In The Third Trimester
At 33 weeks pregnant, going into 34 weeks, we traveled via airplane to Florida from Colorado in February 2022 for one weekend. I wasn’t too worried about flying pregnant besides the typical anxiety created from the pandemic. Both my husband and I have been vaccinated plus the booster, so at this point, we were like why not? We desperately needed a quick trip after: putting the nursery together, making it through the baby shower, and all the baby prep stuff in general. Time for a change of scenery!
Airport
First, the dreaded process of going through security…a huge advantage we have is TSA Pre-check. My shoes are feeling snug and it is harder to bend down than it was before (I no longer can see my feet) so going through security without having to take my shoes off was amazing. Thankfully I have been able to keep up with some consistent workouts during my pregnancy so walking around the airport wasn’t rough at all. I did notice that on the train to get to the gate I had to hold onto the railings tighter than usual because my balance was off now that I have extra weight in the front.
I kept moving around as much as I could before boarding the plane to keep my blood flowing in my legs before sitting for the 4-hour flight. I wore compression socks and loose pants. Although I regret wearing my tennis shoes, next time I will opt for my Addidas Slides. I made sure to eat enough to keep me satisfied before the flight (but not too much) and nothing too salty in hopes to keep swelling down. Always got to keep baby satisfied… I brought a couple of snacks on the plane from the AMEX Lounge (apple and banana) to keep my hunger at bay during the flight. A lifesaver was having my reusable water bottle with me to stay hydrated.
Airplane
Unfortunately, there was a snowstorm occurring during our take-off time. Of course there was a delay on the flight due to de-icing (and before that we were waiting for a captain). With the extra hour of being seated on the plane the flight journey was slightly uncomfortable. Our seats we had chosen were a middle and an aisle with extra leg room. I was fine being in the seat, although I did take my shoes off because my feet were already getting swollen from being squished in my tennis shoes. My lower back had some tightness too so I used Brent’s sweatshirt to create support which helped.
Reading some tips beforehand and advice from my doctors, I know walking around to avoid blood clots is a good idea. Moving my toes, rolling my ankles, and doing calf-raises, kept my blood flowing while seated. I fared well during the flight until I had to use the restroom.
On a full flight, the aisle seemed crowded all the time so I didn’t get up much until I couldn’t hold it any longer. There was a line for the bathroom, and the aisle is already tight as it is to let people pass by. I had a hard time with a big belly in the way. Using the bathroom was cramp, but not awful. I decided to try my best to not use the bathroom again. My feet and my hands did swell up from the flight in general. The next day though they were back to normal, pregnant-normal.
Because of the flight delay, we didn’t get into Tampa till after midnight and our reservation for the rental car had been taken off the preferred list. Good thing we didn’t have to wait too long to figure out the car situation and were able to get something in a timely manner. We checked into our hotel about 1am. I was so hungry, we bought a few snacks from the snack shop in the lobby and a Gatorade then went straight to bed. The AC Hotel was great with accommodating our late check-in and then giving us late check-out at 4pm the next day.
Thankfully the flight back home was much better because we were on-time and landed ahead of schedule, so I didn’t use the bathroom on the plane at all! I didn’t pack snacks though which I regret because I did not feel great getting off the plane—mix of hanger and the overall exhaustion of the weekend. Ultimately, the flying experience in the third trimester of pregnancy wasn’t terrible, I most likely would not want to do a flight longer than 4 hours.
Getting Around Florida
We stayed one night in Tampa then two nights in Clearwater. Our rental car we had was very comfortable for me to get in and out of and the seats were great. I didn’t have an issue walking around Armature Works and the Riverwalk area in Tampa although I did take some breaks, but there was plenty of spots for that. The weather in Tampa was 80 degrees, so it was warm, but not unbearably hot (because you know, pregnancy is a whole temperature itself). I was jealous of Brent who could drink all the different craft beers this fun area offered, but the bartender did make me a delicious virgin margarita.
Our time in Clearwater was great, it was cooler with temperatures in the 50s and 60s, but for me it felt good. Walking around was easy because the Courtyard by Marriott we stayed in was within walking distance of the beach, restaurants, and shops. I wore flip-flops the entire time. Trying to decide how to lay on our towels at the beach was a little bit of a challenge, but I ended up laying on my side or sitting cross-legged which worked out for me. White sand on the Clearwater Beach is extremely soft and cool which felt like heaven on my swollen feet! I was hoping to float in the water, but the temperatures were too cold to do so. Swimming is great exercise for pregnancy! The time spent on the beach was very enjoyable.
I felt great going on many walks with resting in between, I would travel again during pregnancy. Sleeping in different hotel rooms was no different than the struggles I had at home sleeping (constant moving to get comfortable, getting up to pee in the middle of the night, etc.) and there were always extra pillows for me to use. The whole experience was uplifting mentally. Physically I could feel the changes in my body which helped me realize how close I am to the end of my pregnancy.
It was wonderful observing families in the airport and on the beach with young children which gave us good ideas for future travels with our child. We are so excited to explore more of our world with our little one, there are endless possibilities.
