Airplane Travel
by Cynthia Flynn, CNM, Ph.D.

Q. I'm planning a vacation, and I will be just over six months pregnant. When flying is there any special precautions I should take and in higher altitudes am I at higher risk for preterm labor? This is a trip that was planned before I got pregnant. Should I cancel?

A. I tell my healthy clients that they can fly until 34 weeks, but they have to walk the aisles as much as possible and drink like a fish--water, that is. The air is very dry on a plane, and you don't want blood to pool in the legs. Be careful to steady your balance as you're walking the aisles!

You may also want to check with the airlines as they made have restrictions for pregnant women flying in the third trimester.