Essentials You Should Carry if Travelling While Pregnant

Firstly, congratulations to you for taking a new turn in your life. We really hope this roller coaster ride is the best journey of your life. Secondly, whosoever told you that you cannot travel while pregnant, do not believe them. You might have to take enough precautions with you but you can travel till you are 34-36 weeks pregnant; unless you have medical complications, in which case do as your doctor advises. After 34-36 weeks voyaging generally isn’t beneficial for you and your child.

This is a very special and critical period of your life. Make sure you take enough care of yourself. Here are a few tips on what to carry with you when travelling while pregnant.

Documents to carry with you when travelling while pregnant

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Letter from your doctor

First and foremost, a letter from your doctor saying that you are healthy enough to travel while pregnant should be with you when you step out of the house for a long journey.

Depending on where you are going, flight travel, train travel or even car travel can be really long. So you need to carry your doctor’s letter with you that can be used at airports or hotels where you are staying. This is for your own health and safety.

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Medication prescribed

We hope you have a healthy baby bump, but for precautionary measures, you need to take a few medicines with you. Motion sickness, medicines for nausea, constipation and most importantly malaria should be taken when travelling while pregnant. Malaria can be fatal when pregnant. It affects the placenta directly. So if you are heading towards a place that has even a slight chance of having malaria, try reconsidering your trip.

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Contact details of a local doctor/ Hospital

You might need an emergency contact number of a local doctor or a hospital so that in case of emergency you know whom to contact. If possible, talk to a particular doctor in advance so that you don’t have to find a doctor at the eleventh hour. You just have to reach the hospital and get treated.

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Travel Insurance

Make sure you take travel insurance before travelling while pregnant. Getting travel insurance while pregnant is not difficult. The procedure is quite easy. Here is something for you to see about travel insurance and all that it covers if any complication happens. Hope that you will have a healthy trip, but be prepared in case of an emergency.

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Passport validation

Before making bookings for your flight or train or hotel, make sure you check your passport for validation. Renew the passport if there are a few months left for your passport to expire. It can be really frustrating for you to apply for a passport renewal while on the go. You never know how much time it will take for the passport to get renewed. So make sure you check for your passport validation before travelling while pregnant.

Comfort essentials when travelling while pregnant

The above section was about what documents you should carry when travelling while pregnant. Now we would like to put some light on what to carry for your comfort when travelling during your pregnancy.

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Luggage

Even before packing, select luggage that is wheeled. Do not tire yourself with heavy bags or heavy backpacks.

Although, carry smaller backpacks to hold necessary items that you need while travelling so that you don’t have to open your luggage for every small item.

Wheeled packs are the ones that you should bring with you for the bulk of your luggage when travelling while pregnant.

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Handbag

You will carry this bag with you on the plane. You have to make sure it is spacious enough to accommodate all of your necessary items and is still light to carry.

Our suggestion to you is to carry a backpack instead of a handbag. Backpacks are comfortable because you put them on and then forget about them. They also distribute weight evenly across your shoulders, unlike handbags which are heavily dependent on a single side at a time.

Backpacks are definitely more spacious than handbags. Your hands remain free to carry your documents or hold something while walking.

Another recommendation, if you do not wish to carry backpacks, is a sling bag. These come in various sizes, shapes, colours and materials. They are similar to handbags in the style or ‘look and feel’ department. But they help stabilise the weight and can be hands-free as there is no danger of it slipping off your shoulder the way handbags are wont to do.

Whatever type of bag you choose, here are all the important items that you need to carry in them:

