We travel a lot. I’m pregnant. How is that going to shake out? I have no idea.
We’re making the choices that we can with the information we have. We were in Australia during Weeks 7-9 of the pregnancy. That’s not exactly a hop on Southwest from SF to LA so let’s talk about it.
Planning the Trip
I wasn’t pregnant when we planned the trip, but we knew it would be a possibility. We decided to make the plans anyway. We used a bunch of American Airlines miles to get business class seats to Sydney. I figured that if I was pregnant, I’d at least be comfortable in those seats.
What if I felt sick? What if it just wouldn’t work? It was all possible. I decided to not to assume I couldn’t do things. Instead of not making the plans in the absence of information, we made the plans and decided we’d adjust if we needed to. I’m assuming I can do things (maybe with some adjustments) unless my doctor and/or body tell me I can’t.
Preparing Now that I Was Pregnant
Doctor’s advice. We got to a doctor right quick and got her advice. I was worried about a ton of stuff including the possibility of nausea (morning sickness). Handily, if it hadn’t started yet, it would start at the latest in the middle of our 14-hour flight. Awesome.
Nausea remedies. I brought a pack of every nausea remedy known to man in my carry-on just in case.
How Did the Flight Go?
In the end, everything was fine! When we landed in Melbourne (SFO-LAX-SYD-MEL), I practically skipped out of the airport because I was so proud of myself.
Staying hydrated and circulating. The fear of God was put into me about staying hydrated on the plane and keeping up my circulation. I HATE moving around on planes because flying scares me. Drinking a ton of water fixed all of that because I was up and down to the bathroom all. the. time.
Sleeping and eating. Having the business class seat helped because I was able to lie down and sleep for several hours. I had no issues running out of food because we were fed constantly.
Being the weirdo turning down the free booze. I didn’t feel the need to disclose my pregnancy to the flight attendants, but I’m pretty sure they thought I was a weirdo. No thank you, I don’t need an endless supply of wine. No thank you, I don’t drink coffee (I don’t). Please bring me water with this fancy dinner.
How Did the Trip Go?
I ended up with zero nausea but got really tired. I got tired really early in the evening during the trip, which is normal. Mr. P loves going to bed early and my fatigue forced us to take it easy. I’m a big fan of that! Pregnancy is a good excuse for me to rest. On earlier trips, I’d feel guilty about lazing in the hotel room thinking I wasn’t getting enough out of my time.
I packed my workout gear. I almost never have room for workout clothes in my suitcase but the baby has priorities. I packed it and made sure to stay active whether it was walks or some time in the hotel gym.
What I’m allowed to eat. Being newly pregnant, I was hyper-paranoid about what I was eating. Australia’s not a bad place to be because the food is relatively safe. I only had one hormone-induced-cry at the Melbourne airport when our flight was cancelled and there were almost zero healthy food choices I could eat.
So far, so good. Am I letting my blissful ignorance guide me? Perhaps. Am I glad I had an excuse to purchase an adorable koala rattle? You bet.
A pregnancy disclaimer: I’m writing to share my experiences. Your experiences, resources, and situation may be different. My choices might not be the best choices for you. I thank you in advance for trusting that all health decisions were discussed with my doctor and husband.
Almost Never Clever 