“Can I travel when I am six months pregnant?” This question is a very commonly asked one by expecting mothers, especially by women who have work that requires travel or want to plan a vacation with their family.
Each pregnancy differs a little bit from the other. What can be okay for one pregnant woman might cause a risk for another woman’s unborn child. Usually people err on the safe side by avoiding travelling when they are six or more months pregnant.
However, that does not mean that if you do travel when you are six months pregnant, you will be causing harm to your child. Also keep in mind that the method used in travelling and distance you are going will also affect the amount of risk there is to your baby.
Development of the baby
When you reach six months of being pregnant, your child is almost fully developed. It has most of its organs already fully there, it has muscles as well as eyes, ears and all the other features of a newborn baby’s face. However the muscle is not at its full strength at that moment. Although all organs are somewhat developed in your baby, there is still risk that the lungs have not developed to their fullest. Babies at this stage will respond to noise around them because they can hear what happens around them. When you read more about your baby position on 25 week of pregnancy, you have more of an understanding on whether the travelling you will be doing will be bad for your unborn child or not.
Travelling details
Knowing the exact details of your travelling schedule will also help determine whether it is safe for your child or not. Short flights are not considered as dangerous as long ones. That is because the time of the flight will determine how long your baby is going to be exposed to the pressure of high altitude. It might cause early labor which is not good for either the mother or the baby. It is important to avoid any unnecessary stress, whether physically or emotionally. Being comfortable if you are travelling is a good way to ensure that you do not face the risks of complications.
Complications or concerns.
If there are no concerns or complications told to you by your doctor, then it is safe for you to be travelling while pregnant and you do not have to worry about it. However, make sure to take advice on whether travelling will harm your baby or you in any way to ensure that you are safe. If you do have any complications, it is advised that you do not travel especially in the sixth month or after that. If you have no choice but to travel, schedule your OB/GYN visit, make sure that the airline you are travelling with is aware of your complications so that if any incident occurs, you are not in risk of serious harm to you or your child.
The safest time to travel when pregnant
If you are pregnant and want/need to travel somewhere, the best time to be doing so is the third to the beginning of the sixth month. This is called the second trimester of your pregnancy. At that time of your pregnancy the risk of having a miscarriage decreases exponentially unlike in the first three months of the pregnancy. If you are going to be travelling when you are six months pregnant make sure to clear it with your doctor first so that you are not worried about any contingencies.
