Once you get pregnant the question that keeps on worrying you is, If it is safe to travel during pregnancy? It is obvious that you cannot stay homebound for nine whole months till your baby is born. While regular travel like commuting to work or occasional visits to the shopping malls is not discouraged, planning a long distance trip should be done with some caution. Your doctor might advise you not to plan a long distance trip by air or road during your first trimester or the first three months of your pregnancy. There is a valid reason for the same. The risk of a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion during the first three months is high. Read to know if it is safe to travel during pregnancy.
However, if your sonography and blood test don t indicate any serious health problem for you or your baby your doctor might allow you to take a brief trip during the first trimester if the circumstances demand. But certain health reasons make it difficult for the mother to travel during the first trimester and here are a few of them:
If you have a history of premature deliveries and repeated abortion.
If you have placenta previa or your placenta is attached to the lower part of the uterus.
If the cervix is not tightly closed or you have an incompetent cervix which your first ultrasound will help you figure out.
If you have health complications like high blood pressure, gestational diabetes or repeated pain in the abdomen.
Even if you are fit and fine during your pregnancy and don t have any of the above-mentioned health problems it is still better than you avoid travelling during the first trimester. Some practical reasons that keep you from travelling during the first trimester are:
Aggravation of morning sickness, nausea and vomiting, especially during road trips as it can make the mother fatigued and tired which can have an effect on the baby. Here are six ways to use ginger to counter morning sickness.
The frequency of urination increases during pregnancy and if you are on a road trip and have to use the public urinals this could increase the chances of getting a UTI.
The general stress of travelling long distance during the first trimester can take a toll on both the mother and baby.
There is a high chance of getting infections from environmental pollutants and toxins which can harm the baby whose vital organs are just forming during the first trimester.
Since the immunity of the mother is suppressed during this time (and throughout pregnancy) there are high chances of contracting a contagious disease like measles, mumps, rubella or chicken pox which are fatal and can cause severe developmental abnormalities in the fetus.
(Inputs are taken from the book Garbhasanskar by Dr Vikram Shah and Dr Geetanjali Shah)
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