Vacationing while pregnant can be a fear for many moms, but when you’re in the know and with a bit of forward planning, it needn’t be a worry!
When to Travel?
The best time to travel while pregnant is in your second trimester, so as you go through your pregnancy try and plan for a vacation around then. This is because you should be experiencing less nausea, morning sickness and fatigue and you have a decreased chance of miscarriage than in your first trimester.
During your third trimester you may be less mobile, have a large bump and have a higher chance of going into labor which means this isn’t the best time to go on vacation. If you have already booked a vacation which falls in your first or third trimester, don’t panic! It is safe to fly up to 36 weeks into your pregnancy. If you’re travelling in your third trimester, make sure you have travel insurance and check out where the nearest hospital is to your resort.
Where to Travel
Secondly, now isn’t the time for that three week hike around the Amazon rainforest! You should try and be practical when booking a vacation, you might feel fine now, but when you have a bigger bump and foreign food to deal with, you might feel differently. Try to go somewhere which will have knowledge of your native language or take a dictionary with you just in case you need to translate uncommonly used words such as ‘the baby is coming!’
You’ll also want to choose somewhere relaxing and comfortable and close to the beach/pool/where ever you’ll be spending most of your time! Check out the hotel/resort on other websites for reviews on how hygienic and clean it is. During your pregnancy you’ll need all the food to be washed thoroughly and cooked through not to mention immaculate and hygienic surroundings so read up on other people’s experiences of these.
If you’re going far away, try not to choose somewhere with a huge time difference. Four hours is the advised maximum while you’re pregnant. If you need any vaccinations, check with your midwife whether you can have them before your book your vacation, (some injections can be harmful to unborn babies.)
When You Get There
Now you’ve booked, jetted off and arrived at your destination, you’ll want to stock up on bottled water. All water has varying salt levels and if you suddenly start drinking foreign tap water you could become very ill.
Choose your meals carefully and don’t try anything if you don’t know what it is! You might want to take a list of foods you can’t have during pregnancy with you and translate the list into both languages beforehand so you can show the list to the restaurant owners.
Relaxing on the beach can be a lovely way to spend your pregnancy, the sun will make you feel more cheerful and you’re sure to forget all your stresses. Just make sure you don’t fall asleep exposed to the sun and always have sunscreen on. Try to stay out of the sun between 12pm and 4pm as it is very strong then. Going for a dip in the deep blue sea is fine as long as you stick to the shallows and don’t go in if there are big waves.
Also, if the water is very cold it’s advisable to stay out as cold water can cause contractions. Right, now you’ve chosen where you want to go and when you’re going to travel, translated all those important words, got your insurance, bought some bottled water then it’s time to go and find that perfect maternity bikini!
About the Author: This article is written by Rosanne Moulding from www.pregnancy.co.uk. Rosanne is interested in the options women who are pregnant have.