Ben1989

Thank you. We will. Our quote is with battle face who cover complications of low lying placenta (placenta previa). Still think it’s worth calling cuz they could literally just say no even though they cover it

dougzz

Ben1989 - I think you’ve started 3 threads on the subject of this trip. I can only wonder at the stress involved that might indicate, for both you and your wife. Whilst I’m certainly not a medical expert I can’t help but wonder if this would be better postponed, and if a couple of your wife’s family could not travel to see her?
At the point you’re asking for medical opinions from people in a travel forum, regardless of their qualifications, you have to think a step back and some rethinking of the situation is necessary.

Ben1989

I understand and it is a valid point but we’ve had these flights cancelled three times in the past 12 months. We’re seeing family and staying at their house permanently who are all fully vaccinated. Just want to make it clear we’re not going crowded beaches etc. The missus is close to a nervous breakdown (literally).

argonath

I'll tell my midwifer partner of 30+ plus years nurse/midwifery experience that her opinion isnt proper then ???

Confus

Then you should support her with the best care at a stressful time, rather than arrange a further-stress-inducing longhaul flight. Travel won’t make the underlying issues go away, and regardless of whether it’s a good idea, the drama isn’t good for either of you right now, particularly as suitable care is available here.

Specifically on the insurance point, insurers do expect you to declare anything relevant. The initial midwife report - even if since superseded by another one - is definitely evidence that they would expect to be given. If you had to claim and they found out later you had hidden it, you can be sure they would use it as a reason not to pay (or to pay a reduced claim). That’s not to say they won’t agree to cover you, just that they can use it in their decision (they also have their own medical experts they can call on to make that decision).

LondonElite

I would say declare EVERYTHING relevant

PUCCI GALORE

Ben, we have all had flights cancelled that many times and more. Since that time, clearly things have changed in your wor;d. I have the greatest sympathy for you both but honestly now is not a good time to be travelling. I do realise that your wife has set her heart on travelling but with the best will in the world, it is unwise. Would it not be a better idea if her family comes to see you, or that you wait until after the birth and then go?

As someone here has said - if you are not covered by full insurance and you travel against medical advice - you could have financial ruin on top of your woes. I know that this is not what you wish to hear = but I rather suspect that your family might think the same. To my mind it is an unnecessary risk. I would not allow any daughter of mine to take it.

AsiaTraveler

OP: I'm sorry that you've received conflicting medical advice over the course of your wife's pregnancy. It is certainly frustrating to have one midwife say that a situation is no big deal, and another refuse to sign off on travel for the same reason. However, that is often the nature of medical advice. I personally think the advice you received about low lying placenta from the first midwife was a bit too casual about the risks, but I'm not a medical professional so my opinion is based only on my own experiences with a low lying placenta & placenta previa.

Whatever you read here about whether the letter you have will suffice for the day of, it's honestly always going to be a dice roll based on if anyone looks at it, who looks at it and when. The captain has the right to deny boarding to anyone that s/he thinks is a safety risk so if questions come up there's no guarantee where things will land. There's also the chance (not high, but not zero) of your wife experiencing pregnancy complications and being unable to return to the UK on schedule. If you're willing to run the risk of your wife spending the rest of her pregnancy in the US, then that's a calculated risk you're taking.

To those saying "just wait until the baby is born": It's honestly not that simple, either. There's the physical healing time for mom required. There's the potential for any unforeseen complications with the baby. And usually doctors recommend waiting to travel until after certain immunizations are complete, which also take a while. Given the uncertainty of travel over the last 18 months, I can see why they might choose to take a calculated risk to travel right now.

The rest of my comments are really for anyone who wanders across this thread in the future - the low lying placenta piece of the puzzle seems to have been resolved in this case, but this is the only thread I can recall seeing on this topic in my 15+ years on Flyertalk, which suggests that people might wind up here in the future when they are wrestling with the same issue. If you're one of those future people, feel free to DM me if you want to talk further.

