Can you fly when you're pregnant?

[Toastingthebun]

Is it okay to fly on a plane when you're pregnant? I have to go to Italy for my friend's wedding (I'm a bridesmaid) in July, by which point I have calculated that I will be 29 weeks pregnant!

Thoughts?

The usual advice is that second trimester is ok if your pregnancy is going normally.

Check with your midwife on the health aspects, but you need to check with your travel insurer for their requirements: they may have time limits e.g. not after 34- 36 weeks. Also check with airline. Both may need a "fit to fly" certificate from your gp or midwife.

Congrats on your pregnancy by the way!

Yes it’s fine. People do it all the time!

After 28 weeks you will need your midwife to sign off that your pregnancy is low risk and you are fit to fly. This is for the airlines and insurance.

You will need to be careful to choose insurance company which will cover your baby should they arrive early. Most insurance policies will only cover you.

Get good insurance that would cover the costs of hotels etc for you if you did go into premature labour and have the baby. This happened to a couple last year in Italy I think. The medical bills were taken care of under the ehic (check whether yours would be after Brexit) but paying out of pocket for hotels etc was a real issue for them. They had to stay there until the baby's due date IIRC.

Oh wow yikes thanks for the advice!

Hopefully should all be okay, will look carefully at the insurance as you say.

I've told the bride I'm pregnant and will need a maternity bridesmaid dress but I think she'd be bummed if I couldn't come!

I'm currently in the canaries and there are quite a few heavily pregnant people here - it wasn't for me but I'd had many miscarriages so I did literally nothing

I am 25 weeks today and have just done a 24 hour journey involving two long flights. Will be doing the return leg at 25+5. Then will do it all again at 33+4 but without the return. I have flown throughout this pregnancy - mostly long haul at around weeks 5, 10, 15-17 and short haul at something like week 12. I have been fine. Flight socks, comfy maternity leggings and baggy dresses, loads of water and walking around during the flights. Always had my up to date doctor's letter and was sometimes asked for it. My bridesmaid was pregnant when I got married. She must have been about 6 months gone. She flew long haul for our wedding and was fine. That said, we all have to make the right choices for ourselves and be prepared to change the plan if needed.