# Long haul flight at 28 weeks?



## thesmiths88

Has anyone flown long haul (10 hours) at 28 weeks? I have just got a BFP :happydance: but had already booked a holiday to Mexico (luxury all inclusive) in January.

Has anyone flown this far at 28 weeks? I'm really asking about comfort etc on the plane - I know I would have to have specialist travel insurance. My airline will take me up to the end of 28 weeks without a medical certificate, and after that up to 34 with one.

We are quite happy to cancel our holiday, but I just wondered if anyone had done this journey? 

Many thanks!


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## hondagirl

Hi hon, Im flying long haul ( to canada) at 25 weeks, Ive not had to get specialist insurance or fit to fly letter, im flying BA, some airlines are different. The cut off for hassle free flying is, unfortunatly, for you, 28 weeks, if you are over 28 weeks on your RETURN trip then you will have to get a fit to fly letter to prove you arent going to give birth on the plane, you may also have to get special insurance. Personally Im worried enough at the comfort factor without an extra 3-4 weeks to add on but its entirely personal choice. If you are well and babe is ok then no reason to cancel the trip.
x


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## thesmiths88

Thanks Hondagirl - according to my dates, I will be at the end of 28 weeks 1 day before I fly back, so I guess for completeness I should get a fitness to fly certificate, just in case!


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## sophxx

my friend flew back from australia at 6 months to england! she said it was awful they wouldnt let her sleep kept waking her up to walk around! and she suffered for a good few days when she got back! could you change the date of your hol?

i thnk its really up to you weather you feel comfy to fly xx


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## thesmiths88

sophxx said:


> my friend flew back from australia at 6 months to england! she said it was awful they wouldnt let her sleep kept waking her up to walk around! and she suffered for a good few days when she got back! could you change the date of your hol?
> 
> i thnk its really up to you weather you feel comfy to fly xx

Unfortunately not - my mother-in-law is coming to stay to look after the dog and other animals and can't do between now and Christmas, so it is January or not at all.


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## lucilou

hiya... I had the same scenario - got a BFP after booking a trip to the states!

We brought our trip forward so that the return trip was at about 27 and a half weeks, which meant I was ok on standard travel insurance.

We had a 2 stage flight - 6 hours, then a 3 hour stopover then a 7-ish hour flight. 

Your comfort really depends on you - how well you are and how big you are. I have been really well and I think I'm about average size/weight so I didn't have any problems. Make sure you take plenty of water on the plane with you - the frequency of the service on the flight wouldn't have been enough for me, I would have been parched!

You do need to be really super sure that you're covered by travel insurance though - we got them to put in writing that I would be specifically covered for PREGNANCY RELATED emergencies - otherwise you can end up with big bills because of technicalities or small print.

oh, and wear flight socks and move around as much as you can, as there is a slightly higher risk of DVT when pregnant.


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## lucilou

oh yeah, and be prepared for it to take at least twice as long as normal to get over the jet lag - I was a total zombie for nearly two weeks!


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## Bam

It never hurts to have a letter from the doctor/midwife saying you're ok to fly, even if you think you don't need one. While all airlines publicly and officially say they will let you fly at so many weeks, the individual gate attendants and such may say something all together different. If you have that piece of paper saying you're X weeks along and are in good health, then they can't say anything.

That said, I haven't flown while pregnant but I did just take a 4.5 hr car trip for a funeral. Keep in mind, I was only 24 weeks the day of the trip. Sitting for more than 30-45 minutes was terribly uncomfortable and my back suffered at the end of the trip. My doctor instructed me to stay well hydrated and to stop at least every 2 hours and walk for 15 minutes. Even with this, I still ended up with terrible edema in my feet. We've been back for 4 days and my right foot is just now going back to it's normal size and that's only after staying off of my feet as much as possible.

My advice would be to get up and walk the aisles as much as possible (make sure to have an aisle seat!) and drink drink drink water. Avoid cokes, coffee and tea as the caffeine will dehydrate you. They usually say to walk every hour but I would suggest every 1/2 hour. And wear compression travel socks! I think that was my mistake. I have some and just forgot to wear them on the trip.

But do have fun and if your feet still swell to the point of being uncomfortable, cabbage leaves work GREAT! Just take a few dark green leaves, bruise them a bit with a rolling pin or hammer, wrap them around your feet and hold them with an elastic bandage before bed and by morning the swelling will be down considerably.


