So, with traces of the Ancient Mariner, I would like to say this: O pregnant traveller heed my words of woe travelling while you are pregnant can be done but it is hell, so make sure that your holiday is really worth it.Īvoid third world countries as you will not be able to take malaria pills or have any jabs, and the risk of food poisoning is greater. As the plane touched down I filled four sick bags.
I am sure she took the whole experience in her stride, but I spent much of the 23-hour return journey pacing and trying to find a position where my ankles did not ache. After all, she is the first recorded travelling pregnant woman. The Barefoot Doctor, a new age healer, advised me to nourish the "spleen energy" while on holiday by chewing astragalus root or taking three astragalus capsules a day (you should always check with your GP before taking supplements).īarefoot also advised me to tune in to the "primordial, feminine spirit", so I thought a bit about Mary, off to Bethlehem on her donkey. It was the first time that I was truly able to get away from all pressures and spend time nurturing myself and the baby, which kicked languidly in my womb. For the entire holiday I could hardly be prised away from the hotel's salt rock pool, which nestled between the mountains and the ocean in a scented garden, decorated by dragonflies and songbirds. But arriving was such relief! Summer in South Africa unfolded like a world of bliss, and I quickly recovered after a pregnancy massage at the Twelve Apostles Spa Hotel. "I felt very gassy and strange," related one pregnant friend, "and I worried all the time about the effect on the baby." Another woman recalls how her ankles swelled to twice their usual size.īy the end of the flight I felt dizzy, weak and my back was liquid agony. Such is travelling when you are pregnant. Would the pressure damage my unborn child in some way? Was I going to get DVT? I was soon a nervous and physical wreck. As my ears popped, my mind whirled with maternal guilt and paranoia. The NHS says that pregnant women who are having uncomplicated pregnancies can travel, but there is a heightened risk of deep vein thrombosis and you should check with your GP before going. Even though Nationwide Airlines kindly upgraded me to their Economy Plus, which gives extra legroom, there is no real way to avoid the fact that airline seats are uncomfortable - agonisingly so in the later stages of pregnancy. His words echoed in my ears as I crammed my swollen hips into the airline seat. "You have to put your health first now." But after all, thought I, Cape Town is a civilised place, no need for jabs and such, so how bad could it be?
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