Flying long haul at 7 months?

[lydiangel83]

Hi all

I had received a little extra cash from a bereaved relative and suggested to DH we spend it on an all-inclusive deal to Mauritius for a week. The only dates we can go would mean I will be just over 7 months pregnant.

He isn't keen on flight length and also medical care over there. I see his point but want an adventure that we won't have again for a long long time!

Just wondered if anyone had any similar experiences or advice they could share?

Many thanks!

I'm not sure you can fly long haul at 7 months. I would suggest seeing if you can get travel insurance before you part with any cash. Also check out the airline websites to see if they have rules.

My last long haul was at 26 weeks - beyond that the airline required fit to fly approval from my midwife. If you haven't already I'd look into the requirements of the airline and the insurance company before making your decision. Your DHs point about availability of medical assistance in the unlikely event of an emergency is a good one.

I'd look into travel insurance - I had to get it when I went to the Middle East at 26 weeks. It was pricey and would be more so later in pregnancy.

Can't you go somewhere fantastic in the UK - amazing hotel etc.

If you do go ahead with a trip, like others said get your travel insurance absolutely well sorted. That's not a place to pinch pennies at this point. Also, you will probably find most travel insurance will cover you and DH but not baby.
If you go into labour early/something happens and you are stuck with a premature baby waiting to fly home you need to make sure you can add baby to your insurance.

It's not worth the risk to not be prepared.

Hey there. I'm hopping on this thread because I might have to fly long haul (UK to US) around 29 weeks due to a family emergency. I'm pretty nervous about the prospect.

I was 7 months pregnant last summer, and an average British summer was too warm. I felt huge, sweaty, my centre of gravity was all-wrong, I needed a wee every 45 seconds.

Even if you can get a Fit To Fly from your mw, you might be over estimating your enthusiasm for the holiday.

The private medical care in Mauritius is actually quite good so I wouldn't be overly concerned from that POV. However, what I would consider is how would you feel if you had a preterm baby out there requiring a NICU or SCBU stay? You could end up out there for a couple of months. Travel insurance generally covers you but not the baby if they're born early, so this could cost you tens of thousands of pounds. You can get specialist travel insurance however this costs hundreds of pounds. I think if it were me and I was going out of Europe after 6 months or so I would want this reassurance.

I should add: I had a healthy, low risk pregnancy, am put on an average amount of weight. I don't think I was an edge-case in how rubbish I felt travelling in the heat.

Specifically I would want the travel insurance to include air ambulance repatriation of me and the baby (if medically possible). Even though Mauritius is fabulous it would be awful to be stuck there with a prem baby in hospital and no family support.

Sounds like a terrible idea to me.

I flew Manchester-Cape Town when I was 30/31 weeks last year and started an identical thread to this
which also included all the usual scaremongering The trip was totally fine.

You'll need a fit to fly letter from your GP, my midwife couldn't do one so prepare this in advance. Travel insurance wasn't expensive as pregnancy isn't a pre-existing condition. Think I went with Insure and go. You'll need to check with your airline what their policy is for pregnant women but I think most will let you fly long haul up to 34 weeks.

Get flight socks and drink loads of water on the flight and walk around every hour. I had a great holiday and was so happy I went as it was lovely having that time with dp before dd came along. For what it's worth, we are here again right now with 10 mo dd and holidays or relaxing movie/nap filled long haul flights aren't the same with a baby in tow 😂

If you've had an uncomplicated pregnancy and your mw and gp are ok with it, I would go in a heartbeat. Enjoy your last baby free soirée

I'm due to fly long haul (8.5 hrs) for work when I'll be 28-29 weeks. Spoke with my midwife about it yesterday and she said it's no problem (I'm low risk) provided I wear flight socks, drink plenty of water and walk around every hour. My airline (BA) requires a fit to fly letter from 28 weeks, so I'll bring one with me. As others have said, you'll want to ensure that your travel insurance covers all relevant risks.

Enjoy!

Chances are you'll be fine but for me, id still rather not be one of the unlucky few who give birth prematurely abroad and are then stuck overseas for an extended period, relying on insurance to help my baby get the care it needed - taking the chance just for the sake of a holiday just doesn't seem worth it to me at such a late stage of pregnancy (and I'd say I'm normally pretty relaxed about not being precious in pregnancy)

Life and adventures don't stop with a baby, I travelled a lot in my DSs first year

I've just flown at 24 weeks (4 hour flight) and I was very uncomfortable, I enjoyed the tine away but I would 100% have enjoyed it even more if I wasn't pregnant. Why don't you wait until you've had the baby and it would be a lovely first family holiday for you all.

Hi all I'll actually be 32 weeks when travelling to Italy (have scrapped Mauritius idea) and struggling to find travel insurance that will cover beyond 28 or 32 wks. Any ideas / recommendations please?!

Try medibroker and see if they can find a company. I suspect you will struggle greatly if you will be past 32 weeks when you return however.