Pregnant women are already acutely aware of what's happening to their body on a daily basis, but there's nothing like a work trip or vacation to throw you a curveball. Was that cheese I just ate pasteurized? Do I need to worry about deep vein thrombosis when I fly? Now well into my second pregnancy—and still traveling, a lot—I recently read up on healthy travel habits for women who are pregnant in the new release Staying Healthy Abroad ($19.95, University of Washington Press) by Dr. Christopher Sanford, a family medicine physician and associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Global Health at the University of Washington. Here are five easy ways to take care of yourself, no matter what trimester you’re in.
Be aware of the no-fly zone
It’s perfectly safe to fly while pregnant, but “it is said to be inconvenient for all concerned to give birth on a jet, hence travel late in pregnancy (after 36 weeks) is ideally avoided,” Sanford says. (Also: “inconvenient.” Ha!) Some airlines will require a doctor’s note to fly after 36 weeks; others put the date earlier, at 28 weeks. Check with your doctor and the respective airline you’re flying before you take off. (For instance, I usually stop flying after 28 weeks.)
Pregnant women also are at a slightly higher risk of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots, usually in your legs), so whether you’re driving or flying, try to flex your legs often, get up and move around every hour or two, and ideally, don’t sit for more than six hours per day. Some travelers swear by compression socks to help keep circulation moving. And drink buckets of water.
Avoid Zika destinations
Don’t mess around when it comes to Zika: The mosquito-borne virus (which can also be transmitted sexually) can cause serious birth defects, including microcephaly, a condition where the fetus has an underdeveloped brain. As such, doctors and the CDC say pregnant women should avoid Zika-endemic countries—unfortunately, that’s a lot of places. Zika reached its peak in 2016, but it’s still endemic in “essentially every country in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, many countries in Africa, and South and Southeast Asia,” Sanford says. The CDC keeps an up-to-date map of areas of the world at risk of Zika, and we keep an up-to-date roundup of Zika-free places you can plan a vacation across Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific.
Know what meds and vaccines are okay
If you’re, say, going on a safari in a malaria zone, anti-malaria med mefloquine is “approved through all three trimesters,” Sanford says. The flu vaccine is also typically encouraged by doctors, though talk to your care provider about when you should get it.
Meanwhile, “live immunizations are avoided during pregnancy,” Sanford says. “These include measles, mumps, rubella, oral typhoid fever, yellow fever, oral polio, BCG for TB, varicella (chickenpox), intranasal influenza, Zostavax and Vaxchora.”
No scuba diving
It seems obvious now that I think about it, given the pressure changes, but still...who knew? Diving has the potential to increase the risk of miscarriage, says Sanford; opt to snorkel instead.
Don’t try to do it all
I have to remind myself of this, but being on the road doesn’t give you a free pass from your pregnancy to eat, drink, and play as you wish. Learn how to ask if a cheese is pasteurized in the local language; be aware of the closest clinic or hospital; and swap an activity each day with a nap. Jet lag and pregnancy are two great reasons to stay in bed in a new place.