This is my second pregnancy and when they say that every pregnancy is different they are not joking. These two pregnancies can’t be anymore different. The first pregnancy I traveled like crazy. That may even be an understatement. The first thing I asked at my first doctor’s appointment was when I had to stop flying. My midwife told me 34 weeks. I remember being super bummed because most airlines will let you fly till 37 weeks (they all have different criteria so check with them before you book your ticket). I think during that pregnancy alone I went on over 50 flights. It was awesome.
This pregnancy however, I have only flown a handful of times. And when I was about 23 weeks things were going great, I was feeling pretty good so we went ahead and booked two trips for when I would be 32 and 33 weeks knowing full well that those would be the last times I would fly before having a baby. Then at 28 weeks I found out I had placenta previa and was at-risk for bleeding and having a premature baby. I was sad and then the doctor told me to not travel. It wasn’t like I was going on a vacation, these were once in a lifetime family events. But I understood that my health and the health of the baby came first.
But now what? I had purchased tickets already, and not only purchased tickets but purchased non-refundable tickets because we got them at a killer deal. My doctor gave me a note that said due to obstetric complications I was medically unable to fly. So crossing my fingers I gave the two separate airlines a call. The first was Southwest and once I explained the situation they were more than willing to work with me. They would not refund my money but they did give me and my flight companion, flight credit that was good for up to a year. They did not require my doctor’s note. The second airline was Delta and they were a little more difficult to work with. They did require my doctor’s note but only the information from it. Because I had used reward points to book the ticket they were able to refund them without further issue. At least that is what happened with the second person we called. The first wanted us to use them within a year similarly with Southwest.
Things ended up working out fine for me and we were lucky about that in many ways. If this happens to you don’t get discouraged. Know that unfortunately unless you bought a refundable ticket, the airline is under no obligation to refund you. However, most of the time they will be willing to work with you in some form or fashion so that not all is lost. My advice would not be to call and say “I’m pregnant and can’t fly,” because most likely they will not understand the situation. You want to stress that you are medically unfit to fly and were told so by a doctor and have a note that explains everything. Just keep calm and do what is best for you and your baby!
