Travelling while Pregnant/The Babymoon
I seem to be surrounded by an influx of my beautiful friends pregnancy announcements lately which is super exciting and has inspired today’s blog post topic: Travelling while pregnant/the ‘Babymoon’.
Firstly, if you are reading this then it is likely you are already pregnant (huge congratulations) or have babies on your mind. For first time mum’s especially, there are so many questions surrounding travelling while pregnant so I thought I would try to answer a few of these here to help you coordinate any travel plans you may have over the next 9 months.
Am I able to fly while pregnant?
Firstly, just a bit of a disclaimer; I am not a medical professional so the advice I’m giving you here is of a general nature only and assuming you have a healthy, single, low risk pregnancy. If you are carrying multiples or have a high risk pregnancy for whatever reason, then I urge you to speak with your doctor before making any travel plans.
For the purpose of trying not to make this too long winded, the advice I give is going to be applicable to Jetstar, Virgin & Qantas, however all airlines will have similar policies. If you are travelling with another airline then definitely contact me and I can give you the specifics.
For flights less than 4 hours in duration - For routine pregnancies, you can travel up to the end of the 40th week for single pregnancies and the end of the 36th week for multiple pregnancies.
For flights greater than 4 hours in duration - For routine pregnancies, you can travel up to the end of the 36th week for single pregnancies and the end of the 32nd week for multiple pregnancies.
Please note that after 28 weeks, regardless of flight duration, you need to carry a certificate or letter from a registered medical practitioner or registered midwife confirming:
- the estimated date of delivery;
- whether it is a single or multiple pregnancy;
- that the pregnancy is a routine pregnancy and
- that there are no complications with the pregnancy.
The certificate or letter must be available on request and be carried with you at the airport and during the flight in your cabin baggage.
Will my travel insurer cover any pregnancy complications that I might encounter while abroad?
This is a bit of a grey area to answer as there are so many Travel Insurance Providers with different coverage limitations. Again for the purpose of simplifying the exercise I am going to talk about the 4 providers I am accredited with, being Covermore, CHI, QBE & Suresave, however I urge you to thoroughly read and make sure you understand the coverage offered by your chosen insurer.
Each insurer will specify a gestational limit up to which coverage will apply. For Covermore & CHI, this limit is up to and including the 23rd week, for QBE it is up to and including the 25th week and Suresave is up to and including the 26th week of pregnancy. An important thing to note however is that no matter how far along you are, if you are overseas, no provider will pay medical expenses incurred for:
- regular antenatal care;
- childbirth at any gestation; or
- care of the newborn child.
This being said, there is always going to be a risk when travelling overseas at any stage during your pregnancy. Don’t forget though that this does not rule out domestic travel. As long as you aren’t travelling anywhere too rural or regional where you are a long way from a hospital, then if anything were to happen, you will be able to be looked after by our amazing Australian medical professionals (we truly are so lucky to live in this incredible country!)
Also, if you are planning your travel or babymoon for a little later in your pregnancy, don’t forget to consider how you might be feeling at that stage. You don’t want to leave it so late that there is a chance you could be too tired, uncomfortable or sore to enjoy yourself so I would recommend you consider planning all your travels before the 30 week mark just to make sure you get to make the most of it!
If you’re looking for some ideas for your last little getaway as a couple before baby comes along then feel free to get in touch and I can help you plan the perfect little relaxing break! Of course if you have any questions about anything I’ve spoken about here, or anything else you’re not sure of, feel free to let me know!
A x