Print Article for : Guidelines For Pregnant Women

Your Online Guide » Pregnancy » Pregnancy Facts

[G586]Guidelines For Pregnant Women

by Sarah Taylors, Sar

Pregnant mothers are advised to travel in the second trimester of their pregnancies. Traveling within 12 - 16 weeks is safer and more comfortable as the risk of miscarriage is reduced. Also, within that period, most pregnant mothers no longer experience the effects of morning sickness. When your pregnancy has reached 28 weeks, you may feel uncomfortable to travel long distance because of the size of your stomach.
Regardless of the stage of your pregnancy, you should always consult your doctor for specific guidelines for your traveling trips either by car, train, or plane. Here are several useful and essential travel guidelines which many pregnant mothers have benefited from.

General Travel Guidelines:

Start your journey when you are well rested

Travel as light as possible

Use suitcases with wheels

Wear comfortable shoes and clothing

Bring along water and fruit juices and drink at least a glass every hour

Bring along high fiber and nutritious snacks

Bring along supplements, vitamins and medication that you need

Bring along your doctor's contact details.

If possible, travel with your spouse, a friend or a relative

Traveling by Air:
No reports have shown that commercial air travel could harm the health of your growing baby.

Here are some guidelines when traveling on air:

Request for an aisle seat so that you can move freely throughout the cabin.

Avoid drinking tea and coffee as these will cause fluid retention.

Move around the cabin frequently to ensure smooth circulation of the blood.

Stretch your legs a few times every hour to avoid muscle cramps and numbness.

In order to position your seatbelt, sit as upright as you can. Place the lap belt under your belly as
low as possible.

Traveling by Car:
One of the most important guides when traveling by car is to fasten your seatbelt. In this way, you baby is well cushioned by your body. This safety precaution will not harm your baby. In order to position your seatbelt, sit as upright as you can. Place the lap belt under your belly as low as possible. The shoulder belt should cross your chest between your breasts.

Other important guidelines when traveling by car:

Wear you seatbelt firmly.

Bring along water and drink frequently.

Plan frequent stops in order for you to visit the bathroom.

Avoid carbonated drinks and high-fat snacks or food at car stops.

Lastly, do enjoy yourself when traveling. If you are expecting your first child, you should really enjoy the opportunity to travel with ease, at least for a couple of month without having to take along any baby toys, bottles, diapers and so on. With ample preparation and the above traveling guidelines to safeguard yourself from any traveling stress, you are sure to have an exciting and relaxing trip.

If you're pregnant and aren't quite sure what is going on in your body, I suggest you check out a pregnancy calculator. Those things are amazing, and can even go so far as to give you a pretty good idea when you conceived if you haven't got a clue. All you have to do is find a pregnancy calculator, enter in the date you conceived (or if you don't know, the first day of your last period) and a ton of information will be returned to you.

For example, I found a pregnancy calculator online and entered the first day of my last period as April 20th. After a few seconds of processing, it told me that my conception date was May 5th (around two weeks before my next period was to start). It then went on to tell me that my greatest risk for birth defects was in the range of May 25th to June 29th. My baby's fetal organ formation begins around May 25th and it's major organs have formed by June 29th.

Also, I learned that the risk of miscarriage decreases after July 13th. Even cooler, I found out that if my baby was premature but born after September 28th, he or she has a chance to survive. About a month later, the third trimester begins and my due date is January 25th. Pregnancy calculators are honestly an invaluable tool for any expecting mother. They can tell you a lot about your baby, way before an ultra sound can. While you're thinking about baby names, it's comforting to know that as the days go by the premature baby date your baby's chances of being born healthy are improving. All in all, pregnancy calendars can be fun and informative, and there's nothing not to love about them.

Article Source : Pregnancy Week

About Author

Both Sarah Taylors & Jennifer R Davis are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Sarah Taylors has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pregnancy, Heart Diseases. Author, Sarah Taylors, manages a directory that provides women related information and links to websites that sell products & services for women consumers. Visit her directory to find out more:. Sarah Taylors's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.

Jennifer R Davis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pregnancy Problems, Childbirth and Pregnancy Problems. If you're an expecting mother, visit the at http://www.ThePregnancyForum.com/ today. Registration is FREE, and you'll have the chance to get all of. Jennifer R Davis's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.