Flying While Pregnant

Flying While Pregnant, or with kids

Traveling has become more common as families move further away. One common question is rather its safe for pregnant woman to fly? Many people have confusing information on rather its safe for a pregnant woman to fly. The answer is "yes", it is generally safe for pregnant woman to fly with some few exceptions. Generally, woman who are having a normal healthy pregnancy are free to travel as they wish. But, most gynecologist recommends most woman don't travel by air after their 36th week of pregnancy. In addition, some airlines might have their own restrictions on pregnant woman traveling. Some of the safety concerns woman have when traveling maybe about risk of miscarriage, or radiation exposure. There are 24 known areas that are responsible for miscarriage & flying is not one of them. Smoking & drinking will increase your risk of miscarriage, but not flying.

Furthermore, radiation exposure is also not a safety factor. The exposure is too small to have an impact. It is well known when you fly for multiple long periods to have increase chances of circulation problems that could lead to a developing blood clot. Somethings you could do to prevent a clot is to wear comfortable loose clothing, avoid crossing your legs, and drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated. I think its also a good idea to get up at least once a hour to walk around & stretch. One thing important to know is that if your pregnant, you can't sit in an emergency exit row due to FAA regulations. Pregnant woman who have a fear of flying & take xanax may want to reconsider not taking it. The xanax drug does slightly increase your risk of birth defect. You should check with your health care provider before taking any prescription drugs.

Pregnant woman often wonder what if I go into labor? Well the airlines have a service they pay for called med link which is a medical center filled with doctors that man the phones 24/7 just for the airlines. They assist the airline crew with any medical problems. Also, 60% of the time their appear to be a doctor or nurse on most flights just traveling for leisure. One other thing that may come up is with mothers with kids or small infants. Most often infants & small kids ear drums are more sensitive to airplane pressure then adults. The pressure build up inside the ears could lead to a little discomfort. Try to pay attention to your infants reaction during the flight. You may also try light tapping of the outer ear to relieve the pressure. Otherwise, most of the times the pressure in the ears will eventually reside on its own.
Meanwhile, fasten your seatbelt, & enjoy your trip before your confined to baby duties.