Would you travel to a wedding in France at 29 weeks pregnant?

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We have been invited to a friends wedding in France in August. I was really looking forward to it but assume I won't be able to go as I'll be 29 weeks pregnant?

This is my first pregnancy so I'm not sure how I will feel at that stage. I would appreciate some advice (knowing that I may have to cancel at short notice regardless, if anything isn't going well).

Yes

Definitely! As long as just a typical pregnancy, I went to Portugal at 34 weeks with my first and other than being more tired than normal it was lovely

Why wouldn't you think you could go? Fear of going into labour while you are there? Or something else?

People usually feel ok in their final trimester, just a bit tired from being bigger.

Yes. We can access state healthcare there with the GHIC at reduced cost and the costs are relatively cheap if anything were to happen. They’re a safe, high income country and not far from the UK if you need repatriation - you can even drive if you don’t want to fly.

I don’t see why you wouldn’t.

No reason not to if you are fit and well. My friend just travelled to oz at 29 weeks back at 32. All fine

At 29 weeks you should be fine. You will need to be seated more often and have a few rests but most people aren’t massive and uncomfortable at that point. The travel restrictions aren’t for a good number of weeks yet and past a certain number you need a doctors note to confirm for to fly.

Everyone is different and every pregnancy is different so no one can tell how u personally will feel.

By train may be possible.

Yes. I went to Disneyland Paris at around 29 weeks with my second. Walked for miles!

29 weeks is still early enough along you're vanishingly unlikely to have any problems. If you did French healthcare is great. And you should still be not so huge that you can stand up for stretches of time.

I'd go!

I wouldn't. I gave birth very early and wouldn't therefore take the risk. But it's a personal decision.

But 29 weeks is so so so early on.

I think anything past 35 weeks maybe I'd say stay put.

I was 30 weeks. Very stressed, although they said that wasn't a factor.

My sister had a premie at 26 weeks, I think that's what scares me, and having never done it I don't know if it'll be hard to move about at that size. Train not viable due to relative locations of home and wedding, so it would be flight.

Yes - I went away around that time. I also got overtaken on my Sunday morning run by someone 29 weeks pregnant last week 😂

Mais non

I went to Disney at 28 weeks last year. The French love pregnant women, I got to queue jump for all the rides, and even the supermarket had a pregnancy priority checkout.

Yes

If the pregnancy is normal with no serious health worries, and you had adequate insurance then why not? Going into labour in France would be very unlikely and even if you did, the hospitals would be excellent, so no worries there. Go and enjoy it.

Can you drive there? You’re not going to be huge at 29 weeks.

Yes, but get good travel insurance, don’t rely only on the GHIC card. I couldn’t travel after the 20 week scan as I couldn’t be more than 15 minutes from a hospital — not common but you’ll want to be able to reclaim your costs if it happens.

Unless there were any particular concerns about the pregnancy, I would go. In the unlikely event of you going into premature labour, they have hospitals in France, which are probably better then NHS ones here. They'll be some extra paperwork if you need to travel back with baby, but no big deal. In all liklihood, you'll go, have a lovely time, then come back to another 2 months of pregnancy.

French pregnancy care is much much better than in the uk. I had both my babies there (planned, not on holiday) and got loads of monitoring, scans etc; 4 days in hospital when they were born and then loads of after-birth support including physio to help with pelvic floor etc. This is just for a very normal, textbook pregnancy.

And they’re great with anything like jaundice or tongue tie etc because you’re in hospital for longer so things get fixed before you get discharged.

If I got pregnant again Id aim to be in France from about 35 weeks onwards!!!!

Can you fly at 29 weeks?

Someone in my NCT group gave birth slightly prematurely and was (coincidentally!) in the south of France at the time! It was obviously inconvenient as they needed to stay there for several weeks, but in terms of care and the baby’s health everything was thankfully tip-top.

Yes, I'm sure. I used to work in France and I visited a friend in hospital there. It was luxurious compared to here, and her doctor was very handsome. Doesn't mean I'd be happy to unexpectedly go into labour away from home though.

But all this is by-the-by - I don't want to scare a first-time mum. She's looking for opinions and the majority say she'll be fine to travel, and she'll be home in plenty of time, and odds on she will be.