Are you thinking about taking a long road trip while pregnant?
Maybe you are planning a vacation and you don’t want to miss out because you are going to have a baby. Or maybe you have to travel for work, or for family, or for any other number of reasons, and you aren’t sure what things you should do to make your journey as safe and comfortable as possible.
When I was pregnant with my son, I traveled during all three trimesters, including a 22-hour road trip by myself during the third trimester. It is absolutely doable (assuming your doctor gives you the OK), and while I did have to change a few of the ways I normally travel, I was able to do it with little discomfort or issues.
So from one formally pregnant woman to you, here are all the best tips and tricks for taking long road trips while you’re pregnant.
Tips For Road Tripping While Pregnant During All Trimesters
1. Talk to your healthcare provider beforehand
I’m putting this out there right away – you shouldn’t make travel plans of any kind without your doctor’s permission. All these tips are for pregnant women who have the go-ahead from their healthcare provider to take a road trip.
If your doctor says it’s OK, then you should be able to make your decision on whether or not you are comfortable traveling. You should never travel against your doctor’s wishes because it could be harmful to you and/or your baby.
2. Stop for breaks every chance you can
I think you probably already know this, but you will be a lot more tired while pregnant. Driving long distances can be really exhausting even without growing a baby, so take lots of breaks and pull over to nap if you must.
In the same vein, make sure you stop often so you can use the restroom and stretch your legs. You will need to use the bathroom a lot more often than you used to (if you’re anything like me, every hour or so!) and your legs may get swollen and stiff quicker than usual.
Even if you are in the first trimester of your pregnancy, you should still stop more often because you should be diligent about keeping yourself hydrated, and if you’re drinking the amount of water you should be, you’ll need to stop every hour or so anyway for a restroom break.
3. Travel slower than you usually do
This also goes along with the above tips. Since you’ll probably be stopping more often, it will take you longer to get to your destination than if you weren’t pregnant. And that’s OK! Travel slower, don’t pack in as many driving hours as you might normally, and just take it easy.
This was a piece of advice I’m glad I followed when I took my 22-hour road trip from Minnesota to Pennsylvania when I was 30 weeks pregnant. Normally, I’ll do the drive in 2 days no problem, but on this trip, I broke it up into 3 days and was glad for it. My body recovered pretty well, and I attribute a lot of that to my slower pace and just taking my time.
4. Be patient with yourself
If you’re anything like me, you might not like being unable to do all the things you would do if you weren’t pregnant. Honestly, I was not one of those women who enjoyed it. I didn’t like being limited and I felt ridiculous waddling around as the due date got closer and closer.
And you know what? It’s OK to not enjoy it! But you do need to be patient with yourself. You’re growing a baby, and maybe it’s not always pleasant, but the limitations and restrictions are all worth it. Travel does not suddenly negate the fact that you need to make some changes.
And if you love pregnancy, I think that’s great! There probably will still be times you get frustrated because you can’t tie your shoe or you can’t change your flat tire. Be willing to accept help and try not to let it bother you too much – it’s only for a short time.
5. Keep stress to a minimum
Easier said than done, right? But stress is not good for you or the baby, so you should do whatever you can on your road trip to keep it to a minimum.
Maybe that means pulling over when it starts to pour. Maybe that means changing your plans so you don’t have to drive in the snow. Maybe that means getting an earlier or later start than normal so you don’t hit rush hour traffic.
Whatever will make your drive less stressful, do your best to make it work.
6. Know where the hospitals are
No one wants or expects something to happen while on a trip, but in case it does, you should be prepared. Whether you’re taking a day trip somewhere or a cross-country adventure, you should try to keep tabs on where the closest and best hospitals are around you along your route.
If you start to feel unwell, or if you get in a fender bender, you’ll want to be able to choose the hospital that will give you the best medical care. Sometimes you may not have many choices, especially if you are traveling through a more rural area, but having a general idea will help with the stressful choice later in case something does happen.
