Pregnancy changes a lot of things, but it doesn’t have to change your vacation plans. If you are expecting and looking to take a trip, flying on an airplane doesn’t have to be out of the question. With a little bit of planning, you can fly and enjoy your trip while you are expecting!

Before you book that ticket though, you will want to make sure you have a quick chat with your doctor about your plans. Most of the time, you will be cleared to fly until you hit week 36. There are a few exceptions though. If you have had any complications, you are expecting multiples, or you have a history of preterm labor; the doctor may keep you grounded.  

Once you get clearance from your doctor and you are ready to fly, you will want to keep a few things in mind in order to avoid health complications and keep yourself comfortable:

• Drink water! Yes, that means you will have to get up several times during the flight to use the restroom, but dehydration is the last thing you want to deal with- it puts you and your baby at risk. Make sure you have plenty of water before getting on the plane and keep drinking while in route to your destination. It may be a good idea to book an aisle seat so you aren’t bothering the other passengers with your restroom runs. 
• Keep things loose! That means your clothing and shoes should fit loosely. You don’t want anything that will be overly restricting. This will help keep you comfortable and make it easier to get through security. Slide on shoes are a great option so you don’t have to bend down to take off those shoes and put them back on. 
• Speaking of security: don’t forget to be prepared for the body scan. Guidelines say they are safe, but if you would rather avoid them because you are pregnant, you can. Security may require a body pat down if you go that route, so just keep that in mind so it doesn’t catch you by surprise. 
• Bring layers. Your body temperature doesn’t regulate well when pregnant and you don’t want to feel too cold or too hot and not be able to adjust. Layer a tank top and sweater or something similar so you can take layers off/put them back on as you need.
• Got morning sickness? This one is a bit of a tougher to handle while flying, in fact, it might just be a good idea to wait until the second trimester for your flight so you are through the worst of it; but if you have to go- make sure to talk to your doctor about options to keep it at bay. Bring some mint chewing gum, ginger candies, and small high protein snacks to help ease the sickness during your flight.  
• Take a load off! After take off, pull out that carry on from under your seat and put your feet up on it. Just relax and take a little snooze.  
• Get up and move! Since you will have to get up every few minutes to use the restroom after drinking all that water anyway- this one should be easy. Make sure you are getting up and taking a little walk down the isle of the plane at least every hour. This will help prevent blood clots.

Finally, make sure that you enjoy your trip! Take lots of photos, make lots of memories and share them with your little one who accompanied you as “carry on luggage” this time around!