Things to Know Before Traveling While Pregnant

This is a picture of myself  in Toronto, Ontario. I was 25 weeks pregnant.

I traveled quite a bit while I was pregnant. The following is a list of my travels during my pregnancy.

- St. Louis

- Pittsburgh

- Oklahoma City

- Columbus, Ohio

- Albuquerque

- Indianapolis

- I traveled to Los Angeles from Washington, D.C. 5 times 

- Petrified Forest National Park

- Las Vegas

- Toronto, Ontario

- Lake Havasu City, Arizona

- Boston

- San Luis Obispo

- Rome

- Amalfi Coast, Italy

Yes, I know that's a lot of traveling for one pregnant lady.

So here are the top 5 things I learned about traveling while pregnant.

1.) Travel in Your Second Trimester

If you can, try to travel during your second trimester. First trimester was terrible for me and traveling while feeling like I was in a constant state of being hungover was not fun.

The third trimester is terrible too. But, in a totally different way. It was not terrible because I was feeling sick but, because I was feeling so large. So large that I could hardly move. I waddled everywhere. And I mean, I literally waddled.

2.) Always have water on hand

Make it a point to carry water. Take a reusable water bottle and have it filled at all times. I repeat, at all times. I usually refilled it every chance I had. For example, I would drink a ton of water at restaurants and then made sure I filled my water bottle before leaving. Which leads me to the next point. 

3.)Don't take restrooms for granted

  

Use the bathroom even if you're convinced you don't need to. If you're leaving a restaurant, make it a habit of filling your water bottle and then using the restroom. Use the restroom at the very last minute. Make it the last thing you do.

4.) Have a lot of snacks on hand

I am a junk food kind of gal so, I carried a lot of processed sweets. Looking back, I wish I carried more granola bars and nuts instead of chocolaty treats. This is because while traveling, my chocolate would melt and I was so desperate for a snack, I would just eat my melted chocolate. Not that I'm complaining about melted chocolate because chocolate is chocolate. But, it was just too messy for being on the go. 

5.) Play the Pregnant Lady Part When You Have to

I think this one is the most important point.

So here's my story with this one. My sister, my friend and, I took a bus from Sorrento to Positano. It was probably a 45 minute bus ride. At the time, I was 6 month pregnant and I was barely looking it. At best, it looked like I just had one too many large meals.

Now back to this bus ride. It was a packed bus. People were standing shoulder to shoulder from one another. My sister, friend and I barely got on the bus. Let alone, we definitely did not get a seat.

Fast forward about 30 minutes into this bus ride. If you have ever been to the Amalfi Coast, it has such windy roads. Breathtaking and beautiful roads but, very windy. So inevitably, I start to feel super sick. But, I can't get to my water bottle because I need to hold onto the bus railing. I didn't want to risk bumping my stomach.

So just a bit of side note, I literally did not like when people knew I was pregnant because I felt like people would give me and my pregnant belly way too much attention. I was that girl who only told people at work I was pregnant when it was just impossible to hide.

So, I'm 6 months pregnant and on this bus that was literally making me want to hurl. I couldn't get to my water bottle in fear of falling on my belly. Then, within seconds, I started to feel so dizzy. Like the whole bus just started spinning. I knew in that moment I was going to faint. 

I looked over at my sister to make sure she knew that I was about to faint. She sees my pale face and starts to scream, "ANN, SIT DOWN. JUST SIT ON THE FLOOR!" Yeah, we caused a small scene on the bus. People were so confused as to why we were making such a big deal.

Thankfully, this nice man sees this and asks me if I want his seat. I really did not want to take his seat because I knew he waited early in line to get a seat on the bus. But, I was desperate. So, I just sat. All the while, his wife is giving me the dirtiest look for stealing her husband's seat. Talk about awkward.

Moral of this long rant, I wish I had just stuck out my belly and announced that I was pregnant. That way, I could have avoided all the drama and the awkward glare of that angry wife.

When you're traveling, let it be known you're pregnant. People will be more accommodating. Think about it, wouldn't you give up your seat for a pregnant lady any day? I know I would. 

And anything to make your life easier while traveling when pregnant is okay. I mean, you're making eye balls for heaven's sake.

This is a picture of myself in Capri, Italy. I was 6 months pregnant.