7. Wear your seat belt
I feel like this one is obvious, but I still know people who don’t wear seat belts. You are not just protecting yourself, but also your unborn baby, so make this non-negotiable.
Not only should you wear your seatbelt, but you need to make sure it’s positioned correctly. Even if you aren’t showing much yet, you still shouldn’t have the lap belt or shoulder belt across your stomach in case you are in an accident.
The shoulder strap should be worn between your breasts, to the side of your belly, and over the shoulder. The lap belt should be below your belly and across your hips.
8. Avoid bumpy roads
If you live in the United States, you know this is pretty hard to do (am I right?) but if you can help it, you should avoid super bumpy roads and off-roading while pregnant.
While the likelihood is pretty slim, all the jostling could cause problems, and at the very least, it’s going to be a lot more uncomfortable for you the farther along you get.
If you do have to drive on a dirt or unmaintained road, drive slow, drive around the big potholes, and just take your time.
9. Travel with a companion
If you can, try not to travel alone if you are on a road trip while pregnant. This will allow someone else to share in the driving and be able to help you along the way.
This may not always be possible but try to when you can. I drove solo both ways on my road trip to Pennsylvania, and while I was a little nervous about it, I made sure I kept several people in the loop about my progress. You should do the same if you have to take a long trip solo when pregnant.
I was also diligent about following the other tips in this post so I could remain comfortable, safe, and stress-free, and that helped when traveling alone in the third trimester of pregnancy.
10. Push your seat back as far as you can
You want to keep your stomach as far away from the steering wheel as you can, even in the early weeks of pregnancy, so that if you have to stop suddenly or are in a car accident, your belly is as far away from the air bags as possible.
Obviously, you want to make sure you can reach the pedals safely, but the more distance you can give between you and the wheel, the better.
Also, if you can raise the steering wheel up a little higher so it’s above your stomach more, this can be safer too.
11. Plan as much as possible
I’m a planner by nature, but I understand that not everyone is. Either way, I think that when you are pregnant, you are going to want to have more of a plan when you take a road trip.
One of the main things you are going to want to plan ahead of time is finding a good route. The route you take should have plenty of gas stations, rest stops, food options, decent phone service, and well-maintained roads. This means that highways are going to be better options than secondary roads.
Also, you should try to only drive during the daytime. Driving at night is overall more dangerous, and you won’t have as many facilities open if you need to use the restroom or grab a snack.
12. Get your car serviced
Make sure your car is checked over at least a week or two before your road trip. This is good advice whenever you take a road trip, but when you are pregnant, it’s going to be tougher and more stressful to deal with a dead battery, blown tire, or crappy windshield wipers.
It’s also a good idea to get your oil changed, tires rotated, and air and cabin filters replaced before any long road trip so that your car will run its best and get better gas mileage too.
13. Avoid caffeine
When you’re pregnant, most doctors recommend no more than 200mg of caffeine a day, which is usually about 2 cups of coffee or tea.
When you are on a road trip, you might be tempted to forgo this advice to help keep yourself more alert while driving. However, you should try to avoid caffeine as much as possible when pregnant on a road trip.
To keep yourself more awake and energetic, you should make sure you are eating healthy foods with lots of protein and fiber-filled carbs and drink lots of water. This will work better in the long run than caffeine, anyway.
14. Skip the heated seats
When you’re pregnant, you aren’t supposed to get your body too warm for a long period of time. This includes saunas, hot tubs, and also heated seats.
I know that in the winter, it’s really tempting to use the heated seats, but you should try to keep yourself comfortable with layers and the interior temperature controls instead just to be safe.
15. Get a good night’s sleep
The night before your long road trip, you should make sure you get as much sleep as you can.
I know that can be hard enough when you’re pregnant because you might be getting up to pee a lot and might not be comfortable, but a solid night’s sleep can make a world of difference when it comes to road trips, especially if you have to travel by yourself.
Go to bed early and sleep in as late as you can before hitting the road.