I had a low lying placenta with my first pregnancy and a complete placenta previa with my second. I've also kept up with a previa support group over the last several years, which informs my understanding of the risks.

Regardless of low lying or previa, the main risk is the increased risk of bleeding - if you go into early labor or start bleeding, it's dangerous. And the further into pregnancy you go, the more you have to be willing to accept the risk of being stuck in the place you're traveling to should you experience complications.

The dividing lines between a normal placenta position, a low lying placenta, and a partial previa may not be the same everywhere - different countries may use different standards- so I can't be sure how similar my low lying placenta was to the OP's wife. Treatment can also vary by location. For instance, I had a scan that confirmed that my low lying placenta had resolved well before 34 weeks.

Would I have flown internationally at 30 weeks with a low-lying placenta? I'm not sure. Maybe, and if my doctor/midwife cleared me, and if the situation seemed to warrant it. The complications around travel and COVID (especially if I had family in another country) might have convinced me that it was worth the risk.

Would I have flown internationally at 30 weeks with a complete previa? NO. In the US, they typically deliver at 37 weeks with a complete previa, so already that makes 30 weeks much closer to delivery. I was fortunate to go my entire pregnancy without bleeding, but the number of women that I've read about who wound up with significant bleeding episodes by 30 weeks would make me decline to travel significant distances unless it were a life or death situation for me. I did drive about 4 hours away after I was diagnosed with previa (maybe at 24 weeks?) but I'm honestly not sure I did I good job of considering the risks after my diagnosis - I already had the travel planned and so I just went forward with it thinking it was no biggie. I actually fell on that trip, which was terrifying even though it wound up not causing any problems.

HaleiwaFlyer

At the end, it is all about the costs of the risks, and who needs to pay for it when such complications/risks do happen. Majority of the time, complications do not happen, but it is when it does happen and financial loss are occurred that a person starts to really ask themselves, am I going to take sole responsibility. In a perfect world, we would all pay the financial costs for our own decisions, but clearly in this current world, this is not the case with lawsuits. Then the potential to assign blame is present, regardless of how much risks is considered by the traveling party prior to traveling. Meaning, who else should bare the cost. Hence, is it worth the X amount of dollars the fit to fly letter signer gets, for a high risk liability? The OP medical providers will personally decide, and apparently one of the mid-wives did not want any part of such contract.

Eujeanie

Putting aside all of your wife's physical issues with this pregnancy, I'm more concerned with what you've said about her mental state.

I can recall when my birth date drew near, I had the overwhelming feeling like I was on a roller coaster and I couldn't get off, the baby was COMING and I could not have been more unprepared emotionally. It was COMING and would CHANGE OUR LIVES and there was not ONE SINGLE THING I could do about it.

However, you mentioned a daughter, so not sure if this is her first child or not?

In any event, if she feels traveling to be with her family will help her alleviate any angst, WHY NOT have her Mom, Sister, whoever come and be with her for the last few weeks? She doesn't have to take a high risk trip, and she gets the support she needs.

Win/win

HIDDY

BA policy...''British Airways won't accept any pregnant passengers once they have passed 36 weeks or 32 weeks if they are expecting more than one baby. After 28 weeks of pregnancy, they require to see a letter from a doctor or midwife stating approximate due date, that you're fit to travel and that there are no complications with your pregnancy.

So as far as I can see....if your wife fulfills all the criteria in that statement then she can fly.

mun

Lots of good medical help here but my worry would be that if your wife starts to bleeding profusely at 30,000ft she could actually be dead before she reaches the ground. Is it worth it?

sunshinebob

That could be said about every man, woman and child on every flight every day.

Eujeanie

Not usually. I looked up placenta previa because I had never heard of it, very real bleeding risk.

bluemoon68

I sense your frustration is out of a feeling that every professional who errs on the side of caution you feel, rightly or wrongly, that they also have secondary feelings influencing their judgement be it a view against long haul flights in pregnancy or are against travel during the pandemic. It may be that they genuinely think there is a risk.