Pregnancy brings several changes in the life of a woman. Even the simplest activity you do can take a serious form in the absence of proper administration. Most of the pregnant women like to avoid traveling by train suspecting of harmful impact on their baby. What should be done if it becomes necessary to travel? To help you in such a scenario, you need to get knowledge about the risks involved during train travel and precautions that you must take to ensure a safe trip.
Safety concerns of a train trip while pregnancy
Train travel is generally safe for women who have been going through a healthy and normal pregnancy without reporting any signs of complications. If you have been suffering from any sort of health issues like high levels of sugar or blood pressure, then it is advised to check with your doctor about your safety during train travel. They can evaluate your health condition and decide to either permit or prevent you to travel.
Morning sickness is one of the common types of issues seen amongst most of the pregnant women. This happens mostly during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. In those crucial times, it is important to wait and let this time pass before you embark on a trip. The symptoms become less prominent from 2nd trimester onwards and any odor or train movements would make you feel nauseous.
Some of the things that can cause you discomfort after 2nd trimester is the growing baby bump that can make it a little tough to walk. In addition to it, you may feel breathless while getting in and out of the train. You may also experience frequent urination due to which you have to reach to washroom quite often. So, it is essential to be ready to face them before your train travel.
What is the best time to travel by train during pregnancy?
Traveling by train at the time of pregnancy is considered to be very much safe after the first semester and till 37th week. After this time, doctors don’t suggest travel as there are chances that the baby can be delivered any day. So, it makes sense not to travel away from home by any transportation means after this time.
So, if there is any planned travel planned for you, ensure that it gets completed and you return well before 37 weeks of pregnancy. If you are traveling to your mother’s place for delivery, it is advised to reach there before the onset of your full term. This will help you settle to the new place and also give you time to find good maternity hospitals and doctors near your parents’ place.
Precautions to be taken during train travel
Though it is very much safe to travel via train, here are a few measures that you would make your trip a lot safer and comfortable for you.
Reach before time: Some trains halt for very less time at a station. As you are not in the state to run fast to catch a train, it is a wise decision to reach the platform sooner to the arrival time of the train.
Stay far from the crowd: Platforms are very crowded. You need to take good care of your safety. To avoid any collision, it is advised to stay out of crowded places.
Ask for assistance to carry your luggage: Pregnancy is not the time to carry heavy luggage on your own. You should ask a coolie to help you carry your luggage to your preferred destination. The other benefit of hiring a coolie is that they are well aware of the train timings, train schedules, and platforms where the bogies arrive. So, the coolie can be of great help to reach the right place in time. Coolies even help in parting the crowd. So, if you follow your coolie, you will get some level of protection from the crowd.
Keep your bags locked: During pregnancy, you would need several frequent trips to the washroom. Ensure that you properly lock your luggage with a chain and a lock to secure it before going to the washroom.
Carry important medicines: It is advised that you must carry all the basic medicines that you may require at any point in time. Your first aid kit should comprise of medicines to cure acidity, heartburn, fever, etc. Carrying vitamin supplements is also a good idea.
Also read: Car Travel During Pregnancy; Is It Safe?
Conclusion
The above tips will assist you ace train travel throughout your pregnancy wonderfully. As all women are different, so the need of every woman during this phase can vary. So, it is important to get a personalized consultation from a reputed doctor before embarking on a journey. Their right advice will not just help you meet your needs effectively but also ensure you a safe and healthy pregnancy.