What To Consider Before Flying in Late Pregnancy

Natural FamilyPregnancyPostpartumLabor and Birth

Dec 10

The question of flying while pregnant comes up quite a lot this time of year. It’s common for moms to be overwhelmed by family expectations and traditions, while simultaneously trying to present themselves as having their usual energy level even though their reserves are already low. Here’s the question to ask yourself - How do you really feel about the trip?

**Have you been looking forward to this trip? Will it be super fun, restore you and fill your cup?**

Do you get along famously with all your relatives, and they will sweetly sweep your other kiddos off for wholesome activities that fill their cup too? Then maybe do it.

Or are you dreading it? Are you worried that this trip will spend what little reserves you have? Is your experience with the relatives likely to have a great degree of intensity or negotiation? Does this trip involve working hard to do all the prep for your lively family, but you are already tired? Then this is very much not a good time to go traveling at the end of your pregnancy .

Here’s my midwife perspective from helping mothers birth, and navigate family holidays, for over 40 years:

**Under most circumstances, don’t fly after 36 weeks regardless.**

Some airlines won’t let you fly after as early as 28 weeks, check with yours. The idea is that the changing cabin pressure could trigger labor. Consider what it would mean if you get trapped at a hospital at the far end of the trip in the NICU with a preemie baby for some weeks.

Factor in that you need a longer runway for recovery upon your return than when you travel NOT pregnant (pun intended😂). The drain on your pregnant system is also amplified when there is longer time in the sky, multiple plane changes, and/or a short turn around to come back home without several days to recharge from the first round of travel.

The normal window for birth is roughly 37-43 weeks of pregnancy. You do NOT want to go into labor exhausted! Going into labor exhausted increases the risks of a longer labor, of a higher experience of pain, and of postpartum bleeding. Who needs that?

**You are going to need a lot more than “a good night’s sleep” when you get return.**

You and your baby are on the same page; they will also be more worn out. When we are pregnant, energy spends fast, but has a slow refill. The more advanced your pregnancy, the longer it may take to get back up to baseline energy.
**You must be rested when you go into labor (or at least as much as possible.)** *Do you have an ample window of time after this trip, and before being in the possible labor window, to recover from the guaranteed upheaval?* Even fun trips include a degree of chaos, eating different food, sleeping in unfamiliar beds, being around unfamiliar germs, and the kids probably having more sugar and less sleep. For most folks, all of this fun means returning home with a bit of an immune system compromise.

Everyone involved will need to pull together to help you regroup your energy, get the family back on top of the laundry, and have the kids settle in and find their routine again. Are your mate and helpful others available for this? An extra 1-2 weeks must also absolutely be factored in for the whole family to heal from potential illnesses and the inevitable kennel cough that may be picked up from traveling.

Flying and this trip may be absolutely worth it, for all of your own personal reasons. Still, I’ll be the one to ask-

Why are YOU doing the flying? Why not have the relatives come to you? Or could they send you all tickets to fly in a few months (Months! Not weeks!) after the baby’s birth, so everyone can enjoy being together and meeting the baby?

“I strongly propose that you use common sense as your guide, and not the feelings, expectations, or family politics of your extended family.”

— Beth S. Barbeau, CPM, LM

You may wish to consider traveling by car as an alternative, though I would still counsel you to keep it to a reasonable distance as well. Endless hours in an auto at the end of pregnancy is not only uncomfortable for mom and involves the whole car in extra pee stops, but it takes some care to avoid the baby settling in to an even slightly quirky position. Which can really bring a lot of ‘story’ to your birth, if you know what I mean. (Ask me how I know, or just visualize a Jeep trek from Michigan to New Mexico and back while heavily pregnant. Yep.)

So if you are energize by the trip and eager to go, then that’s a lot in the trip’s favor. If you are sighing when you talk about the trip and it’s de-energizing, I urge you to back up and look at it with fresh eyes.