Taking a 6 week old abroad?

[Mirardosa]

Sorry if this isn't the right place to post this but I'm not sure where it belongs!

I am bridesmaid at a friends wedding abroad in a few months time. My baby is due the month before and will be 6 weeks old on the day of the wedding and that's if she arrives on time!

This is our first baby and as the days go by, I'm getting more and more nervous at the thought of taking her on a 3 hour flight and being away from home.
I feel like I can't let my friend down, but I am dreading this.

Does anyone have any advice or experience on taking a newborn on holiday?

I'm sure someone with experience will be along to help soon but from what I've read, it's relatively easy taking babies on planes/abroad. They're easily transportable as so small and they tend to just sleep. Feeding them for take off and landing helps with ears popping. My DS is 5 months now but I would've done it at 6 weeks. I am quite relaxed about stuff though, my DP would've been a nervous wreck so I guess it depends on how you are too. Good luck!

The actual flying won’t be the issue. Being a bridesmaid at a foreign wedding with a newborn could be completely impossible depending on what kind of birth/baby you get.

You might not get a passport. I wouldn’t do it-you might have a c-section.

Your biggest issue will be getting passport on time as you can't get one until the birth is registered, appointments for registration aren't instant and first passports can't be done super fast. Tight if you go overdue if peak holiday season.

Also unvaccinated infant/plane lurgy fun and games too!

Travelling with a small breastfed baby is actually extremely easy. They just sleep on your chest and their food is instantly on tap. It's more of a pain if they formula feed but it can be done.

I'd be more concerned that if you go overdue at all you might not be able to get a passport in time and/or at 6 weeks or less postpartum you might not be in any physical or emotional shape for a flight and a wedding. I would let her know there's a high chance you might have to pull out.

No. Baby won't have had jabs etc. You could be feeding 24/7 and getting zero sleep. Give yourself permission not to go

The baby might only be four weeks old, won’t have had any vaccinations and probably won’t have a passport. You might still be recovering from a c section or bleeding or trying to establish breastfeeding.

I travelled with eldest at 8 weeks, but it wasn’t booked until after he was born and we made sure not to go until he’d had his first vaccinations. I couldn’t have travelled with my second at six weeks, she had only just come out of hospital and I was a mess physically.

I really wouldn’t commit to doing this.

DD had a passport before she was 3 weeks old so I don't think that's a problem.

I took my 3 week old to my SIL wedding and found that quite intense/stressful. I couldn't really mingle or enjoy the wedding as I was so focussed on him. The music was far too loud at the reception but thankfully the supper was served upstairs in a different room so we just went straight up there and missed the drinks before dinner. Once 80 guests were in the room it was pretty loud again but I'd bought some ear defenders so put those on him. We left as soon as the meal was over, SIL was V understanding and grateful we'd attended as much as we had. I can't even imagine having to do it having bridesmaid responsibilities too let alone going abroad.

I hadn't even thought of the vaccination and potential passport drama. I'll ask my midwife next week, but I'm sure she will echo what most of you have said here. Thanks a lot for the advice everyone.

I got my baby's passport within a couple of days. I'm lucky enough to live relatively close to the office so we brought in the form and the passport arrived within a few days.

I flew with a baby at 8 weeks. It was super scary but was absolutely fine. It is an organisation test if anything! Car seats, sleeping arrangements, remembering everything and if you are formula feeding bring the formula you use with you as the brand you use might not be available locally!

Good luck xx

I went on holiday with my son when he was 6 weeks old. It was actually relatively easy, he was so tiny and just slept and fed a lot of the time. Seemed much easier than taking a toddler.

Just make sure you register baby straight away so you can apply for passport ASAP.

I have travelled with all of mine as tinies as we lived overseas and had them here.

Passport - you have to be organised. Birth registered as soon as possible. I think you can take away a certificate on the day, even if the official one if posted. You need that on ethe day one.
Then get a photo (ha ha ha, this is the hardest bit! although they are flexible about newborns and open eyes etc)
You need a counter signatory who has known you for 2 years and can confirm this is a photo of your baby, they need to be a professional (ish)too.
Then send off passport application as soon as possible. Ours always came back quickly, and dh isn't British, so it was just on my passport. It was no problem. Passport back before they were 4 weeks old.

Where are you going?
Check now if you need a visa, or any health checks eg vaccination or malaria. If you do, to be honest, I wouldn't go.

I went by ferry with mine at 5 weeks, to stay in PIL house, and then flew with them back to Central Asia at 8 weeks, after their first jabs.

travelling with baby is both easy and hard. Easy in that you have a small rucksack for them with everything and it all fits, cause they are tiny, and they breast feed when they want and sleep a lot. We had ours in a sling and they were no trouble.
Hard because you yourself are very close to being post partum, and may still be uncomfortable sitting, and feeling a bit fragile. And if your baby is a screamer, 3 hours on a plane will be torture.
You will need to think about car seats to take with you, and also what the baby will sleep in, as although most hotels offer travel cots, these are not great with a newborn.

It is hard work sleeping in a place where the person in the room next door may be woken by your baby (eg when we were at PILs house) and it is hard work trying to get used to being a mum in front of other people, especially if you are trying to get breastfeeding, and it isn't going well.

You need some lines in the sand. These would be mine

1. withdraw from being a bridesmaid, and say you will be there if you possibly can, but cannot commit
2. make it clear that is she/he is not born before a certain date you will not be coming, I would not travel with under 5 weeks. (And remember we were living overseas and used to travel and very much able to take things in our stride, and had planned the travel, it was our choice)
3. Make it clear that if you have a C section, you won;t be coming.

But, with number 2 and 3, I could easily have done it as the birth was easy and the baby easy. Number 1 was much harder as I couldn't walk for weeks, and he was my first.

If you can't go, skype her on the morning, tell her you love her, sorry not to be there and have a great day etc etc

above all, don;t feel bad if you decide it is all too much and you can't do it.

sorry, that was too long

@steppemum that is such great advice, thank you.

Where is the wedding? Do you need to fly or could you drive/train?

First babies normally come around 41 weeks and some later. DD and I were in hospital until she was nearly two weeks as I was very ill.

You will need to factor in getting a passport and is some places it is a wait for several weeks to registered the birth.

God no. Just from a purely vain pov I still looked six months pregnant, looked (and was) completely shattered and was still bleeding heavily. There's zero way I'd have wanted to get dressed up.

We couldn't get an appointment to register the birth for 4 weeks either so we probably wouldn't have even be able to travel.

I will be taking my dc away at 6 weeks old if they arrive on due date. We're going to visit family in Spain and I'm rather looking forward to having a nice break away as means DH can help out again as he only gets 2 weeks paternity.
It'll be fine :)