16. Pack light
You shouldn’t be lifting anything heavy when you’re expecting a baby, so do yourself a favor and pack as light as you can.
If you have to bring a lot of things, make sure they are packed in smaller bags or boxes so you can handle them yourself. This is especially helpful if you have to stay in a hotel overnight and won’t have a friend or family member to help you take things in and out of the car and up to your room.
Tips For Road Tripping During The 1st Trimester
When I took a road trip during my first trimester, I didn’t even know that I was pregnant until I had gotten home! In fact, it was during the drive that made me wonder if I was because I was SO tired and nauseous beyond what I might normally be.
When I realized it after the fact, there were some things I wish I would have been able to do in order to make myself more comfortable. Here are some ideas if you are taking a road trip during your first trimester.
17. Know the risks
As I mentioned earlier, I am not a medical professional, but all the info I found said that the greatest risk of miscarriage is in the first trimester. There are also certain factors that might make you high risk, so you should talk to your doctor about it before any long trips.
I mention this not to scare you, but to make you aware that even though you may not be showing a baby bump yet in this trimester, you still need to take precautions and understand the risks of being away from your home hospital during this time. Pregnancy complications do happen, so you should take that seriously.
18. Accept you may not feel well
I felt pretty cruddy during the first trimester. I was exhausted, had pretty bad morning sickness, and was a bit moodier than normal.
Realize that these are all normal symptoms and while they may make the road trip a little less pleasant, there are things you can do and bring along to make it a little more bearable.
19. Keep hydrated
Staying hydrated is always important, but when you are pregnant, it’s going to be even more so. Make sure you have plenty of water with you, and if you have an upset stomach, ginger ale is a great choice too. Whatever you can do to get the water in, you should do it.
20. May have to pee more
Even in the first trimester, you may realize you have to go to the bathroom more. This is good to know so that when you are on your road trip, you stop as often as you need to so you aren’t uncomfortable trying to hold it in.
I always like to utilize the highway rest stops as much as possible, even if I don’t feel like I need to go. There’s usually a nice area to walk around, picnic tables, and often vending machines. When I see one, I tend to get off and use the bathroom, because you never know when the next one might be.
21. Bring snacks
You should always have some healthy snacks with you on a road trip, but if you are nauseous, you may not feel up to eating the things you normally would.
Have some simple snacks, like crackers, readily available if you can’t keep anything else down. You will be tired enough as it is, so stay fueled as best you can with what you can eat.
22. Consider compression socks
Even early on, you may have some swelling of the feet and ankles, so consider bringing compression stockings or socks to prevent this.
These are also a great idea because they can help prevent blood clots and deep vein thrombosis.
23. Take it easy
I mentioned it earlier, but don’t try to plan too much driving in one day. The exhaustion is no joke, and if you are by yourself, you may have to stop a lot to rest.
When my husband and I travel, I normally drive first thing in the morning because I’m most awake then, but when I was pregnant (and didn’t know it), I could hardly keep my eyes open after only an hour. I needed him to take over, and he ended up doing most of the driving that day simply because I was wiped out.
If you have another driver, let them do as much of the driving as they can so you can get some rest.
24. Try B6, ginger chews, etc. for nausea
I found that both B6 vitamins and ginger chews helped a bit with my nausea. If I had known I was pregnant, I would have had plenty of these with me on our long road trip. This is something you can try as well.
Tips For Road Tripping During The 2nd Trimester
During my second trimester with my son, my husband and I took a babymoon to Cabo when I was about 22-23 weeks along.
Even though it wasn’t a road trip per se, we still had to drive to the airport (which is over 3 hours each way) and we spent a lot of time sitting on the plane and in shuttles.
Here are a few things to know if you road trip during the second trimester.
25. You’ll probably feel your best
I felt really good during my second trimester. My nausea and exhaustion went away, I was able to start working out again (with my doctor’s permission of course) and it was still easy for me to get around. I was also still able to sleep half decent.
Many women feel their best during this trimester, so if you want to take a road trip and your doctor gives you the OK, this is the best time to do it.
