Girls weekend trip to St Petersburg, Florida

Today was my last flight during pregnancy. This weekend was a girls weekend with three of my oldest friends (we’ve known each other since 6th grade). We went to St Petersburg, Florida. It was a lovely weekend, but too short, as most vacations tend to be.

A few highlights from the trip, aside from great company and awesome girl time:

• Beach! I love the beach and it was so nice to be able to swim in the ocean! I’m not feeling particularly heavy yet, but for many pregnant women, swimming is relief from the heaviness of pregnancy, as well as it being cool and refreshing.

 

• Sunburn. Boo to this one! I was pretty careful, but had one spot that I missed and got burned. I also must have had an issue with reapplying the sunscreen near my belly button (but not the rest of my belly, really). I’m using aloe and keeping my skin hydrated.

Midwife note: Pregnant women have more sensitive skin and are more prone to sunburn. Be sure to lather on the sunscreen and reapply!

• Food. Lots of great food. The highlight was Maple Street Biscuit Company. OMG.

 

• Run. I always aim to exercise on vacation, as per my usual routine. I had a nice run with my friend, Kellie, one morning. It was Florida hot and humid, but we enjoyed our short run. I’m pretty sure I haven’t run with anyone else in many years!

 

• My first pregnant puke. So this isn’t exactly a good one, but it’s a funny story. I grabbed some food before my flight. I had a small bowl of mac and cheese and a chocolate malt (don’t judge... I was craving calcium...haha). Once on the plane, I realized the flight had free in-flight messaging and signed up. I was writing to Fred during ascent and it was a little bumpy. All of a sudden started feeling sick. I even wrote to him, “I don’t feel well, I have to go”. Moments later, I threw up in my barf bag. Thank goodness for being a quiet puker - I don’t think anyone really noticed, thank goodness.
  • The worst part about this was that the seatbelt sign was still on. I waited a bit, holding my bag of vomit. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and ran to the bathroom to get rid of it and quickly got back to my seat. As a flight attendant walked by, I stopped her and quietly told her what had happened and asked for another bag, just in case. She was very sweet and brought it back. The rest of the flight she kept asking me how I was, which was nice, but also somewhat embarrassing. I survived without puking again.
  • This is not really pregnancy related. This isn’t the first time I’ve puked on a plane. I have pretty bad motion sickness and should have known better than to eat then read during ascent/turbulence!

Overall, it was a great trip. It was also my second trip in a few weeks, so I’m happy to be done traveling a bit. I’m lucky enough to have TSA precheck/global entry and also I checked my bags so I didn’t have to deal with carry-ons in the overhead bin. I purchased the optional insurance too, just in case. My trips went smoothly and I’m happy I took them. But now I’m happy to stay more local and with Fred going forward.
Midwife note: Travel is considered safe in pregnancy for most women. I always discuss the nature of the trip with women before they travel, especially toward the end. Most airlines will not let pregnant women fly past 36-37 weeks. I usually recommend 32-34 weeks at max, depending on where someone is going and what they are doing. There is a huge difference between going to a resort somewhere where you know no one vs going to see family somewhere. Here is what I usually go through this list:

1. Is the trip necessary? Is it a work trip? Work trips are generally easier to get out of!

2. Where are you going? Is it near any friends/family? Or are you going to a place where you know no one?

3. If, God forbid, you needed a hospital when you were there, do you know where to go? It's never a bad idea to look, just in case!

4. If, God forbid, you were to deliver early while away (extremely rare, of course!!!), would you be in a place where you could stay for several weeks or even a month or two after? The risk of delivery is low,, but a preterm baby would need to be in the hospital weeks to a month or two after birth, depending.

5. I would recommend getting the optional trip insurance no matter what. This will help you if you did need to cancel last minute for any reason. It's very hard to get money back (even with a note from a medical provider) for trip cancellation.

6. Check your bags, especially if traveling alone, so you don’t have to worry about overhead bins.