• Snacks: Multigrain snack, that is healthy and compact. Also, these are filling so you can eat as many as you want to and not worry about what you are eating. Pack extra snacks with you in case of delays or flight halts. You definitely do not want to run out of snacks. Cravings can make you cranky and surely you don’t want that to happen.
• Water bottles:
  • Keeping yourself hydrated enough when you are travelling while pregnant is very important.
  • Pregnancy can cause morning sickness and heartburn, even indigestion. Water helps in alleviating these problems.
  • Dehydration can also cause contractions in the third trimester which can lead to early labour. And taking care of yourself as well as the baby at this time is mandatory.
  • Keep yourself hydrated as much as possible. Keep an extra water bottle with you in the bag.
  • Flights are notorious for causing dehydration (most people are not aware of this) so be extra sure to ask for water on the flight at regular intervals, especially if it is a long-haul flight.
  • Opt for an aisle seat so you can get up to pee as often as you need to without disturbing your seatmates.
• Wet wipes and anti-bacterial gel: You may not get water every time to wash your hands if you are road travelling or it may not be possible for you to get up every time if you are in a flight to wash your hands. So keep wet wipes with you or anti-bacterial gel so that you do not catch any infections and feel clean while on the go.
• Medicines: Motion sickness, nausea, heartburn and indigestion come along with pregnancy. Make sure you never keep these medicines in your luggage. These medicines should always be in your handbag or backpack for easy access. Travelling while pregnant can be really tiring for you, you might not be able to sleep properly. By not keeping these medicines handy you might create a problem for yourself and the journey might get uncomfortable for you.
• Bump band: Bump bands are designed to provide gentle support to the baby bump. This helps in diminishing back pain and lower abdomen pain. It is comfortable enough to wear beneath the clothes and also to wear them all day.

Be sure enough about your comfort in your pregnancy while travelling. It is not necessary to carry it in your bag, you can also wear it all day long. These bands are made for your comfort.

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Pillow

You’d be needing a travel pillow to rest your head and get a comfortable sleep during travel. Travelling in this condition can make you cranky and really uncomfortable. For you, it’s important that you get a good enough sleep while travelling. First of all, select your seat wisely if travelling on a bus or a flight. Make sure you have enough legroom and the seat is comfortable. A travel pillow is easily available in the market and it’d be great if you carry it along with you when you hit the road or flight. Again, make yourself as comfortable as you can.

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Footwear

While travelling you have to be in your most comfortable attire. And travelling while pregnant add importance to it. Back pain in pregnancy is common. Wearing footwear that is comfortable and easy for you to be in for an entire day of travelling is very important. Prefer not to wear any type of heel during travel. Ballet flats should be your first choice to be in. If it’s really important to wear it, wear a wedge or a block heel, they are less painful. But if it is possible for you to avoid heels, DO THAT.

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Maternity clothes

• Maternity leggings: Comfort comes first when you are travelling while pregnant. But if you want to be one of those trendy mothers, you have to buy comfort and trend for yourself. Motherhood is a place where you can not only buy maternity leggings but also maternity jeans, dresses, shorts, skirts, swimwear and tops. The fabric that they provide is soft and comfortable. Each penny spent on the outfits from Motherhood is worth it.

• Cotton knits: Wear airy clothes when you are on the go. They are comfortable, breathable, sweat-absorbent, easily washable and light enough to carry or wear while travelling. Many maternity clothes are made of cotton fabric, so they are available easily online or in the market.
• Vests: Motherhood, Old Navy and A Pea in the pod provide a huge range of maternity jackets. So make sure you get one for yourself.
• Maxi dress: If you are not a jeans person or a skirt person and wish for something much more comfortable than that, this is where your search ends. Maxi dresses are long dresses, that are the epitome of comfort. But you do not need to compromise with fashion when it comes to comfort. Motherhood again has a huge range of maternity dresses that you can just wear like they were made for you.

• Maternity tops: Getting trendy and comfortable at the same time is what these maternity tops are for. Seraphine offers you beautiful tank tops and tunics for your beautiful period. They are comfy and cosy. You will not regret buying maternity tops. Plus later you can use these maternity tops to set fashion trends.

• Scarves: Cute warm, soft and cosy scarves to cover your belly when you don’t wish to flaunt it is needed in your travel outfit.
• Maternity socks: Sitting for long hours can cause swelling in your feet. These socks are called compression socks and are available online on Amazon. Wear them constantly while travelling. Feet swelling is a common complication in pregnancy.

We hope this article was helpful for you to pack your maternity stuff and be comfortable and happy throughout your journey.

Our Biggest Bonus Tip!

That guy who did this to you? Yes, him! Catch hold of him and make sure he comes along for all these trips with you. All the tips above? From carrying your bags to buying you that comfy pillow and those helpful socks. This is his department. If he thought donating sperm was all his contribution would be to this event, you need to set him right, don’t you think? 😉

Also, if your baby has entered this world and you plan a trip, here is what can help you plan the trip: Travel packing for kids.

Happy babymoon to you!

Also read: Maternity Clothes for Travel to Take Along on a Babymoon