Things to do when travelling abroad when pregnant
Some women choose to travel abroad to give birth. They have time to put things in place and plan.
But sometimes things just happen. Junior decides it’s time to make a break for the big wide world just when you were enjoying yourself on holiday or even when you were in a business meeting.
If you do travel abroad when you’re pregnant, you’d be advised to take a certain number of precautions just to make sure things go smoothly.
Get a European Health Insurance Card
The EHIC covers you for routine medical care in all EU countries plus Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and replaces the old E111 form we used to get from the Post Office. Or not, because I suspect we rarely did, except when going on a school trip. These days, its easy to apply online so you don’t really have any excuse not to get one.
More forms
In addition, you’ll need an S2 (E112) form to cover the birth itself. To get this, write to the overly sees Health Care Team in Newcastle or the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland explaining why you want to give birth abroad. Include the following information:
- A MATB1 certificate or a letter from your UK GP or midwife, showing your expected date of delivery.
- Your NHS number or National Insurance number
- Your date of birth, your full UK address and dates of travel
Get travel insurance to cover pregnancy
Of course this is a no-brainer if you’re going anywhere outside the European Union, even in the early stages of pregnancy. It’s also really important to read the small print. Not all travel insurance policies are the same many will find a get out clause if you have a problem when you are pregnant. It’s worth noting that, as long as your airline or shipping company says it’s okay to travel, and you’ve had no complications in this or in previous pregnancies, World First will cover you for everything.
The EHIC, good as it is, will only cover you for general medical care. It won’t cover you for any specialist care or if you have any complications and have to be repatriated.*
Travelling by air
Although most forms of transport are completely safe, there are a number of things to consider when travelling when pregnant.
- Doctors may recommend you do not fly in the first three months of pregnancy if you have excessive morning sickness or there is a threat of miscarriage. Additionally, you should not fly in the last two months if you have raised blood pressure or an increased risk of premature labour.
- In any case, most airlines will not allow you to travel after 36 weeks.
- Especially if you take the low-cost cattle trucks, travelling by air can be quite cramped. Ask the airline in advance about any options that may be available to make your trip more comfortable. These may include booking an additional seat to give you more leg room, getting upgraded to first or business class (yes, it is possible, check-in and cabin staff are often quite amenable to it), or making sure you have an aisle seat where you can stretch your legs.
- During the flight be aware that you are more at risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis where a potentially fatal blood clot forms in the veins particularly in the legs. To minimise this risk, wear DVT socks, walk around every so often, where comfortable shoes and avoid tight clothing and drink plenty of water and fruit juice to keep yourself hydrated.
Travelling by sea
Don’t forget as well that most ferry companies have similar clauses. Just a quick poll of some terms and conditions reveals Quite a variety of conditions.
- Brittany Ferries will not allow you to travel after 32 weeks, and 28 weeks if you want to use their high-speed service (it shakes a lot).
- P&O will not allow you to take their western Channel routes after 28 weeks, although on their Short Sea (Dover-Calais, etc) and Irish Sea crossings, they’ll take you up to 38 weeks. Although why anyone would want to travel on the Irish Sea, especially in the winter, whilst being 38 weeks pregnant is beyond me.
- Check with your carrier (sea or air) because they can and will refuse to allow you to travel if they consider it’s not safe.
Travelling by road
Road or coach travel is perfectly safe throughout pregnancy. Although there may be comfort issues with travelling for extended periods in a coach for example. Again, be aware of deep vein thrombosis. As a general rule, follow the same suggestions as for travelling by air.
*Once your policy is up and running, you will be covered for anything that happens to you.
Travelling by rail
You’ll be relieved to know that, there are no restrictions for travelling by rail, even on the Eurostar.
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August 26th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
[...] airlines and most ferry companies place restrictions on how far into your pregnancy you can travel. This can be as little as 28 weeks or as much as 38 [...]