(Photo: QMI Agency files)
Many women either want to or find that they need to travel while pregnant.
The rules surrounding flying while pregnant can be confusing, especially when every airline has its own regulations on how far along a woman can be in her pregnancy while still being able to fly. Air Canada, for example, allows travel up to week 36; WestJet requires a doctor’s note to travel past week 32.
Travel site Cheapflights.ca has put together a guide of information pregnant women will want to know before taking off on a trip. Here are the top five tips from their pregnancy travel guide:
- Make yourself comfortable! Request a seat with extra leg room, one that allows you to easily stand and one that is along the aisle. You’ll want to be able to move easily and often during the flight if you’re feeling uncomfortable.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of caffine and alcohol-free fluids before, during and after your flight. “Dehydration on airplanes can be worse when you’re pregnant,” say the editors of Cheapflights.ca.
- Carry documentation on your due date, blood type and your doctor’s contact details in case you should need it for any reason.
- Keep a list of local hospitals from the local tourist board or embassy with you while on vacation.
- Pack foods that are rich in vitamins, nutrients and that will travel through security without problem. “Fruit such as grapes, plums, oranges or dried apricots” fit the bill, suggests the editors of Cheapflights.ca.
Visit Cheapflights.ca for more tips on flying while pregnant.