business trip at 32weeks - thoughts please!

[GirlSailor]

Just wondering what everyone's feelings on this are as it's my first baby so I don't know how I'm going to be when the time comes. My boss has asked me to go to Asia on a week-long business trip when I will be 32 weeks pregnant and I need to either say yes or send a colleague. I haven't had any complications so if it continues like this I would be able to get a doctor's note clearing me to fly, I just don't know how I'll feel about a long flight and jet lag by that time, and obviously the most important thing is the safety of the baby should anything happen.

32 weeks is often the cut off for flying whether you are fit or not, so you'd need to check the rules of the airline.

36 weeks is the cut off generally. I flew to HK in my second pregnancy and Berlin in my 3rd both in the 36th week and was fine. Virgin and BA. Depends on how you feel though! You need a fit to fly note from your doctor.

It should be OK but do you want to go? How do you feel?
Also if you do go check your employers insurance covers everything including premature birth. A lot of insurers cover pregnancy but not early birth.
I'd also check, depending on where in Asia what the healthcare is like, if you need vaccinations etc. I'm guessing as its a business trip its probably a big city with hospitals

I'd be flying on an airline that requires a doctor's note after 32 weeks and is happy with pregnant passengers up to 36 weeks. I would be fine to do it now, but it's over 2 months away so I don't know how I'll feel then so good to hear you were fine Totty.

If I say yes and then can't go it will be a pain to change the name on the ticket, so it would be better to send a colleague.

I travel a lot to the Far East and about to switch to US, currently 16 weeks with DC2 and think by 32 weeks I really wouldn't want to go.

It was the time I started feeling really quite big and long haul flights aren't great anyway. So I would say no. Having said that I appreciate that sometimes with work you have to do stuff. So it depends how important it is.

It's 2 months away. And that's quite a long time pregnancy wise. You might be wonderfully fit and healthy and there's no reason to believe you won't be. On the other hand, complications can develop. Is it really worth putting that extra pressure on yourself at this time? I'd let someone else go. Any decent manager will understand, you've got enough to think about.

I've flown a lot with work but luckily not had to do long haul heavily pregnant. Would you get business class? That would make a huge difference, I wouldn't do it in economy. I think it's likely you will find it exhausting and not much fun, but if your pg has no complications then likely safe

It was around that time that I started to get swollen feet, plus she was throwing herself into weird positions which made me really uncomfortable and would have made flying a no no. Personally I wouldn't.

Two months is a long time for things to change so I'd say no because it would be hard to cancel later on.

If you do decide to go, make sure you will be insured in case you do need medical attention while you're there.

I'd be very wary, probably because DD1 arrived at 33 weeks, very unexpectedly, and the thought of being abroad, away from DH, for the birth and potentially for several weeks after gives me the fear. I had a straightforward problem free pregnancy, and no reason was found for the premature birth, but I was working until the day before, and by that time was big, tired and uncomfortably warm, so I agree with PP about being uncomfortable on a long haul flight too.

I'm 31 weeks and up until two weeks ago was having the perfect textbook pregnancy- no real symptoms, tiredness etc I've since been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and trying to control it via diet is a bit of a mare(having to follow a fairly strict low GI/sugar free diet). I'd hate to be away from home and unable to cook my own controlled meals. I'm also full of cold and can't take anything so would be miserable away from home!

Thanks everyone. The first thing I said to them was that another colleague should be offered the chance as then there won't be any worries about me having to pull out later, or additional insurance from the standard cover. I hope they will agree as then there won't be a decision. I think I could work around being uncomfortable, but it's the worry of being somewhere I can only say a few phrases if anything went wrong that puts me off. Also being able to find food that doesn't have any pregnancy forbidden items. It wouldn't be my first time on this sort of trip, so also feel another colleague might appreciate the chance.

Our work's travel insurance would not cover you. We discovered this when a colleague wanted to travel at 26 weeks. She would have been covered but the baby would not.

I work for a huge conglomerate so suspect this level of cover is normal.

Assuming you are going somewhere with good healthcare, and you have good insurance, don't think it's a definite no. However I would have hated long haul flight at that stage- business class would have probably been ok tho.
Bear in mind that at that stage you could be prone to getting very tired and jet lag would probably make it worse.

It's the insurance that would worry me, as 32 weeks is late to get full cover insurance.

Also how would you feel if you went into early labour, and the baby was born there... Even if your insurance covered it, you've be having to sort passports etc for baby, without any family help...

Personally I wouldn't go to France alone, let alone Asia at 32 weeks...

Up until about a month ago I was having a very easy pregnancy. However, I then got a cold which turned into a virus & last week (at 32 weeks) was signed off work for four days with high blood pressure. I still feel exhausted now and there is no way I would be able to go on a work trip now. In a very roundabout way I guess I am saying that two months is a long time away & you don't want to find yourself in a position where you are signed up for a trip away that you don't think you'll be up to taking...

Unless it's very important to your career I'd probably give it a miss - it sounds like if you commit then you can't back out later, and like you say, you don't know how you'll feel. That's a very reasonable answer to your boss imo

I am on holiday at the moment at 30 weeks and didn't find the travelling to be a problem at all, however I have been very lucky to have an easy pregnancy so far. Hard to say how you will feel as not everybody feels so good! My flight was 4.5 hours with an extra 2 hours sat on the runway due to a delay and then hanging around and a 1.5 hour boat trip so a substantial-ish journey.

Oh yes and as others have said - check out the insurance. I have private health insurance which covers me for maternity related costs but our normal travel insurance specifically says pregnancy not covered.