Excess Baggage: the Low-down on Flying While Pregnant by Daniel Scott
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It is every pregnant woman’s nightmare. There you are, in an aircraft, 10,000 metres off the ground and a thousand kilometres from the nearest hospital, when suddenly you go into labour.
For one Nigerian woman, Abimbola Eduwa, flying from Lagos to London on Mother’s Day 2004, it was reality.
“I was just sitting down,” remembers Mrs Eduwa of the incident, which took place one hour into a Virgin Atlantic flight, high above the Sahara desert, “and suddenly I realised that the baby’s head was already through.” Mrs Eduwa was as surprised as anybody on board, having been advised by her doctors that it was safe to make the journey, as her baby wasn’t due for over a month.
Thankfully, episodes like this are extremely rare and in fact for Virgin this is the only recorded on-board birth in its two decades as a commercial airline.
Current health guidelines from international carriers are also designed to considerably diminish the risk of actually having a baby on a plane. Although most airlines flying out of Australia will permit pregnant women on board their planes up to 28 weeks through the 9 month gestation period, some, like Singapore Airlines will want to see recent medical proof stating the estimated delivery date.
For any complicated or multiple pregnancies airlines generally require a medical certificate from your GP/midwife/obstetrician declaring your fitness to fly. Perhaps understandably Virgin Atlantic stipulate this condition, even in single pregnancies, if any part of your journey takes place after week 28. Qantas also point out that some countries place limitations on the entry of non-national pregnant women.
As a rule, most airlines flying out of Australia (including Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates and Air NZ) will not fly a pregnant woman after week 36 of gestation, although some like Singapore Airlines and Virgin restrict travel beyond week 35. In the case of multiple pregnancies that time-frame is reduced to the end of week 32. In special circumstances carriers may allow travel beyond these deadlines but only after careful consultation with their medical departments.
“The health of the mother and baby is paramount,” comments Melissa Thomson, Communications Adviser with Qantas, of the airline’s policy, “if the mother is any doubt, she should consult her doctor.”
Restrictions on pregnant women flying domestically are more lax, with Qantas and Jetstar allowing those with no complications to travel at any time and Virgin Blue only requiring a medical clearance form after 36 weeks. “It’s the norm these days,” explains Professor Nick Zwar of the Travel Health Advisory Group, “to fly people domestically up to the point of birth, as similar medical arrangements on the ground make it safer to allow that.”
With more women playing vital roles in industry, there is added pressure to remain working late into a pregnancy and to continue flying on business. So what added hazards are there in taking to the air while pregnant?
“You are more at risk from Deep Vein Thrombosis,” comments Professor Zwar, “because of increased oestrogen and sluggish blood flow.” The possibility of developing varicose veins is also marginally greater while flying pregnant, although Zwar believes exposure to cosmic radiation (radiation from the sun and other galaxies in the universe) is only a major issue for airline staff. As always it is essential to check what your travel insurance covers you for.
So long as you are fit, though and take sensible precautions, there should be little stopping you from flying while pregnant. In fact, some believe that the second trimester (weeks 14-27), with morning sickness over and the difficulties of travelling with an infant still a long way off, is an ideal time to fly. After all the odds of actually giving birth is only a fraction higher than the likelihood of an immaculate conception.
However, should the extraordinary happen, it is comforting to know that cabin staff are well prepared. Virgin Atlantic’s training manual, for instance, devotes four pages to birthing instruction, including details on how to cut the umbilical cord.
Happily, though, in Mrs Eduwa’s case, the Virgin crew weren’t called upon, with a doctor and nurse on board helping to deliver a healthy girl as the plane turned back to Lagos. And the baby’s name? Virginia, of course, who will now fly free with the airline until she’s 21, courtesy of boss Sir Richard Branson.