Over the first 30 weeks of my pregnancy, we traveled a lot by plane and by car. It’s not unusual for us before we got pregnant to be gone a couple of weekends a month…every month. Holidays, weddings, football games, visiting family keep us on the move. So when we got pregnant, we didn’t really slow down!
In the first trimester, we flew to Florida twice, drove to Dallas once, drove to Austin once, and flew to Laguna Beach (it was a terrible trip coming home with an extra night spent in LA, a 5 a.m. wake up, and a day spent at the airport for nothing, but otherwise fun!).
In the second trimester, we flew to Chicago, Birmingham, Atlanta and drove to Austin and San Antonio once each.
And in the third trimester, we flew to Florida and drove to Austin.
That is 12 trips in a period of 6 months.
I don’t really have wise words, but I did a few things each time to make it a little easier on me while traveling.
1. Carry snacks–nothing new here, I always have snacks. But for all of these trips, I really made sure I liked my snacks and ate them on the planes, at airports and while we were gone. Favorites were:
- 18 Rabbits granola bars (I used to pack Larabars but I can’t even think about their texture anymore)
- dried fruit with nuts, especially apricots
- an apple for a snack the same day we traveled
- peanut butter crackers (always in my purse, always)
- dry cereal for breakfasts (to go with yogurts below or I can find a milk)
1 a. We also started traveling on car trips with a small cooler of cheese, yogurts and cold water. And I request a fridge at hotels at no charge. Highly recommend doing this!
2. Get an aisle seat–Usually our trips aren’t that long and I don’t mind the middle if Jeffrey is on the aisle. But the new rule became this: “If you have a baby in the tummy, you get the aisle.” Sometimes we each had an aisle, but sometimes Jeffrey got the middle. Sorry! It really did help to have extra leg room to stretch into the aisle and it made it easier for frequent potty breaks. Doctors orders are to get up and stretch!
3. Eat before you leave–We luckily didn’t have flights too early, but in the very beginning, I had to eat something within a few minutes of waking to avoid nausea.
4. Carry on a good lunch–Twice while traveling on airplanes, I picked up a delicious falafel wrap from Whole Foods and ate it at the airport. It was sooo much better than anything I would have found, and so much more filling. Can’t eat deli meats while prego, remember. Doesn’t leave a lot of choices at an airport when you’re in a small terminal with just a Subway and Starbucks and you need some protein. Before car trips, I would eat a good sandwich too. You learn that letting yourself get hungry is when nausea sets in, especially in the beginning.
5.While in your visiting town, build in some afternoon time to rest! Even though your head is telling you that you can go-go-go like you used to, your body will need a break. You have to literally put your feet up, take a snooze if you are a napper, or just watch TV for a short while before your night activities. The worst thing is to overdo it, then you’re no good to anyone.
6. Drink your water! Dehydration is also a big no-no and can be real bad when traveling, so you have to drink up. Lack of fluids and lack of protein are the reasons you get lightheaded or nauseous. Cheese, nuts, hummus, lean proteins are all things you can snack on and are portable.
7. Take your potty breaks. Your head can tell you that you don’t need to pee every 30 minutes, but your body will say not so, especially later on. It’s no fun when the flight attendant won’t let you get up while the door is closed but you haven’t taken off yet. Always go when you can!
We had a busy season of travel, and I’m glad I felt good the whole time, especially in the beginning! I’m also very glad it’s over and we are home. It’s a little nerve wrecking to be away from home, I never slept great, and it’s tiring.
It was also a little sad to know that air and car travel will never be so simple again for us!
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