Pregnant women need to plan their holidays and air travel with some extra care. First off, a trip to the doctor will be necessary to make sure there aren't any reasons why you can't travel on a plane. Medical reasons which would prevent a pregnant woman from flying can include, blood loss, raised blood pressure or swelling.

For women over 24 weeks pregnant a medical certificate is often required prior to travel as well. To make the flight more comfortable it is worth trying to check in early so there may be an opportunity to have an aisle seat for easy access or a bulkhead seat as there is more legroom.

Normally, typhoid and hepatitis A and B vaccinations are recommended for Asia and Africa, however, typhoid vaccinations are not recommended for pregnant women although there is no evidence of fetal damage, there is only limited research on the fetal effects of these vaccinations. However, there are many places where malaria is still a problem and it is recommended that they be missed out as contracting malaria when pregnant an cause problems.

In Australia, typhoid and hepatitis A vaccinations aren't advised for children under six but it is recommended that children are up-to-date with their other immunizations. Always check with a doctor as to which vaccinations are required as they will vary depending on an individual situation and itinerary.

A simple way to avoid getting hepatitis A and typhoid is to avoid drinking water that has not come from a sealed bottle and ice where tap water has been used. Raw vegetables and fruit should also be avoided (unless the fruit has a tough outer skin like bananas for instance) and keeping hands sterilized with anti bacterial soap is necessary before consuming any food. Nowadays it is easy to carry travel size bottles of gel hand wash that can sterilize without the need for special facilities as it dries in the air almost immediately.

Unfortunately, there is an additional risk of blood clots when you are present, one that increases with airline travel so to avoid deep vein thrombosis it is advisable to wear the special socks or stockings you can purchase from drugstores. To help stop this happening, everyone, not just pregnant women, is advised to take some exercise throughout the flight at every available opportunity.

It is also worth an expectant mother to check on her insurance policy before she flies as some place further restrictions especially after the twenty sixth week of pregnancy. Although there are companies that will cover the cost of insuring a mother to be after the twenty sixth week of pregnancy, they do not normally cover any birth expenses.