A bump in the road (trip)
WHETHER YOU HAVE to travel for work, or want to travel for fun, getting on an aeroplane or in a car for a long trip is sometimes an inevitable part of your pregnancy. And because we are such clever and evolved human beings, we now know how to manage the additional risk and take intelligent precautions so that your trip can be safe, fun and even immune to judgement from your motherin-law. Bonus. However, that definitely doesn’t mean you should take unnecessary risks, says Mike Schepers, CEO of travel vaccinations clinic Travac (travac.co.za). “In all cases, the welfare of the unborn child should be of primary importance,” he says. Here are the travel arrangements you should make to keep you and your baby safe.
WHEN TO FLY
Airlines get all bossy about how late into your pregnancy they will let you fly, because they don’t want to deliver your baby at 30 000 feet. Understandably. So check with your airline before you book. Domestic flights generally allow women closer to their due date to fly – international travel brings a whole world of complications should a medical emergency or a birth happen between countries. Some airlines want a doctor’s letter confirming your pregnancy is low-risk and you can fly. Erm, if your pregnancy is high-risk, you obviously shouldn’t take airplane trips for leisure. Many women decide to make a trip in the golden second trimester, when they feel safer about the pregnancy being established, and when their nausea and fatigue has abated, but before they feel like the Oros man in the unwieldy last few weeks of pregnancy. That’s a sensible idea – plan your travel for this time if you can. If you’re travelling by car, be aware that you may be feeling green about the gills. Chew on your ginger sweets and schedule regular walking and toileting recovery breaks – your infamous pregnancy bladder and swollen ankles will thank you, too, especially if you have been good and drinking lots to avoid dehydration and the risk of deep vein thrombosis.
MALARIA AREAS
“First prize is not to go into a malaria area when you are pregnant,” says Mike. If you already live in a malaria area, you will be used to being careful around mozzies, and while there is medical evidence that communities who live near the anopheles mosquito develop some natural immunity, this is by no means failsafe. So keep using your prophylaxis: mozzie mats, nets, and spray-on or painton repellents, and wearing skin-covering clothes. “If you have no choice but to travel to a malaria area, don’t get bitten,” says Mike. Be paranoid about it. “Mefloquine and chloroquine are deemed safe for use during pregnancy,” he adds, “but stay away from doxycycline and primoquine.” Mike says that, when weighing up whether to take medication – or have vaccinations – you should always weigh up the risks versus the benefits. Discuss these with your doctor before you travel.
VACCINATIONS
Some countries require visitors to have vaccines against illnesses before you enter the country. Commonly requested vaccines include the yellow fever vaccine, most commonly, as well as proof that you are up to date with vaccines, or
have boosters, for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, rubella, and typhoid. “The risk to an unborn child from vaccinations is primarily theoretical,” says Mike. “No evidence exists of risks from vaccinations to pregnant women with inactivated virus or bacterial vaccines. Live vaccines pose a theoretical risk, such as yellow fever, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. Safe vaccines are the hepatitis A and B, meningitis, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and typhoid vaccines.” So if you know you are at risk due to not having had a booster vaccine or a high incidence of the disease in the region you are visiting, make a choice either not to go, or to have the vaccine. As Mike says, “Benefits usually outweigh risks in high exposure areas.” “In all cases the welfare of the child should be of primary importance. If it’s a high-risk area, don’t go! It’s a few months of inconvenience or missing out on fun versus a lifetime of regret should you fall ill.”