20 days before dd was born!! Not sure guidelines for flying. .

You will need a 'fit to fly' certificate from GP/midwife after 28 weeks. You cannot fly after 36 weeks with a singleton and 32 weeks with a multiple pregnancy. Look up the Civil Aviation Authority's website for details. Even so, I would check with the individual airline to avoid any surprises.

Not what you want to hear but you will be very hot and probably quite uncomfortable. Trying to keep cool will be important.

So you'll be pretty much 35 weeks when you fly home? No, I wouldn't go. A UK holiday absolutely but not a 4 hour flight away. If you do go you need to make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance that covers both you and a potentially premature baby. Lots don't. Also check if the airline will take you post 34 weeks.

I wouldn't do it, but if you do, make sure baby's stay in NICU would be covered as well as your own medical expenses should you have the baby out there. Remembering a woman trying to crowdfund her baby's care a couple of years ago - she was just a couple of days past the deadline on her insurance.

Hi OP I have posted about this recently as I am expecting dc3 and we wanted to squeeze in one last holiday before the madness begins. We fly out to Spain when in 34+3 and fly back at 35+3. I fly with easy jet and they let you fly until 36 weeks and don't insist on a fit to fly letter but I think I will get one anyway.

My next issue was finding someone who would insure me as many don't insure beyond 32 weeks. Try ravenshall insurance. They insure up to 4 weeks before due date and cover natural birth as well as any complications/emergencies. It was expensive but worth the peace of mind. I'll be taking my notes and have details of nearest maternity hospital. I posted on here a while ago about it and had loads of negative comments saying I was mad to go, however each to their own and as long as no complications or niggles beforehand then I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck.

I wouldn't. Just not worth the risk for me but, as everyone has said, check your insurance position if you decide to go.

Is it your first baby?
I would be put off by the 4 hour flight and very hot temperature at your destination (plus the fact that support stockings itch like hell).
Do check with the airline and your holiday company and err on the side of caution. I think if it's your first, it can be very hard to appreciate just how knackered and miserable you will be feeling by then.

The heat alone would put me off let alone a 4 hour flight each way in a very confined space. But we all have different tolerance levels. I'd say you need to look fully into the medical facilities for you and the baby, and also that insurance would cover every eventuality.

I should add that my other two children came at 42 weeks and had to be induced with my second. That is giving some guidance (although I am aware that anything could happen at anytime). Not sure I'd be so confident if it was my first pregnancy.

I wouldn't and have just cancelled a holiday and lost a deposit for the very same reason! We would have been covered for medical expenses by our insurance and the airline would have let me fly but I didn't want to take the risk. I have another child and had to think about the impact on her of a prolonged stay in another country, plus I didn't fancy a c section (I'm high risk) in a country where I don't speak the language. We're going to Dorset instead now!

I flew regularly on my 1st pregnancy. Had a very easy pregnancy. Last flight was at 34 weeks and was incredibly uncomfortable.flight was only an hour. 4 hours would have been unbearable.

I wouldn't but I don't particularly enjoy flying anyway. I'm currently 17 weeks and am fairly low risk. My midwife told me that unless It was a necessary journey they don't do fit to fly certs. So no holidays for me.

Appreciate that different hospital etc. So may be different.

Personally I wouldn't. But I would say that because I delivered out of the blue (healthy, low risk pregnancy up until then) at 32 weeks and it was awful enough without being away from home on top of it all. But even aside from the small risk of early delivery you'll be pretty uncomfortable by then and more so by the time you fly back. It's hard to imagine not being able to get in a comfy position/not just find a way to cool down in the early stages. In fact I couldn't work out work out what all the fuss was about with pregnancy... until about 25 weeks when my son got big enough to bounce on my sciatic nerve/kick my bladder etc etc and sleep began to happen in 2 hour bursts at best. I don't mean to be negative at all but honestly, you couldn't have paid me enough to get on a four hour flight by then!! There's a reason you need a certificate.
Could you move the flights and go earlier or with your baby when he or she arrives?

Even if you are permitted to fly by the airline (which I'd be surprised by) then bear in mind you will probably be very uncomfortable on the flight. I did a long distance train journey at 33 weeks and couldn't bring the tray table down due to the size of my bump and just felt very confined & cramped for the whole journey.
You may also want to look into hospitals on the island, NICU facilities & also think about the logistics of how you'd sort out return journey with the baby if you had to (e.g. getting first passport issued). We had to look into this as we were in the same position several years ago when I was pregnant with DD. We were going to France by car though which was all a bit more straightforward. I was also very naive and hadn't realised how many complications there could be in late pregnancy or at birth.