The world has been under lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic for almost two years now. But as things are getting back to normal, so is travel. People are more keen to travel now due to the frustration of being stranded at home due to the pandemic. Women also want to travel during pregnancy, and why not?
Travelling during pregnancy is the most common query among women who are expecting. And the good news is that pregnant women can travel but with few restrictions and only if there are no high risk factors.
Safe travel during pregnancy
The safest time to travel is mid-pregnancy, which is between 14 to 28 weeks of pregnancy. During this time, your morning sickness is relieved, energy levels are back to normal.
In the first quarter of your pregnancy, morning sickness is at its peak and due to jerks there are increased chances of abortion. The pregnancy in the first three months is at a very critical stage. On the other hand, during the last three months, the weight of the pregnancy, and the swelling and pain in the foot, makes you uncomfortable to move about. Also, due to the jerks, you might set into early labour.
The most important thing is to visit your gynecologist before your travel plan. Your gynaecologist will evaluate if there are any contraindications to your travel and will also update your vaccination status . Learn from the expert about the symptoms you need to watch during travel .
Whether you are travelling by air or by car, it is very important to understand the symptoms you need to watch. These will raise the alarm for you to take local hospital support.
Symptoms to watch out for while you travel during pregnancy:
Pain in abdomen which radiates to the back and legs
Sudden vaginal bleeding
Leaking of water
Constant and nagging headache
Blurring of vision or black spots in front of eyes. This can signal increased blood pressure
Swelling of hands and feet
Sudden pain, swelling or redness in one leg. This could be a sign of clot formation in legs. Sudden clot formation in the legs is a complication of long travel when you do not move about and sit for a long time. Not every pregnant woman is prone to it, but the chances are more if you are obese, have hypertension or diabetes, have multiple pregnancies, or have had a history of clot formation.
This complication can be prevented by keeping yourself hydrated, moving about for 5 minutes after every hour, wearing loose fitting clothes along with knee length stockings which can prevent the stagnation of blood in the legs. If you are at a higher risk of clot formation, your doctor may prescribe you heparin injections before and after travel.
Vaccinations that you must get before you travel during pregnancy:
You should have taken 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccination irrespective of the destination
Flu vaccine should also be taken if you are travelling to a destination where weather can induce flu
If you are not immunised with yellow fever vaccine, avoid travelling to South East Asia and African countries
Avoid travelling to areas prone to malaria, dengue or Zika virus. If you cannot avoid travel to these areas, wear full clothing and use EPA-registered bug spray with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol.