High Risk Pregnancy: to travel or not?

Question

My husband and I lost our first baby last May to a cord accident at 34 weeks. It had been a perfect pregnancy and the road of grief and TTC again has been really difficult. We are now 8w1d with our rainbow! Sonogram last week was great, I go back in next week. She will see me every two weeks with an ultrasound for the first trimester and then said we will come up with our second trimester plan, then third. We will induce at 38 weeks on October 20. It's terrifying because of our previous experience but of course we are so thankful for this new life.

My husband was given the chance to go to Germany and Austria for work in July and I am able to go with him. It would be a 10 day trip. At that point I would be 22 weeks along. That was the "sweet spot" time of my last pregnancy where I felt great and had tons of energy. We would also be there on the 1 year anniversary of our son's due date which though pregnant again, will be a tough milestone because our arms are still empty. My doctor said she is comfortable with that timeframe and just to move around plenty on the flight. The only other thing is just to know what I could and couldn't eat but otherwise, she gave me "permission" to go. With what we've been through, we have tried to not live in fear and live life fully, taking advantage of things that make us happy because we never know when it will all change.

I guess I'm just wanting others opinions on international travel during 2nd trimester. I am very torn with what to do - fear leading the charge to not go. Sometimes I wonder if my doctor is too lax, or if I'm just really paranoid and think I should be confined to a space I can reach my hospital at all times. Are there any other high risk pregnancies out there? What would you do and have your doctors given any insight to traveling (especially internationally)?

Sorry so long, thanks in advance!

Answer

Would you rather be away from your husband during this time? Germany is NOT 3rd world and they practice very modern medicine. You would likely regret not going. I would trust your instinct and go with what YOU are comfortable with.

Answer

Go! Germany has hospitals too.. If you were to need one. Don't live in fear! What will be will be. If your doctor says it's fine then listen to her

Answer

I'm not high risk but we've had previous losses. My Dr didn't want me in a flight longer than 5-6 hours. We are frequent travelers (for work and pleasure) so that was a tough pill for me to swallow but I just didn't want to take the risk, and my husband was 100% with the Dr on it. We are doing a baby moon at 20 wks to Vancouver/Whistler instead, which is under 3hrs flight time for us.

A few other things to keep in mind;

1) Make sure either your ins will give you emergency coverage abroad or that you are ensured another way with pregnancy. I know that when we touch down in Canada, I'm still able to go to a hospital there no problem.. not so everywhere and the bill can be through the roof, not to mention possible risk of not being seen.

2) Make sure you notify embassies in case of early labor abroad and emergency provisions in case of travel restrictions due to terrorism, weather, etc.

3) Don't do it if you have a history of smoking/2nd hand smoke or other blood clot risk factors.

4) Our Dr (who's the chief OBGyn at UCLA) advised NO compression socks bc contrary to popular belief, they increase the risk of clot above the compressed area. Instead, set a timer and walk around for 5 mins every half hour to promote good circulation for the duration of the flight. Stay hydrated!

5) Lastly, keep in mind that when you are pregnant, you have a weak immune system and traveling is one of the easiest ways to pick something up! Wash your hands w soap often, don't touch your face, and carry with you basic meds that are pregnancy safe bc it may not be easy for you to find these things quickly in other countries with different languages! There's no Zika/Dengue/etc in Germany, but there is always a higher risk of travel exposure.

All that said, go if you want and feel good about it!! You can't live in fear, just take the precautions you can and go with your gut! Good luck!

Answer

You have to ask your ob mine said I couldn't travel and I was like 30 weeks at the time. So I'd check in the other the doctor.

Answer

I'm high risk and my OB won't let me travel further than an hour away and absolutely no flying. . But if your ob okays it i don't see why not?

High Risk Pregnancy: to travel or not?

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