Morning Sickness and Holiday Travel

Posted on Nov 21, 2011 | Pregnancy Health Category | | Print This Article
 

Villavicencio - an airplane
Creative Commons License photo credit: momentcaptured1

The holiday season is almost upon us and it seems like the whole country is planning to go somewhere. But what about those who are in the first trimester? When you’re battling morning sickness and your body is still adjusting to the new life growing inside, you may not feel like going anywhere.

But should you? It’s well known that it’s better to wait until the second trimester to travel when you can, but getting your entire extended family to reschedule Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year probably isn’t a serious option.

So what do you do? Do you get on the road anyway, knowing you’ll probably have to pull over half a dozen times from motion sickness and won’t be able to enjoy anything Grandma cooks anyway? Unless your grandmother is a world famous saltine chef, chances are you’re going to be passing on many of your holiday favorites this year.

Still, with the baby on the way, and your whole family (and probably his whole family) excited to see you and share in your joy, it’s hard to pass up a holiday invitation. So, if you’re like most of us, you’ll probably give it a try as long as your family is within reasonable driving distance.

If you do choose to travel during the first trimester of your pregnancy, here are some suggestions:

  • Dress comfortably. Most family gatherings are reasonably informal anyway, but make doubly sure that you’re not wearing restrictive clothing during the trip.
  • Pack your saltines. Or ginger. Or whatever it is that best soothes your morning sickness symptoms.
  • Bring a bag in the car. Lunch sacks are perfect for this. Of course, you should pull over if you start to experience morning sickness, but you never know when nausea will overcome you. It’s always a good idea to have a paper bag or two handy in case you’re in a driving situation when stopping is not an option.
  • Drink lots of water. You should be doing this anyway, but it’s worth a reminder while travelling.
  • Be prepared for lots of bathroom breaks. Plan to make lots of stops. It’s a byproduct of drinking all that water and having a little life inside you. Ideally, you should factor this in when deciding what time to leave.
  • Try to make sure you’ll have somewhere to rest if you need it. Wherever you’re going, it’s important that you have someplace you can get away from the noise, especially if you start to experience the symptoms of morning sickness.

What other steps or precautions have you taken while travelling to deal with morning sickness while travelling? How have they worked?



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