would you go on holiday abroad at 32 weeks pregnant?

[shellybop]

Just canvassing opinions as we are SO undecided about whether to go abroad somewhere or not. The only week both myself and DH could take off together is then and we just can't decide what to do with it (it's in 3 weeks time!). Low risk pregnancy so far, with no problems/complications.

Opinions please (if you have time) - i'd be very grateful!

thanks

Is this ur first? I'm 33 weeks now with my first and am starting to get knackered and overheating a lot. I wouldn't fancy the journey much either.... Felt a lot better a few weeks ago.

yes this is my first. We really wanted to go away before i was 28 weeks but couldn't coordinate the annual leave with both our employers....Grrr. I suppose we would look at a short haul flight - spain? canaries? italy?.... definitely somewhere with good healthcare though, just in case.

Definitely definitely look really carefully at your travel insurance before you go -- some don't cover pregnancy, and if you give birth early some cover care for you but not the baby. There are some horrendously awful stories about women giving birth abroad by accident and then having to pay millions to cover the costs of birth and care for a prem baby.

Sorry, not trying to scare you, and I hope nothing like this happens to you! But do check.

I wouldn't have myself but then I had a very high risk pregnancy leading to a prem birth. If I had been low risk maybe I would.

I had however planned to go away at 29 weeks (the week DS actually was born) and managed not to go and get the insurance to cover me. So if you do it please make sure you are fully insured if you cancel for any pregnancy related reason. Given you are low risk I assume you can get cover, certificate to fly etc.

What does your midwife think? what's the plan for a holiday fly and flop very different from trekking

Remember to consider the airlines policies on carrying pregnant women. You may need a Drs note if they will take you at all. Have you considered going closer to home? At the moment I'd kill for a week on my sofa!

good advice re insurance - will check my policy as soon as i get home tonight and make sure bambino is covered as wellas me.

Midwife was not all that helpful and said 'it will probably all be fine, but i never know what to say in this situation'...but then said she was happy to write a letter for airline etc if we needed one.

plan would definitely be fly/flop/eat/sleep and probably dip in swimming pool occasionally. Not much else!

I went long haul at 26wks pregnant (1st baby) & was fine. I also would have been fine to go at 32wks. As long as you feel well, are going to be able to lounge around & take it easy whilst away & have checked out insurance I would go for it! Enjoy being able to relax with a book on hols for the last time for a while!

Yes I would - with good insurance and knowing where the local hospital is. Less journey the better.

thanks all for the the advice/opinions. I really want to go but just have a slight apprehension in case anything happens. I really appreciate your thoughts.

I would go in your position. Shorthaul - max 2 hours flight. Destination close to airport so no long transfers. Comfy accommodation with a pool. All nice and easy. And of course a hospital nearby for emergencies (which are unlikely). I've been to Africa at 32 weeks, and also European holidays at around 22 weeks. Sit in the shade, read, dip in the pool, eat nice food in the evenings, enjoy long lie-ins and afternoon naps. It'll be good for you!

You should definitely go away. I went away last week at 32 weeks to Ibiza (the posh part not the clubbing area) - which is really beautiful, fabulous beaches, great food and good temperature at the mo (consistently 26 degrees). The flight was also less than 2 hours - so not too uncomfortable.

I got a Dr note but the airline barely bothered with it - plus all the extra sleep that I got has meant that I came back fresh to do the last 6 weeks of pregnancy.

Definitely get good insurance though and remember to take your maternity notes!
Have fun!

I went to Florida at 30 weeks, came back at 33 weeks. I was fine the whole journey. Towards the end I was getting really tired, but when I came back I found my iron levels had taken a significant dip, which is why I felt so icky. However, because I have pretty bad PGP we took a wheelchair with us to Florida and I did almost no walking. I hope you have fun on your holiday! :D

Personally I would stay in the UK. Births from 32 weeks onwards are not that rare - there is a small but significant chance you could actually have to deliver due to premature labour or pre-eclampsia. As its a first pregnancy I would not take that risk - though I admit its very small and its therefore not unreasonable at all to travel abroad if that's what you really want to do and understand the possible risks.

Both you and the baby would be fine if that did happen I think (even abroad) but it could be an insurance nightmare. You'd be covered I think (but check your travel insurance first) but its possible not all the baby's costs would be (e.g. medical care but not repatriation if needed). I am pretty sure that EHIC cards wouldn't cover all this .... although they would cover most costs.

I realise this is very unlikely but there are lots of nice holidays in the UK, even if the weather is not so reliable ...

I went away week 31-33, it was a great break but only went to Greece and couldn't have hacked a longer flight than that - especially with toddler in tow!

Having said that you need to sort insurance, there was a thread on here a while back with the name of a specialist insurer who will cover you. My policy thru insure and go only totally covered me until 33 weeks, literally the day I flew back, beyond that the cover was reduced and would it cover problems not if I just went into labour. But I guess the e111 would have kicked in.

