The third trimester is the home stretch for every pregnant woman out there, and while you are supposed to be taking it easy, sometimes you do not have a choice but to keep going! Traveling while pregnant comes with its challenges. When it comes to flying while pregnant, there are different thoughts as to whether or not it is safe to do it during your third trimester. Only you and your doctor will know if it is something that you can do, so you might need to do a little research before you hop onto that flight. We already talked about safe flying in the first trimester as well as how to travel safely in the second trimester. We also hope you have gotten a chance to take a babymoon while pregnant or at least a spa vacation as you will need that relaxation before the baby comes. So if the baby is almost here and heading to an airport, here are 9 tips for safe flying in the third trimester:
1. Check with Your Airline First
Every single airline has their own policy of how far along they will let a woman fly during her pregnancy. There is nothing worse than showing up at the airport, thirty weeks pregnant, and finding out that the airline you are supposed to be going on will only let women fly up to twenty-nine weeks! Some airlines have forgone this in recent years, but it doesn’t hurt to check!
2. Always Get a Doctor’s Note
Since you need to check with your doctor to see if you can fly during your third trimester, you can easily get a doctor’s note that states that you are healthy enough to fly safely.
This note will ensure that all the airline employees will know that you can get on the airplane and go to where you want to without any problems.
3. Choose Your Destination Wisely
At this point in your pregnancy, you may or may not want to spend eight or twelve hours on an airplane for numerous reasons. While you may choose your destination according to those restrictions, you should also choose places that you wouldn’t mind delivering a baby in. After all, Timbuktu might not seem as appealing as it once did if you go into labor and the nearest hospital is one hundred miles away!
4. Dress Comfortably and Wear Compression Stockings
When you are in your third trimester, you are going to feel like you are wearing a potato sack, even if you have the most gorgeous gown on! Therefore, choose the clothes that you wear on the plane with comfort in mind instead of style.
No, you might not be the best dressed person on the plane, but you will be the one who isn’t squirming around trying to rearrange their clothing! Oh, and compression stockings can and will save your life, literally! Wear them for every flight and you shouldn’t have to worry about your legs swelling or getting blood clots.
5. Bring Snacks and a Water Bottle
You may not feel like you have much room in your stomach at this point, but you still need to eat! While you may be tempted to forgo the snacks and rely on airport food, that will not be much help when you are thousands of feet up in the air and suddenly starving. Take a few snacks with you and cave when you are in the airport and get a hankering for a nice juicy burger and some fries. As for drinks, I know you can’t take them through security, but you can take an empty water bottle to fill up. If you don’t want to deal with that, then purchase a couple bottles of water before you board the plane.
6. Get Some Exercise
The worst thing that you can do when you are flying is sit down the entire time. You may not be able to stand up much when you are on the airplane, but you can still move your legs when you are sitting.
During layovers, and the time before your first flight, you should walk around as much as possible to keep your blood flowing. This may also cause you to feel a little tired, which could help you take a little nap when you are up in the air.
7. Choose an Aisle Seat
You are going to be very tempted to choose that window seat on an airplane, thinking that it will give you a little extra room. However, think of how many times you are going to need to interrupt the people sitting next to you every single time that you need to use the bathroom. Your best option is going to be the aisle seat, because it will let you stand up when you need to, and you can easily make the trek to the restroom without bothering anyone else.
8. Try to Book a Direct Flight
A direct flight will have you in your destination much faster than any of the others, which means less time in airports for you.
This can be wonderful news, especially when you are in your third trimester, because you won’t need to worry about all the stress that comes with the possibility of missing your connecting flight.
9. Wear Shoes that Are Easy to Slip Off
Once you board the airplane, you know that you are going to be on it for quite some time. Comfort is going to be a major issue, so while you might be prepared with comfortable clothing, you might not think that way in terms of shoes. Well, I am going to tell you that your shoe choice is just as important as what you choose to wear. I urge you to wear shoes that you can easily slip on and off, because your feet will feel much more comfortable during your flight.
These nine tips will have you safely flying anywhere that you desire during your third trimester, so take to those friendly skies and explore while you can as your next step will be learning how to fly with newborns, breastfeeding and traveling, or traveling with kids!