You should still make sure you drink a lot of water, eat as healthy as you can, and get lots of rest, but you might start feeling more like yourself again.
26. Use a lumbar pillow
Even though I did feel good, my back started to ache after sitting in the car (and on the plane) for more than an hour. It was probably the worst thing for me on that trip.
After we got back, I went out and got a lumbar pillow and it really made a difference! This is the one I have and I love it so much, It’s still one of the best car accessories I have even though I’m not pregnant anymore!
27. Wear compression socks
If you didn’t get them for the first trimester, I definitely recommend them for the second. I was fortunate that I didn’t have any swelling when I was pregnant, but part of that might be because I wore compression socks when I traveled.
Tips For Road Tripping During The 3rd Trimester
You are in the final countdown! Now things are starting to get real, and there are quite a few more things you should be thinking about if you decide to road trip during your third trimester.
This is when I took my long trip to visit family and attend my baby shower, and while it wasn’t ideal, I took every precaution I could and had a comfortable and fairly stress-free journey.
Here are some tips for road-tripping during the third trimester.
28. Consult your doctor
As always, make sure your doctor gives you the OK. Depending on how your pregnancy is, even if it is an easy one, your doctor may not want you to travel during this trimester. You should be prepared for this and not make any solid plans until you know if you can travel.
If you are able to travel, you should make sure you have your doctor’s contact info in case you need to get in touch with them, or if you end up going to another hospital, they can contact your doctor too.
29. Know the closest hospitals on your route
Hopefully, you won’t need one, but in case you do, you should know where the closest hospitals are along your route.
You should have a list with the addresses and phone numbers so if you need to go to a hospital, you can let either the ambulance know (if you called one), or you can quickly drive yourself to the nearest one without having to do the research in the moment.
30. Use a lumbar pillow
A lumbar pillow in your third trimester is going to be a lifesaver. It helped me so much on my long road trip, and I honestly didn’t experience much back pain at all, even on my longer travel days.
31. Wear compression socks
This is another item that if you haven’t gotten it yet, you’ll definitely want to consider the closer you get to your due date.
32. Limit to short trips if at all possible
You should try to limit your road trips to short stints when in your third trimester. You probably won’t want to be too far away from home, or for too long, the closer you get to meeting your little one.
If you do want to take a longer road trip, I’d try to do it at the beginning of the third trimester, when the chances of going into early labor are a lot slimmer (and you also aren’t as uncomfortable).
33. Get out and walk around often
Stretching your legs is going to be even more important as you progress through your pregnancy. You’ll be more likely to get leg cramps, and walking around will help with the swelling and achiness, especially if you are sitting most of the day in a car.
34. You’ll still need to pee a lot
The need to pee doesn’t get any better as you get further along in your pregnancy. If anything, it gets worse as the baby grows and presses more on your bladder.
Pair your walking around stops with your bathroom breaks, about every hour or so, and you’ll be good to go.
35. Take naps when you can
If you are fortunate enough to be traveling with another person, you should try to nap when you are the passenger. You’ll start getting tired more often again at the end of your pregnancy, so take every opportunity you have to rest and get some shuteye.
36. Have the infant car seat already installed
In the crazy happenstance that you end up giving birth while on your road trip (you just never know!) you’ll want to make sure you have the infant car seat already installed. The hospital will not let you leave without one, and as expensive as they are, you really don’t want to have to go out and buy another one because you forgot yours at home.
37. Have your hospital bag in your vehicle
For the same reason, have your hospital bag packed and in your car just in case. While you more than likely will have clothes and toiletries with you if you are staying overnight on your road trip, you may not have some of the other items you may want, like slippers, a bathrobe, your camera, baby clothes, etc.
Road Tripping While Pregnant: What To Bring
While I already mentioned a few things I recommend bringing while road-tripping when you are pregnant, here is a collective list of what I suggest.
Lots of snacks
You never know when you’ll get the munchies, and you want to keep your energy up and the hanger away.