So I'd say go and enjoy the break just get a top policy to cover you, think mine only cost about £30 for two weeks. Oh and stay somewhere lovely!

As previous posters have said, make sure you have both an EHIC card and suitable insurance. Be aware that even if a policy says it covers pregnancy complications, it probably doesn't cover the birth or care of the baby afterwards (standard travel insurance only covers unexpected events and a birth is not considered an unexpected event, even if it is premature).

i'm off to italy tomo - 30-31wks and i feel fine about going. It depends how you feel i suppose - i am not tired and still have quite a bit of energy. Had no complications etc. So go if you feel like it!

Altho thanks to this thread i have just realised i have forgotten to book holiday insurance

No way. But then I had my DS1 at 28 weeks. I am now 34 weeks and won't even go to the corner shop unaccompanied 'just in case' so I'm probably not the best person to ask!

I'm going to Brittany at 33 weeks, all being well. But be warned - ferry wouldn't have me so I'm taking Eurostar + TGV with cab ride between both. This will be tough, I know, as it's just me and DD (3) but I have done it twice before, each time carrying her and rucksack and taking the metro between Gares du Nord and Montparnasse. We're going first class on all but the final leg and she'll always have her own seat.

My anxiety about handling the trip is allayed (I think) by the fact that I'll be joining good friends in Brittany and won't have to do anything much while there - full board, right next to beach, lots of families. Insurance will probably be tricky but the EHIC entitles me to emergency care. That said, I'll cancel if it all feels too much by then. This pregnancy, while not really problematic, has been tougher than the first. Hope this helps.

I went away at 32 weeks with my first pregnancy and had a really enjoyable time. A friend was getting married in Latvia so we flew out to Riga when I was 31+5. I had a doctor's note, which was no problem to obtain (low risk pregnancy) and made sure I had the right insurance arranged with specific cover (I didn't rely on our annual policy).

We decided not to fly back and got a cruise ship from Riga to Stockholm, then a sleeper from Stockholm to Copenhagen, then various trains across Denmark and then an overnight ferry from Esjberg to Harwich. TBH, a short haul flight would have been much lower risk for a 32 weeks pregnant woman than our traipse around Scandinavia but we really really enjoyed it and I didn't find it tiring or too much. I can honestly say that my pregnancy wasn't impacted at all. And DH and I have wonderful memories of our last little jaunt together before our first DC.

Consult your doctor for advice, check with the airline, get the right insurance and then go for it. You won't regret it.

Can I just post a warning for anyone reading this and going long haul that the Middle Eastern airlines are really funny about flying pregnant women.

I live in Qatar and Qatar Airways in particular make life hard for pregnant women, even with a doctor's certificate. 28 weeks is their limit, but I have heard of them turning people away before that.

You could get on OK at LHR and then have trouble with your connecting flight at Doha.

I believe that Etihad and Emirates, whilst being slightly more open-minded, can also be tricky to deal with in the third trimester. Make sure you have a doctor's certificate and be prepared for a battle.

I went at 32 weeks during my first pregnancy - a 4-5 hour flight away. I had no other DC to take care of, and really loved the break and the sun.

5 years later I still look back on that holiday fondly - it was a lovely relaxing break before motherhood ensued. I took a doctors note for the flight (low-risk, no issues).

I have subsequently flown abroad at around 24 weeks for 2nd and 3rd pgs, and so far so good.

Take some DVD socks with you, and make sure you drink lots of water on the flight.

Last time I went away at 30/31 weeks. I had terrible SPD and it was probably at its worst at that stage which meant the 4 hour flight was horrendous. I don't know what it's like to be pg without SPD so I'm not really sure how it'd feel to for you. You ideally need to be moving about lots and wearing flight socks, but our flight one way involved lots of turbulence so I couldn't get up even once. I'd take a pillow or something onboard to keep you comfy.

We went to an all inclusive hotel and we were glad we did as I was incapable of walking very far outside the hotel at all. I also got very tired but that was fine as it just meant I slept on the sunbed a lot and went inside in the hottest part of the day for a nap or to read or whatever.

In terms of insurance etc, I chose travel insurance with plenty of cover for later stages of pregnancy, checked with the airline, then got a letter from the doctor saying I was fit to fly. I wasn't asked for anything on the flight out but did get asked for the letter on the way back which was fine.

Can I also say that despite my SPD issues I'm very glad we went away then and it was a relaxing week that we both really needed at that stage.

thanks again to everyone for the replies. It's a really hard call, but i'm reassured that so many of you have done it and all was well (although i know every pregnancy is different and you 'never can tell').

I think if we do go i will try and find that specialist insurer- thanks for the tip monkeypuzzeltree. I'll show this thread to dh and see what he reckons too.

We may leave it to the last-ish minute to book (allowing time for getting a doctors noted etc) to make sure i'm ok until then, and have a back up UK based plan.