
Lifestyle
Travelling Tips By Car, Plane Or Ship
What are some tips for traveling by car?
During a car trip, make each day’s drive as short as possible. Wear your seat belt every time you ride in a car. Buckle the belt low on your hipbones, below your belly. Place the shoulder belt off to the side of your belly and across the center of your chest (between your breasts). Plan to make frequent stops so that you can move around and stretch your legs.
What are some tips for traveling by plane?
Keep your due date in mind when booking your flight. Complete your flight before you reach 36 weeks of pregnancy. Some domestic airlines restrict travel completely or require a medical certificate during the last month of pregnancy. For international flights, the cutoff point often is earlier, sometimes as early as 28 weeks. Check your airline’s policies when planning your trip.
Book an aisle seat so that you can get up and stretch your legs. Plan to do this every 2 hours or so. Avoid gas-producing foods and carbonated drinks before your flight. Gas expands in the low air pressure in airplane cabins and can cause discomfort. Wear your seatbelt at all times.
What are some tips for traveling by ship?
Make sure a doctor or nurse is on board the ship. Also make sure that your scheduled stops are places with modern medical facilities. Before you leave, ask your ob-gyn which medications are safe for you to take if you get seasickness.
A concern for cruise ship passengers is norovirus infection. Noroviruses are a group of viruses that can cause severe nausea and vomiting for 1–2 days. People easily can become infected by eating food, drinking liquids, or touching surfaces that are contaminated with the virus. Wash your hands frequently while on board the ship. If you have diarrhea and vomiting at the same time, seek medical care.
When should I seek emergency medical care when traveling?
Go to a hospital or call emergency medical services right away if you have any of the following:
• Vaginal bleeding
• Pelvic or abdominal pain or contractions
• Rupture of the membranes (your “water breaks”)
• Signs and symptoms of preeclampsia (headache that will not go away, seeing spots or other changes in eyesight, swelling of the face or hands)
• Severe vomiting or diarrhea
• Signs of DVT
Source:
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2017, April). Travel during pregnancy. Retrieved 19 September 2018 from https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Travel-During-Pregnancy.
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