Lots of water
Staying hydrated is important, so carry plenty of water with you. I like to have my insulated water bottle and then top it off with a gallon jug of drinking water. It’s a lot cheaper to do it this way too than to buy a bunch of individual water bottles.
Bucket
This might seem like an odd one, but if you are really nauseous or susceptible to motion sickness, you’ll be much happier puking in a bucket than all over the car floor, or having to pull over every few minutes to puke outside. It’s a good idea to have one just in case.
Portable toilet/Travel John
When you have to pee as often as you do when you’re pregnant, you might have to suddenly go and realize there’s nowhere close by that has a bathroom.
I actually started traveling with the Travel John and it’s really nice for peace of mind, especially for me in the wintertime when a lot of roadside stops are closed and there are no restaurants for miles. If you have to go, you can use one of these in the car with no mess.
If you’d prefer a portable toilet, this is a great one.
Lumbar pillow
I’ve mentioned it several times before, but it really is helpful. This is the one I have and I love it.
Comfortable clothes (including shoes)
Being pregnant can be uncomfortable enough, so wear clothes that are comfy and loose. This includes shoes. I like to drive in sneakers because they are breathable and flexible, especially when I get out to walk around. Also, if your feet have swollen, you’ll need to make sure you have something that fits properly.
Compression socks
These really aren’t expensive and they can make a big difference in your comfort level while driving, and also just in general when you’re pregnant.
Prenatal/other medications
You’ll more than likely be taking a prenatal and possibly other medications when you are pregnant. Don’t forget to pack them along!
Your medical records/OBGYN phone number
These are good to have in case you have to call your doctor with a question, or if you have to be seen at another doctor’s office or hospital.
First aid kit
It’s always a good idea to travel with a first-aid kit regardless, but you should make sure it’s stocked with items you’re allowed to take.
Blood pressure cuff
I was at risk for high blood pressure when I was pregnant, so I took mine every day, but even if your blood pressure has been good, it’s not a bad idea to have it with you just in case.
Belly band
If you are really uncomfortable once your belly starts to grow, a belly band might be worth looking into. This could make your drive a lot more comfortable.
Box to elevate feet
When you’re the passenger, a box to keep your feet elevated might be handy if you are suffering from swollen feet and ankles.
Pregnancy pillow
This isn’t necessarily for when you are driving, but for when you sleep at night. I loved mine (I had this one) and found it much easier to sleep on my side when my stomach was supported.
Travel Insurance
If you are doing any international travel or want extra protection, travel insurance is a great thing to have, even when you aren’t expecting a baby. It doesn’t cost much but is worth the peace of mind.
I use and recommend Safety Wing, but there are others out there too.
FAQs About Road Tripping While Pregnant
Is it safe to travel during pregnancy by car?
As long as your doctor has given you the OK, it generally is fine to travel by car when pregnant. However, every woman’s pregnancy is different, so how far you should travel and where you should go might vary. Always talk to your doctor before planning any travel.
How late in pregnancy can you travel by car?
Depending on what your doctor says, you should be able to travel by car up until the baby is born. However, depending on how far along you are, your doctor may not want you to travel very far or for very long.
Every pregnancy is different, so you should always talk to your doctor before taking any trip.
When is the best time for traveling while pregnant?
The second trimester is usually the best time to travel when pregnant. Most women no longer feel nauseous, their energy level is better, and they are usually still comfortable enough to travel.
However, as always, talk to your doctor about your specific pregnancy before travel.
How long should a pregnant woman ride in a car?
If you are pregnant, you should only ride in the car for an hour or two before stopping to take a break. This is good practice because you will need to stretch your legs often and use the bathroom every hour or so anyway.
Conclusion: Road Tripping While Pregnant
Road tripping when you are pregnant doesn’t have to be stressful or uncomfortable. There are plenty of things you can do to make a car trip manageable during this amazing time in your life.
I hope these tips helped you see that taking a long car ride while pregnant is doable!
