Positive pregnant holiday abroad stories please?

[glasshalffull0]

I'm flying to America 27w and back at 29w - the holiday has been booked since before we found out we were pregnant and we cannot change the holiday as it is a big family one and a lot has been booked for it.

I'm nervous about flying long haul that far along. Can anyone please reassure me with some positive flying stories?

Everyone I've spoken too (healthcare professionals and previous pregnant women) have told me it will be absolutely fine if a bit uncomfortable but it is playing on my mind every day! Thanks in advance

I traveled long haul at a similar point. It was absolutely fine! You might be a bit uncomfortable on the plane, I spent a lot of time standing in the aisle, but other than that it was a great trip.

My first piece of advice would be to make sure your travel health insurance covers every eventuality.

If medical professionals have okayed it then try to relax and enjoy!

Factor in having less energy perhaps and maybe being uncomfortable sitting for long periods. Be more vigilant about circulation when flying long haul, stay hydrated - are you alrrady on low dose aspirin?
Make sure you know where the nearest medical provider is and how you would get there if you were concerned about anything (and what your insurance company would expect you to do in terms of triage)

I did long haul at 29 weeks pregnant with my first (back at 31 weeks) and it was fine, albeit I had sciatica, which made sitting in an airline seat pretty miserable. If you are fit and well though, just take all the precautions. Take your maternity notes with you, get a letter from your doctor/midwife stating that you're safe to fly, wear compression stockings, keep really well hydrated, walk up and down every hour and wiggle your feet and lower legs about to keep your circulation going. If you can upgrade - do - any extra space is good. But above all, enjoy your final holiday (for a while) with just the two of you.

And this! Medical care in the US is very expensive, so make sure it covers you if you unexpectedly give birth there.

@PoppingTomorrow I asked my midwife if I would need any medication i.e. blood thinners for it and she said it isn't considered a risk factor in my trust (apparently they're really cautious around blood too clots which reassured me a bit) but I will mention it again when I see her in a couple of weeks

I travelled twice during pregnancy OP, to America at 16 weeks for 2 weeks. And Dubai at 27 weeks for 1 week both from London.

Both times were fine (I had a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy). I did wear flight socks, drank a LOT of water and got up to move around the plane almost hourly to minimise the risk of DVT. I probably wouldn’t have travelled much beyond that due to comfort more than anything else. Agree with the good travel insurance point though just incase.

It was nice to get away before the madness started!

make sure you have very comprehensive travel insurance. I’d get an aisle seat on plane so you can get up a lot. And wear the compression socks, and keep hydrated

You will need bullet proof travel insurance, if you end up having a premature birth in the USA and baby has to be in NICU for weeks it will cost about the same as a house if travel medical insurance doesn't cover it. Take your notes just in case, and I think you'll probably need a letter and a printout with confirmation of your return flights as the US might be weird about letting you in if you're visibly pregnant. Not sure if pregnancy is a question on the esta as well - have you completed that yet?