The world – well, certain sections of the press anyway, are getting all excited about Samantha Cameron and her new baby, Florence Rose Endellion. She was born whilst her parents were on holiday in Cornwall and, although born one month early, you can’t help suspect that her parents were well prepared for the event or at least someone made pretty sure they were prepared.
The rest of us however, don’t have an entourage of advisors to ensure we don’t leave things behind when we go away or are properly prepared for what we are likely to face. Luckily, those nice people at World First are on hand to provide a few tips if you decide to have a last minute “babymoon” holiday before the big event.
Check that you are able to travel – both outward and return journeys
All airlines and most ferry companies place restrictions on how far into your pregnancy you can travel. This can be as little as 28 weeks or as much as 38 weeks depending on the company and journey envisaged. Florence Cameron came into the world a month earlier than expected, let’s say at 36 weeks, so she could have been born on a cross-channel ferry between Dover and Calais.
Get the right travel insurance policy – and read the small print
As with all insurance policies, the devil is in the detail. You may be thinking that the European Health Insurance Card is enough, but this only covers you for basic care. In France for example, it won’t give you the care in a single room which is fairly standard across the country but that the French pay for in their complementary health insurance. Check the details, especially on travel restrictions. It’s worth noting that World First will cover all medical and emergency expenses for both mother and newborn child as long as the airline or ferry company says it’s OK to travel.
Do your research – find out where the hospital is
In the UK and abroad, you could be holidaying in fairly remote places so you need to check that it’s not too difficult to get to the nearest hospital in the event of an emergency. I’ve stayed in places where the nearest shop (shop, not supermarket) was 30 minutes’ drive away. Make sure the health care and medical facilities are as close as possible. Just in case.
Be prepared
Take some essentials with you, just in case: blanket, baby grow, bottle, nappies and wet wipes. It might not be easy to get them when you’re abroad – especially if you don’t know what the Portuguese is for “wet wipes”.
In the latter stages of pregnancy
Take your hospital bag with everything the midwife suggested would be needed when having your baby in the UK. Be prepared for everything, because you know what it’s like, if you don’t prepare, something will happen.
Giving birth at a time or in a place that you did not expect to is a disturbing enough experience – especially if it’s in a foreign country – but a few precautions taken in advance will help minimise the stress.
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