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## nfm3

I'm 28 weeks 6 days right now. No way would I be able to do that now. There's nothing wrong with me--no complications. I've noticed the following:
1. I pee a lot and I move a little awkwardly. i couldn't imagine making my way down that tiny airplane aisle and doing my business as often as i do in that tiny restroom.
2. If i sit in one position for more than 30 minutes, my hip hurts. I couldn't imagine getting up for my hipssake that often.
3. i need to snack a lot and sometimes what i thought would be good when i was preparing it is not what i want when i sit down. There's no way i could plan ahead and have the kind of snacks that would work.
4. Sometimes i get hot flashes--all that sweating and dizziness would be hell on a plane especially since all i want to do is stretch out flat.
5. I generally am really enthusiastic about getting out and doing things, but i can't believe how quickly my energy fizzles out and I wish i was back home in bed.
6. If I overdo it I get these relentless Braxton Hicks contractions that are very uncomfortable and require me to drink loads of water and lay on my side for a good while to get rid of them. They are scary and ruin my fun loving mood.

You may be completely different at 28 weeks--but judging from the things we all complain about chances are you may have many of these issues. If you spent a pretty penny for a lovely holiday I would postpone it or moving it back to the beginning of your second trimester. I think you'd have a much better time.


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## thesmiths88

nfm3 said:


> I'm 28 weeks 6 days right now. No way would I be able to do that now. There's nothing wrong with me--no complications. I've noticed the following:
> 1. I pee a lot and I move a little awkwardly. i couldn't imagine making my way down that tiny airplane aisle and doing my business as often as i do in that tiny restroom.
> 2. If i sit in one position for more than 30 minutes, my hip hurts. I couldn't imagine getting up for my hipssake that often.
> 3. i need to snack a lot and sometimes what i thought would be good when i was preparing it is not what i want when i sit down. There's no way i could plan ahead and have the kind of snacks that would work.
> 4. Sometimes i get hot flashes--all that sweating and dizziness would be hell on a plane especially since all i want to do is stretch out flat.
> 5. I generally am really enthusiastic about getting out and doing things, but i can't believe how quickly my energy fizzles out and I wish i was back home in bed.
> 6. If I overdo it I get these relentless Braxton Hicks contractions that are very uncomfortable and require me to drink loads of water and lay on my side for a good while to get rid of them. They are scary and ruin my fun loving mood.
> 
> You may be completely different at 28 weeks--but judging from the things we all complain about chances are you may have many of these issues. If you spent a pretty penny for a lovely holiday I would postpone it or moving it back to the beginning of your second trimester. I think you'd have a much better time.

Thank you so much - that is exactly the kind of info I was after. I had pretty much decided not to go anyway, but that has swung it for me I think! It was an expensive holiday anyway so I'll save that money for the baby instead - thanks again.


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## MollyApple

thesmiths88 said:


> nfm3 said:
> 
> 
> I'm 28 weeks 6 days right now. No way would I be able to do that now. There's nothing wrong with me--no complications. I've noticed the following:
> 1. I pee a lot and I move a little awkwardly. i couldn't imagine making my way down that tiny airplane aisle and doing my business as often as i do in that tiny restroom.
> 2. If i sit in one position for more than 30 minutes, my hip hurts. I couldn't imagine getting up for my hipssake that often.
> 3. i need to snack a lot and sometimes what i thought would be good when i was preparing it is not what i want when i sit down. There's no way i could plan ahead and have the kind of snacks that would work.
> 4. Sometimes i get hot flashes--all that sweating and dizziness would be hell on a plane especially since all i want to do is stretch out flat.
> 5. I generally am really enthusiastic about getting out and doing things, but i can't believe how quickly my energy fizzles out and I wish i was back home in bed.
> 6. If I overdo it I get these relentless Braxton Hicks contractions that are very uncomfortable and require me to drink loads of water and lay on my side for a good while to get rid of them. They are scary and ruin my fun loving mood.
> 
> You may be completely different at 28 weeks--but judging from the things we all complain about chances are you may have many of these issues. If you spent a pretty penny for a lovely holiday I would postpone it or moving it back to the beginning of your second trimester. I think you'd have a much better time.
> 
> Thank you so much - that is exactly the kind of info I was after. I had pretty much decided not to go anyway, but that has swung it for me I think! It was an expensive holiday anyway so I'll save that money for the baby instead - thanks again.Click to expand...

