THE BIG QUESTION! Can we really travel pregnant? Of course not, as soon as you are pregnant, you are made of porcelain and you must not move. To be taken of course at the 1000th degree.
Very clearly, I don't count the number of times I've heard this sentence: enjoy it now and travel, when you have a child, you won't be able to. I think it's THE reflection that makes me the most upset, because NO, life doesn't stop when we decide to have a child. And I reassure you, it does not stop either when you are pregnant.
Be careful, I am giving you here my personal experience, I am neither a specialist nor a doctor and it is therefore advised to each one to see with his doctor what is best for you (I am totally cool, and as he reads my blog, I say hello to him.
Travel pregnant, in 3 quarters
The 1st quarter
I found out early enough that I was pregnant. At 2 weeks I already suspected it and I had confirmation at 3rd week ( the 6th sense overdeveloped). I hesitated between excitement and anxiety, but it was just incredible! It's hard not to get carried away and tell everyone.
But that little secret between Arno and me was pretty cool for the first few months.
Especially since I was very lucky because I didn't have any nausea at all this first quarter! Nothing at all. I thought that with the luck I had, I would be my nose in the toilet for 3 months and nothing at all! Obviously it helps to travel.
So during the first quarter, my little bean went for a walk in Porto, Prague, Lake Comoet, Mexico. I really haven't changed my habits for these trips. Apart from a little bit of fatigue and the belly pulling a bit at the end of the day, everything was fine.
Mexico fell rather steeply, because my stomach started to round up at that moment. It is easier to hide it at the other end of the world. It was very hot so I was hydrating a lot. I didn't do any big 4 hours treks under 40 degrees either. And fortunately Arno likes to drive, because as a result, I slept during all the journeys. The practice of taking a personal driver on a trip.
Finally, the most frustrating thing is the food. Like most women, I'm not immune to toxoplasmosis. Which means no more good dripping cheese, no raw meat, no delicatessen. What a torture for the greedy one that I am. But I wasn't too strict either. I ate all the hard cheeses, without asking too many questions, I didn't relay my salad every time. You can't say I was stressed out.
However, I'll tell you about the management of emotions. I had become a real madeleine, which made Arno laugh to see me cry in front of any TV show/series or animal that we met on the road.
The 2nd quarter
Well, bad luck, it got complicated for me. You'll hear everywhere "the 2nd trimester is magical, the belly is rounded, we're in great shape, we're no longer nauseous, a real happiness".
So I'll arrest you right now: there are no rules, and that's not true for everyone. For me, at the beginning of the 2nd trimester, nausea started and I just felt ugly. Besides, we're talking about the word pregnancy? Who had the idea of making up a word like that?
"So how's the fat lady?" Already, I didn't feel like I was at my peak of beauty with a mega-bonnasse trend. Then, I didn't fit in my usual clothes any more, and as my bidou wasn't out yet, I just felt like I had made a few too many meals.
The worst for me was mostly nausea, accentuated in the car. And bad luck, I love road trips.
It didn't stop me from traveling during the second trimester. The little lawyer was to relax in the country of Fayence, to see the Roman games of Nîmes, to pass a WE, a little rainy, in the Eure, made the tour of the Castles of the Loire to discover Iceland for a super road trip, and sunk in the Dominican Republic.
The hardest thing for me was Iceland. I was regularly experiencing severe nausea. Thankfully, there weren't many people and Arno could stop the car at any time. Not to mention the rotten egg smell of the geysers.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this wonderful experience and enjoyed visiting Iceland. It was hot despite this little inconvenience.
A few weeks later, I flew to the Dominican Republic. Although baby is a winter baby, it looks like he prefers warmth. My trip to the Dominican Republic was great. I followed everyone without any worries, I just avoided the horse and the Mojitos. But don't worry about hiking, snorkeling and quad biking! And then I let the others dance the batchata all night long, because I, at 9pm, was completely out of order. A wonderful souvenir of this trip!
Then we went to Malta for a little trip, but that was a bit hard. A really overwhelming heat which was not easy to bear. Arno was loved and looked for beaches to put me in the water, to cool myself down.
Last trip of the 2nd quarter: Seychelles
We were looking for a nice destination, not as a road trip. And we agreed on the Seychelles! We had the chance to travel with Air Seychelles and in business. The trip didn't start very well, and we almost canceled at the last minute. I fell ill the day before yesterday. 40° of fever, vomiting repeatedly. My doctor finally gave me the OK.
However, my first week in Seychelles was not a paradise. The fever had gone down but I continued to be sick, I coughed a lot and that kept me awake. I couldn't eat anything and I was really very tired. Fortunately I have an absolutely incredible husband, patient and caring. I slowly recovered and was able to enjoy the rest of the stay, which was incredible.
Anyway, who says you can't travel pregnant?!?
The 3rd quarter
For the summer, we have already exhausted a lot of our holidays, so we enjoy Paris in August, without the Parisians, a real happiness. It didn't stop me from spinning a WE in Marseille.
When your belly starts to look pretty good, don't hesitate to ask your doctor for a certificate, indicating the date of pregnancy and/or childbirth, which indicates that air travel is not contraindicated. I was asked for it for my last trips, and without any official proof of the date of pregnancy, the company can deny you boarding.
In fact, check on every airline until you can fly. The boundaries are not the same.
Always have something to eat. I had really reduced my portions quickly (more space) but I was hungry more often.
I was asked a lot of questions about vaccines or tropical diseases (Zika in particular). As you may have read, we did not travel to countries where specific vaccines were needed (I am up to date in my "classic" vaccines). For Zika, our trip to Mexico was already planned before baby cabbage, so I asked about it: the Yucatan peninsula was not a high risk area. Upon inquiry, I also saw that there had been cases of Zika in the South of France and other places known as "safe". So I took a lot of mosquito repellent and smeared all the time. My doctor prescribed me a test when I got home, to be sure that I hadn't caught it (your dear and tender also will be entitled to his blood test because there are not necessarily symptoms in the adult, for Zika, who is transmitted by hugs?
Listen to everyone's "good advice" with one ear. If I listened to everyone, I would go into hibernation mode and never leave the house. Pay attention to what your body tells you. Only you will know what's good or bad.
Don't completely change your habits. Are you sporty? So stay active, while listening to your body, believe me he will tell you when you do too much.
To conclude in style
Overall, I didn't really like my pregnancy very much. And it doesn't matter. In fact, I didn't like to no longer feel in control of my body, to see it change so much, to be sick, to be tired. I'm quite active and don't have any more breath after having climbed thirty or more steps would frustrate me very much. Sleep badly, feel as heavy as my man, and other inconveniences. But that didn't stop me from traveling pregnant.
Also important, the only rule is that there are no rules. My 1st trimester went well, the 2nd was the worst (I was sick, tired, feeling ugly) and the 3rd was great. I was in great shape, I loved my round belly, I felt my baby moving. And yet everyone will tell you that the best part is the second quarter.
I loved to know that I was wearing my little boyfriend, I was really looking forward to meeting him even though, let's be honest, it's still very abstract before he was really there (we know that but we don't really realize it).
That's the "magic" of pregnancy. It's full of contradictions, frustrations, anxieties, joys, discoveries and finally it's so crazy to make a mini human being...