When we were planning our 2020 anniversary trip, we ended up ditching our original plans to fly out to the west coast and instead, opted to check out some places we could drive to easily from St. Pete, Florida. That’s how we wound up walking all over Savannah, Georgia, and eating our way through Charleston, South Carolina.
This was our first road trip together, as we generally prefer planes and trains to automobiles, but we felt most comfortable driving for a few reasons, including:
- We could limit our interactions with other people while traveling, limiting our COVID exposure.
- We could bring our dogs, which was a new experience for us and meant we didn’t need a dogsitter.
- We had more control over the scheduling, since we learned in early June that I was pregnant.
We found that planning a road trip was more involved than our travel plans normally are since we couldn’t just sit back and choose our in-flight entertainment, but that with my being pregnant 11 weeks pregnant on our trip, there were also extra considerations to make. If you’re planning a road trip while pregnant, these are things you should know ahead of time:
- Discuss it with your doctor. This is more important now than ever, especially as we head into what is expected to be a crazy flu season. You will want your doctor to be onboard with your plans and get their recommendations for anything you may not have considered – for example, getting your flu shot before you go to help build both your and your baby’s immune system. If they don’t feel comfortable with you traveling for some reason(s), that should weigh strongly on your decision to take a road trip.
- Pack up the snacks and drinks. For me, this included a lot of fruit gummies, Goldfish crackers, Cheez-its and more water than I have ever had to drink in my whole life to help keep myself hydrated. Even if your road trip is on the shorter side, like ours was at ~5.5 hours long, you want to make sure that both you and the baby are going to be comfortable. I started feeling sick if I didn’t eat every hour and a half or so, which made having these snacks on hand super convenient.
- Wear your comfiest clothes. I could barely tolerate any sort of elastic putting pressure on my belly at this point, so I found that my pregnant road trip clothes took an even “cozier” turn than my normal travel outfit. Wear what feels best for you and your bump; if you’re not sure what that might include, I would highly recommend getting some maternity leggings to help keep you comfortable for the duration of your drive; I stayed in the three pairs I got from Motherhood Maternity for essentially our whole trip.
- Plan more stops than you normally would. Not only will you likely need to pee A LOT more than usual during your road trip (thanks to all that water), but you will also want to take the opportunity to get out of the car, stretch your legs and walk around a bit to help keep your blood circulating. Plus, it means you can stock up on snacks and drinks from the convenience store/vending machine/etc. if you didn’t pack enough for the ride. 😉
- Know your limits. Even with your doctor’s approval, it’s important to remember that you’re growing a human, and you may not be able to have a road trip that is as involved or elaborate as you’d like it to be. Recognize that your limits have changed, and that’s okay – it might not make sense for you to drive 10-hour days for a week when you’re throwing up throughout, but someday soon, you can bring your kiddo on that trip… sans morning sickness. For now, allow yourself to relax and enjoy a little time on the road.
I’m now almost 21 weeks along, and Tyler and I are kicking around some babymoon ideas that would also involve taking a road trip. We don’t have anything planned yet, but if you have recommendations, please send them my way!