Here are a few tidbits of knowledge distilled from my experience trying to fly from Seattle to Dubai (home) at 34 weeks pregnant. This advice skews toward international flights, and I'm not talking about drinking lots of water on the plane and walking up the aisles to stretch your legs. I'm talking about getting on the plane, period.
1. My first piece of advice for flying at 34 weeks pregnant? Don't. It's really, really uncomfortable and it could be quite risky, depending on the length of the flight and your pregnancy health record.
That said, I'm sure most women out there who are considering flying at 34 weeks are not doing so for the sheer fun of it. So I'll continue.
2. Check the airline's policy. Then check it again. Most airlines seem to allow travel up to 36 weeks with an uncomplicated singleton pregnancy, but you should confirm that before purchasing your tickets.
3. Print out the airline's policy and carry it with you to the airport. I did this, and I still ended up having to take an airline employee back to her own computer and show her the policy on the airline's website. In other words, don't assume that all of the airline's employees are intricately familiar with their own policies for pregnant travelers.
4. Also? Don't assume that any of the airline employees are even remotely familiar with some of the basic facts of pregnancy. Such as:
- what exactly "34 weeks pregnant" means. It's out of 40 weeks and is a more exact way of stating things than using the traditional "# months pregnant" form.
- how some women carry bigger than others. If you carry big, as I do, then employees may assume that you are just about ready to go into labor, while a smaller belly may fly completely under the radar. This is not fair, but it's true.
- the normal progression of labor. If people have only ever seen TV-like representations of childbirth, then they will believe it is possible to have no indication of labor, and then have a baby 45 minutes later. OK, this probably IS possible for some people, but it is very, very unlikely for the vast majority.
5. If you want to be declared fit to fly, you should do your best to look the part. This one is tricky. Of course, only the doctor's note (see below) should matter. The truth is that due to #4 (above), you will be judged on a lot more than a medical professional's opinion of your condition. My advice is to present yourself as having more energy, enthusiasm, and put-together-ness than you actually possess. Sorry, no sweatpants and messy ponytails on this flight, even if that is what you feel like inside (don't we all?).
6. Be sure to obtain a doctor's note, even if it is not required. This may be much, much harder than you think, at least if you are a visitor to the US. Have the doctor use the airline's form as well as his/her own letterhead, and bring both to the airport. Make sure everything is legible and clear and check it over for mistakes (in due date or issue date, for example) before you show up at the airport.
7. Finally, consider the possibility that you will not be allowed on the flight, even if you have followed the airline's policy to the letter. This was an outcome that I did not give nearly enough consideration to, until it was staring me in the face. The truth is, a captain can reject someone from a flight for any reason - a shirt with a weird slogan, pants that ride too low, crying kids, breastfeeding without covering up, etc. I thought that since I had the airline's policy on my side, I had a right to get on the plane. I learned the hard way that this is not the case. If I had known how close I would come to being stranded in the US for the duration of my pregnancy, I probably would not have risked trying to fly at 34 weeks.
Good luck, my hugely pregnant fellow passengers!
1. My first piece of advice for flying at 34 weeks pregnant? Don't. It's really, really uncomfortable and it could be quite risky, depending on the length of the flight and your pregnancy health record.
That said, I'm sure most women out there who are considering flying at 34 weeks are not doing so for the sheer fun of it. So I'll continue.
2. Check the airline's policy. Then check it again. Most airlines seem to allow travel up to 36 weeks with an uncomplicated singleton pregnancy, but you should confirm that before purchasing your tickets.
3. Print out the airline's policy and carry it with you to the airport. I did this, and I still ended up having to take an airline employee back to her own computer and show her the policy on the airline's website. In other words, don't assume that all of the airline's employees are intricately familiar with their own policies for pregnant travelers.
4. Also? Don't assume that any of the airline employees are even remotely familiar with some of the basic facts of pregnancy. Such as:
- what exactly "34 weeks pregnant" means. It's out of 40 weeks and is a more exact way of stating things than using the traditional "# months pregnant" form.
- how some women carry bigger than others. If you carry big, as I do, then employees may assume that you are just about ready to go into labor, while a smaller belly may fly completely under the radar. This is not fair, but it's true.
- the normal progression of labor. If people have only ever seen TV-like representations of childbirth, then they will believe it is possible to have no indication of labor, and then have a baby 45 minutes later. OK, this probably IS possible for some people, but it is very, very unlikely for the vast majority.
5. If you want to be declared fit to fly, you should do your best to look the part. This one is tricky. Of course, only the doctor's note (see below) should matter. The truth is that due to #4 (above), you will be judged on a lot more than a medical professional's opinion of your condition. My advice is to present yourself as having more energy, enthusiasm, and put-together-ness than you actually possess. Sorry, no sweatpants and messy ponytails on this flight, even if that is what you feel like inside (don't we all?).
6. Be sure to obtain a doctor's note, even if it is not required. This may be much, much harder than you think, at least if you are a visitor to the US. Have the doctor use the airline's form as well as his/her own letterhead, and bring both to the airport. Make sure everything is legible and clear and check it over for mistakes (in due date or issue date, for example) before you show up at the airport.
7. Finally, consider the possibility that you will not be allowed on the flight, even if you have followed the airline's policy to the letter. This was an outcome that I did not give nearly enough consideration to, until it was staring me in the face. The truth is, a captain can reject someone from a flight for any reason - a shirt with a weird slogan, pants that ride too low, crying kids, breastfeeding without covering up, etc. I thought that since I had the airline's policy on my side, I had a right to get on the plane. I learned the hard way that this is not the case. If I had known how close I would come to being stranded in the US for the duration of my pregnancy, I probably would not have risked trying to fly at 34 weeks.
Good luck, my hugely pregnant fellow passengers!