flying close to due date / x posted in pregnancy

[bluebottle]

hi all-

i am planning to make a short trip when i am at 36 weeks - if i feel all right then.

i should book tickets now, and i was wondering-

should i have any concerns about flying that late in the game? i keep hearing that i shouldn't fly, but it seems to be something of a superstition. the only information i've been able to find is that i shouldn't fly in a very small (like 2-passenger) plane because the major change in pressure could induce labor, but i can't find anything about flying in standard jet aircraft..

my options are
- two 45-minute flights each way
or
- 16 hours on a train each way

obviously, i'd much rather fly, assuming it's not going to cause me to go into labor if i'm not already going.

does anyone know some kind of definitive answer about this?

thanks
xoa

[massagemom]

hmmm, i don't have a definite answer about safety but i do know that most airlines will not allow a pregnant woman to board after a certain point.

of course, how would they know really? :LOL

[Harper]

It should be fine. My sister just got back from Hawaii--it was a very long flight from PA and she was about 35 weeks. She did carry a note from her doc that she was cleared to fly just in case the airline gave her a hard time but they didn't--and she looks like she could go into labor at any moment. I flew all through this pregnancy and my midwife just said to walk around a lot and drink a lot of water!!

[bluebottle]

thanks, guys. i think i will just go ahead and book tickets. as long as i drink a ton and walk around, i would imagine that flying would just be far more comfortable than 16 hours on trains. i'll be going to norway, and they have good, accessible health care, so if i gave birth there it wouldn't be the end of the world, either (though obviously not ideal).

xo
a

[MamaTaraX]

Just make sure you find an airline that will let you fly that late. Most will allow you to fly until you are within a week of your due date, some will tell you not after 34 weeks though, you jhhust have to ask. Carrying a note froma careprovider is helpful and more helpful than that is carrying a copy of your records. Travel by standard passenger jet is safe, just make sure to drink water and get up when you can. Small planes are definately not good because of air pressure, but big planes are fine. Personally, I'd rather take my chances with th eplane than that long on a train.
On a related note...didn't some woman just give birth on a trans-pacific flgith this week? She walked offtheplane herself even. Now so bad to birth on a plane, I guess ;)

Namaste, Tara
mama to Doodle (7), Butterfly (2), and Rythm (due at home 1/06)