traveling by car while 6 months pregnant?

Question

Hi! I am going to drive for 6 hours to move to a new city this weekend. Do you have any advice on traveling while pregnant? Is it safe for your baby if you do a lot of driving? What should I do to make it more comfortable. My family says it would be too much to take a break every hour. Is that too much? I hear you suppose to stretch and walk around but do I need to do that every hour (it is a 6 hour drive afterall..) I am only concerned about my baby's health. I am 27 weeks along.... would it harm the fetus? Thanks for any advice!
Another thing... does anybody had the experience of moving - relocating while pregnant? Any advice on finding a new doctor/hospital ? THANKS!!!

Answer 1

Firstly congrats on the little one. Now down to your questions.
Firstly the drive. Do stop at least ever hour, get out, walk around and get the circulation going. Sitting for long periods, especially while pregnant, can slightly increase you risk of thrombosis, which is counteracted by the walking around. And if your anything like I was at that stage, your going to have to stop that often for toilet breaks anyway. Just factor the extra time needed into your travel plans.
Make sure you carry with you something (non-alcoholic) to drink. You need to stay hydrated, and driving can be thirsty work. And staying hydrated also helps counteract thrombosis.
Eat light, low fat meals. Avoid heavy and fatty foods. You will be sitting for long periods of time and a heavy meal on top of the room the little one takes, might make you feel a little nauseous. Take along nutritious snack too.
If you are the driver and get really tired - STOP. If you have another driver, change over and try to get some rest. If not wait a while until your not so tired before continuing. You are at the stage you will get more easily tired, so allow for that too.
I have traveled over 600km whist heavily pregnant, and neither of us came to any harm. Just take care of yourself, and that will take care of ther little one too.
I moved while 8 1/2 month's pregnant and my only advice is to round up as much help as you think you will need. Don't do the lifting, carrying, etc. but you can and should help with the packing (so you know where everything is going).
One helpful hint - mark every box with the room it goes in, and what's inside. That way when you get to the other side they can be put in the right rooms straight away (saves much lifting and carrying), and you will know which ones are the priority to unpack, and those which can be unpacked at leisure.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Car Travel During Pregnancy

Answer 4

I traveled 8 hours one way and 8 hours back several times, as well as travel for 3 days in a u-haul 7 mos. pregnant and the only thing that i experienced was a little back pain and the urgency to pee, and the taste for mcdonalds and taco bell. Bring a nice pillow on the trip, put your legs up on the dash for better circulation, tylenol is safe if you need it, and of course, avoid bumps and sitting too long (over an hour and a half) because you dont want the blood and water to pool anywhere. Make as many stops as you have to because its up to you and the baby when you need to move around, not your family. remember, you are pregnant with this child only once, so take care of yourself and the baby first! by the way, its safe to travel. dont let anybody else scare you. the only time its unsafe is if you are having bleeding problems or severe complications and/or only if your doctor has already warned you not to travel. but obviously, he hasn't. the only thing the doc will tell you is not to lift anything over 15 lbs.
when you get there, ask any women (especially neighbors, a good way to break the ice) with children where they went. word of mouth is always best because you hear all the dirt on the doctors. have a safe trip, mom!

Answer 5

Bring your medical records with you. All of them. You need full medical history for your entire pregnancy and your ultrasound. No doctor will even consider you without your papers, and transfering medical records to another state takes forever. At 27 weeks you need to find a doctor right away. If for some reason no doctor will take you, go to planned parenthood and see a midwife there. Many doctors are leary of taking women who are so far along in their pregnancy. Find the three closest hospitals to your new home first. Then look for a doctor who will deliver your baby at one of those. You don't want to drive 30 min in a new city while you have labor pains.

That said, moving is easy. Stop frequently. Don't feel guilty either, you need to stretch. Bring a pillow to sit on in the car, and if possible, don't be the driver. Drink plenty of water and watch your salt intake for the rest of the week so you don't get swolen legs this weekend while driving. Once you get there, make sure you rest for a bit with your feet propped up and eat. Don't lift anything. Don't even carry the small boxes. You can unpack once you have rested, but you shouldn't have any involvement before then.

Good luck and congrats :)

Answer 6

I was a cross country truck driver until I was 5 months pregnant and then drove 2100 miles to my new home when I was 71/2 months pregnant. Yes, I was tired and yes, I had to stop to pee alot. But, as long as you're having no other problems, I see nothing wrong with driving 6 (in my opinion measly) hours. Just take it as you feel.

Answer 7

I travelled 8 hours by car at 8 months pregnant. Check with your ob. Drink lots of water. Bring healthy snacks. Stop at least every 2 hours and walk around. I did not stop enough and my feet and legs were very swollen. Wear loose comfy clothes. Bring a piece of paper in your purse or wallet with all your pregnancy info (practitioner's name and number, hospital, # of weeks pregnant, complications, blood type). Oh, and sit in the front seat (much more comfortable)

Answer 8

I rode three hours without stopping at about 6 mo and had such severe cramping I thought I was losing the baby when I finally stood. Each hour might be excessive, but every 1 1/2 hr is essential, at least until you try it a time or two and see how you do. It doesn't require a long stop, just enough to get up and move a bit.

Answer 9

My doctor told me that it is safe to travel (by car, no more than 4 hours away...my mom lives 4 hours away) until the 36th week. I just moved to Germany from the US and I took a total of 10 hours in flight at 28 weeks. My doctor told me it was safe and me and baby did just fine. I would say it is OK but if you are worried, call and ask your doc. If you do go, plan for extra potty breaks, dress comfortably, and pack snacks and water for yourself. It is said that the second trimester is the most comfortable time to travel during pregnancy. Relax and have fun!

Answer 10

It is safe as long as you can move around now and then. If you're in a small cramped car, you'll need to stop more often. But, if you're in a larger car (like a minivan or SUV) where you can move your legs around, then 2 or 3 stops would work. All of this based on your history, if your doctor hasn't said you shouldn't travel, etc.

You could ask your current doctor's office if they have any recommendations in your new city? If you're not moving states, then it's probable they might have a recommendation.

Good luck!