Whilst there have been loads of great tips on here for flying at that stage I think you have to also think about how your holiday would be affected and really bear in mind the temperatures! I don't know how you feel now in he current mugginess but you might find it pretty unbearable in the heat at 6 months, you will be very dehydrated which is not good for baby and what is the point of all inclusive when you can't drink or eat what you like? Plus if you're big you're not really going to want to be on your feet much of the day or do trips etc. and I'd be worried about the level of healthcare if you had any problems/illness.

Its such a shame to miss out on your luxury holiday but I think you are just as excited about your "reason" for not going! You could always save up the money and book an even nicer holiday as a treat for you when LO is a year or so old (whether you decide to take baby or have some special time for you and your OH). And you could always take a cheaper shorthaul break if you still fancy getting away, I would have really loved one a tripette to Italy or France at around 6 months!

Happy pregnancy!


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## polaris

As others have said, it really depends on how you are at 28 weeks and you can't really predict that at this stage. I am at that stage now and I think that I would have been fine to go on holidays including the flights. But I am still feeling great, not really particularly tired, no indigestion/constipation, and my bump is still pretty small to the extent that I can quite easily hide the fact that I'm pregnant depending on what I wear. I do need to pee more than usual but it's not ridiculous. Since about 14 weeks, I've actually never felt better, so I guess that I am lucky! So if you are like me, you might regret cancelling the holiday. On the other hand, if you have some of the symptoms that the other ladies have described, you might have a miserable time and really suffer on the flight. So basically I think it is impossible really to predict at this stage.


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## nov_mum

We flew to the states from NZ last time I was pregnant and had 7 weeks there driving around on our planned road trip. I was there from 19 weeks til 26 weeks. I had no trouble flying and did not need specialist medical or travel insurance. We visited some very hot places like Arizona, Palm Springs and Las Vegas which were all about 44 degrees (we were there in July/Aug). we decided to skip Death valley as it was getting into the 50's and that would be insane pregnant or not. I just made sure I kept up my fluids. Getting up and moving around wasn't an issue of the plane or in the car as baby would kick me in the bladder if it was encroaching on his space so we had plenty of stops to the toilet. I found that I couldn't do the 6 hour shopping marathons and after 4 hrs on my feet I needed a rest other wise it was all fine. Don't cancel your trip, it could be your last for a wee while. 

Get a letter from your doc or midwife to be on the safe side, keep hydrated and be sensible. Have a fab trip. ohhhh and as I couldn't buy loads of clothes for myself (I did buy loads for baby) I spent money on having lovely pedicures and stuff which was divine.


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## sobersadie

Well i flew to tenerife at 26 + 4 and flew back at 28 + 4 and i was fine flying out but coming back i got a lot of swelling (which i never suffer from) and for 2 -3 days afterwards got terrible braxton hicks which i was a bit concerned were gonna turn into contractions! This is prob coz it was a tiny plane where i could barely get out my seat never mind do the 'walking about' every hour that they recommend (you may be on a bigger plane as its a long haul flight). While i was over there though i must say the heat didnt bother me at all and i just made sure i drank plenty of water and went in the pool to keep cool. I felt better those 2 weeks than i have at home for the last 30! If your airline are happy to let you fly then go for it! I took my notes with me but no one even asked how far i was or anything. Also you don;t have to get special travel insurance as they insurance companies arent allowed to discriminate or impose special restrictions as u are pregnant. the only thing they will say is that as long as your current and previous pregnancies have gone wihtout complications then you are covered.


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## kitty_kitty

I went to Cuba last year and i think it would have been too much for me being pregnant.

It was lovely really hot and i did get lots of bites. so i cannot imagine not being able to take tablets to deal with the bites etc and i would not have been able to do alot of the things i did there as well.

I am 28 weeks now and feeling fine but the heat does get too me and i get alkot more leg cramps and swelling when i am hot too


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## caz81

if i was you i would make sure you have a letter from the doctors, i flew this week from india to oman and had a lot of agrivation getting on the flight with people asking for a letter even though i was only 21 weeks


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