Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Flying at 7+ months pregnant
So I flew from DC to LA in May when just 3 months with no effect. I flew again at almost 6 months and while I needed a bit more time getting on the plane, it really was with no major effect. NOW I'm 7+ months and I flew from LA to Chicago with major effects.
Here are the effects to me:
1. People give you nasty looks when you board the plane first even with a very pregnant belly sticking way out.
2. I needed more than one pillow behind my back to give me support for the 4 hour flight. Plane seats give very little support.
3. The airline flight attendants were more than helpful to me and very generous with the water!
4. Need lots and lots of water for the flight.
5. One small briefcase and one small overnight bag are far too much to carry. I needed to stop when walking to the gate to catch my breath.
6. If facing GI issues during last trimester (every pregnant woman out there knows what I mean) the flight alleviated them about 1 hour after landing.
Here are the effects to the baby:
1. Back flips, punches, jabs, kicks, somersaults, and more jabs during take off and landing. Poor thing probably finally felt the pressure changes.
2. Remained active for most of flight (hopefully this will change when actually born) but finally settled down toward the end.
3. Stretched out as much as possible when I was walking from gate to taxi. Note: At Chicago Midway this means about 1/2 to 3/4 mile walk. It took me almost 15 minutes to get from gate to taxi. As a result my belly was rock hard for about three minutes post getting into cab.
Key takeaways:
1. I'm not flying again after Saturday until the baby is born (crazy kid just did a backflip as I write.) and mostly because I don't think the baby likes it.
2. I'm very happy my flight from DC to LA (5+ hours) is on Jet Blue. Bigger seats, friendly folks and more leg room.
One final note, this travel was approved by my OB-GYN. She felt that as long as I was comfortable with flying I could up to the point the airlines don't want me on the plane for fear I go into labor.
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