How soon can/did you fly with an infant?

[Anonymous]

Agree with most PPs. At 2 weeks, I couldn't even find time to shower during the day. I was breastfeeding, and my nipples burned like fire, and cracked and bled every time I had to feed the baby, which was every 90 minutes. I personally was not comfortable doing this in public. Also, I was in the middle of my "baby blues" and I cried uncontrollably for no reason whatsoever for several days. If I were you, I'd wait it out until after the holiday rush for all the reasons mentioned by PPs. If your family is physically unable to come to you, make the trip after the holiday rush and when you are more comfortable.

[Anonymous]

16:01 here--if it was unclear, I missed the wedding because I would have needed to fly when baby was around 4-6 weeks old (given likelihood of an arrival a bit after due date).

[Anonymous]

I flew to the west coast with my 3 week old, a 6hr journey. I was nursing and it was a piece of cake. I also had a c-section as well. Personally I would probably not fly if my baby was on formula.

I'm not so worried about germs, even the H1N1 (as that seems to be peetering out with like slow leak in a flat tire). My main concern would be the baby's temperment, you might have to be prepared to cancel if your baby has reflux or just constant crying that you cannot figure out.

New first time moms seem to be really paranoid, if this is not your nature, then I say go ahead with it.

[Anonymous]

Can you buy refundable tickets and then see how you are feeling? Southwest and other bargain airlines usually have refundable fares for reasonable prices. I had a pretty easy pregnancy/labor/delivery and there is no way I would have been able to travel -- it took me 2 week to be able to walk 5 minutes to the grocery store and even then I was out of breath!

[Anonymous]

i remember before i gave birth thinking how stupid some of the advice was, like, you won't be up for a trip because, how can anyone else know? But at the same time, you don't really know how quickly you will bounce back. I was feeling great by 2 weeks, but not by 9 days. I had a second degree tear, and sitting hurt. However, I could have dealt with all that, but traveling with a 2 week old? ohhellno. My son was a fusser from day one and it stressed me out even at home. Finally, I would have been REALLY scared of the germs. Not just h1n1... My pediatrician told us not to take the baby into any crowded places (stores, etc) until he was a month old. A plane is gross! recycled air and people packed in like sardines...

No way in hell I'd subject a tiny baby to that. Hell, we are nervous flying with our 4 month old now...

[Anonymous]

My ped said no traveling before the first vaccines at 2 months. He said any kind of fever before 2 months is a medical emergency and you don't want to expose a baby that young to that many germs.

[Anonymous]

I flew with my 2nd child at 3 weeks. I was a repeat C/S. It was super easy actually. I put hiim in a carrier and covered him the entire time and he nursed pretty much the entire time. He was born the beginning of Dec and we flew home for Christmas. That being said - if I had tried to do this with my first I would have had a complete meltdown. I was very anxious about everything after my first - with my 2nd I was totally relaxed.

[Anonymous]

I will say this much, agreeing with PPs, you don't know what kind of delivery you will have. I didn't have a C-section, but had a really rough labor. Even sitting was painful for a few weeks, and the thought of having to walk through an airport would have had me in tears. H1N1 and other illnesses aside, you might not feel like it. If you have your heart set on it, perhaps you could get refundable tickets in case you change your mind. If you'd asked me before hand, I would have thought I would have bounced back right away...was not anticipating my DD's HUGE head and how it would muck up the works down below for awhile...actually, to further add an observation -I had some incontinence issues (not uncommon) for the first month. If that wouldn't bother you, no biggy, but I know that even with depends, I felt self conscious in public.

Either way you decide, I hope you have a healthy baby and an extra joyful Christmas!

[Anonymous]

No way, not with the petri dish cabin air in the winter with H1N1 and seasonal flu.

[Anonymous]

I second the idea of refundable or southwest tickets, if you really have your heart set on doing this.

Delivery, itself, aside, if you are breastfeeding, you may have some issues (so many of us have!). I ended up needing to pump every 2-3 hours round the clock because my son's mouth was not large enough to latch properly (amongst other issues). This was completely unanticipated, and really limited my ability to do much of anything those first few weeks.

[Anonymous]

Our friends just traveled by plane and caught H1N1 from a passenger (obvious it was from her, she was coughing and looked sick). I wouldn't travel with a newborn.

[Anonymous]

I've travelled early by car with both of my kids. DS was due 12/8, arrived 12/16 and we drove to NY on 12/23 for christmas. What a project! Imagine me sitting in the glider nursing my small piglet, ah, baby boy, while directing DH as to what to pack. I had a vaginal delivery but was SUPER sore and couldn't move around well at all. DS screamed a lot in the car bc he preferred to go 60 mph. We did appreciate being able to "car pack" as opposed to pack for the plane because I could just keep tossing crap we might need into the car. Oh my. But it was nice to go home for Christmas where my mom and all of her sisters were SO excited to see the baby and everyone was happy to take turns walking him around while we stared at each other and wondered what we'd done. The trips up and back were terrible.

DD was born in mid October. This time we waited until thanksgiving to trek up to my mom's house, travelling on off days to avoid some of the traffic. This time we were better off in terms of knowing what to pack, but we also had a 2.75 y.o. along with us (who was happy enough to watch videos, but did need to be fed a regular intervals ) Of course, DD managed to catch her brother's cold and spent the entire holiday coughing up more mucus than I ever thought humanly possible for someone so tiny. Good side was that I learned how to use one of those nasal aspirators!

In your case, you have the unknown of when the baby will arrive and how you/baby will feel once it's on the outside. But you also have the issue of travelling both by car (to the airport and back) and by plane. That's a lot of logistics with a teeny tiny baby. If you go, i'd advise packing in advance and getting to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Also, are you going somewhere that has some baby stuff set up and ready to go? Avoid bringing a pack n play yourselves, if possible, see if you can have a bouncy seat on the other end, too, etc. That will make your journey a lot easier. And can someone pick you up at the airport or will you have to get the rental car, install your seat and then put in all the luggage? It's an easy thing now, but doing it with unpredictable babies makes it a logistical nightmare!!

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't do it, for all of the reasons stated above. Also the idea of staying somewhere besides your home in the first few weeks after birth sounds like a nightmare. You will still be trying to get your own routines set up with the baby, figure out what you are comfortable with and how to handle things, and catch some sleep when you can. Throwing a new place into the mix will be very hard. Not to mention all of the well-meaning relatives who will want to pass your little one around. And if the baby were to by chance get sick while you are away you would not have a pediatrician close by but would have to just go to the ER--ugh.

I too am someone who does not get worked up about these types of things, but I wouldn't do it at less than 6 weeks of age. I know you are looking forward to Christmas but I don't think it would be very fun for any of you this way. It sucks to miss it but next year you will be able to go back to the normal routine and enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

I flew a 2.5 hr trip when DS was 2 weeks after a c-section. I was feeling good, DS was in good health. Pediatrician said baby could travel wherever I traveled. I BF the baby too, so he had my antibodies. It was no problem, and I'd do it again. Much easier than flying with a 2yo.

[Anonymous]

Crazy question perhaps, but is the train an option? Can you hole yourself up in a sleeper car? It'd be an easier ride, roomier, and you could limit your exposure to other passengers. I'm a big fan of the train...