After flying back and forth across the country at 30 & 32 weeks plus back and forth to Oregon in-between I feel like I am pretty much the pregnant flying expert. Ha okay not really but I think I can still offer some words of advice! Here are some things I would definitely recommend:
Compression Hosiery
First off if you are traveling late in your pregnancy your doctor will probably recommend getting some type of compression hosiery. Socks, tights, leggings, stockings, etc. After reading way too many online reviews I decided to go with a pair of Sigviras Compression Tights from A Pea in a Pod. And for reference I purchased a size A and they fit perfect. Plus I didn’t even have to have Chappy help me get them on. Haha. I decided to go with tights because I heard socks could get uncomfortable where they hit along your calf. I also went with a lower mmhg because up to that point I hadn’t had any swelling so I figured the lower compression should be enough to keep my circulation up. Also… lets be real, they were on sale and I STILL paid $46.11 with tax and shipping… for one pair of tights… not really what I wanted to spend my money on. But I guess they were worth it (maybe?) because I didn’t swell on any of the flights! And I know you might be thinking I shouldn’t have been worried since I hadn’t swelled at all yet but just a little fun fact… Once while traveling back from Las Vegas on a red eye pre-pregnancy my feet randomly swelled, so I legitimately thought it was a possibility.
Aisle Seat
Everyone says how important it is to get an aisle seat. If you are peeing every 5 minutes having an aisle seat would be critical. I didn’t actually get up to use the restroom once on any of the flights I took though. Ha I’m really not sure how that miracle happened but it did. The only “close call” was on my short flight to Oregon. We had already landed and were stuck in our seats waiting for our gate to be ready. I could have REALLY used a restroom then, but in the end I survived without one.
Also since I was taking a red eye flight back to NC I was worried about the recommendations around getting up and walking during a longer flight. Hello I would much rather just sleep the entire time then make sure I got up to walk. Without me even asking my doctor brought it up and let me know that as long as I had compression hosiery I should be find sans walk. And guess what? I was! Even though I didn’t actually need an aisle seat I still would recommend getting one though because seriously during pregnancy you never know how you’re going to feel so it’s better just to be prepared!
Snacks!
This was especially important for me because I hadn’t been able to eat big meals up to this point. I pretty much just continuously snacked throughout the day so I had to make sure I had ample snacks for my cross country trip. Also make sure you have a good variety because we all know how pregnancy cravings go… you may love something one moment and hate it the next. I brought popcorn, granola bars, leftover Halloween candy, etc. etc. and drank LOTS of water.
Lumbar Support
If you’ve been having any type of back pain I would recommend bringing some sort of support for the trip. For me sitting upright in a chair isn’t the most comfortable so the idea of sitting on a plane for 5 hours wasn’t ideal. Now no need to get fancy though. I just brought along and extra sweatshirt that I could ball up to help support my back. Worked like a charm!
Comfy Clothes
Black leggings, a t-shirt, and a flannel were basically my go-to travel clothes. I wanted to make sure I was able to move around to get comfortable without the restrictions of a dress or skinny jeans. I’m weird and will sit Indian-style or with one leg up on my seat sometimes so leggings were a serious must. Also I pretty much immediately removed my shoes once on the plane basically just making myself completely at home and let me tell you, it was totally worth any weird looks I received ha.
That’s pretty much all the advice I have to offer. If you are still having morning sickness or nausea I would also recommend getting one of those sea sickness pressure point bracelets. That was probably the only thing that helped me through the early months (aka half my pregnancy ha.) And lastly if you feel uncomfortable going through the new x-ray scanners, then don’t! I opted out and instead received a quick pat down. It was easy peasy! Now go and enjoy your vacation!!
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