pregnant posts
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
Dec 2nd, 2011 at 10:00AM: If you are traveling with a baby over the holidays, visiting with children on your next trip, or just hoping to convince a new parent that you don't have to hand in your passport once the new addition arrives, we've compiled a gift guide for families traveling with babies. Traveling light is the best advice you can follow when traveling with a baby (even without a baby, it's just good sense) but ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
Oct 24th, 2011 at 9:00AM: As my new baby girl was born in a foreign country, getting a passport was a necessity for her to even return home to America. Though Vera was born in Turkey, she's an American citizen by virtue of her parents' citizenship and entitled to a US passport. For Americans born outside the country, the US consulate issues a Report of Birth Abroad that acts as an official birth certificate and proof of US ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
Jul 29th, 2011 at 11:30AM:
Me in Istanbul on Mother's Day, 7 months pregnant, with Dalin baby product mascot
Just over two weeks ago, I made the leap from pregnant American in Istanbul to expat with child. My decision to have my first baby in a foreign country has been met with reactions from friends and strangers ranging from surprise and curiosity to outright disapproval. The transition to new parenthood is a ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
Jun 21st, 2011 at 1:00PM:
Knocked up abroad has been on a bit of a hiatus as my travel schedule has slowed and the due date has sped up. Feel free to catch up with posts on pregnancy travel, Turkish superstitions, medical care, and naming children.
I'm into the final month of my pregnancy in Istanbul and that means the countdown is on to get stocked up with wee tiny baby things, garishly colored toys and furniture, ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Apr 27th, 2011 at 11:30AM:
Not far along enough for second trimester travel? Read more about pregnancy in a foreign country, Turkish prenatal care, travel in the first trimester,Turkish superstitions, and foreign baby names on Knocked up abroad.
A few years ago, before the word staycation foisted itself into the travel lexicon, babymoons were all the rage. A babymoon typically referred to the last getaway for ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Apr 15th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Just arrived? Read more about pregnancy in a foreign country, Turkish prenatal care, travel in the first trimester, and Turkish superstitions on Knocked up abroad.
"Whatever you do, if it's a girl, don't call her Natasha," was the first bit of advice a Turkish friend gave me about having a baby in Istanbul. While a common and inoffensive name in the US and Russia, in Turkey and many other ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Mar 30th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Being pregnant in a foreign country, even as a traveler, gives you a unique perspective into a culture, their beliefs and practices, and values. While I've been in Istanbul, I've found Turkish superstitions to apply to all aspects of life, pregnancy and children no exception. Over the past six months, I've heard a lot of interesting customs and beliefs, some of them wackier than others. Turks love ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Mar 16th, 2011 at 11:30AM: For more on pregnant travel, see parts 1 and 2 of Knocked up abroad: pregnancy in a foreign country here and here.
There's no question that having a baby changes you: your body, your lifestyle, even your shoe size. One thing I hoped not to change altogether was traveling, as long as it was reasonably safe and comfortable for me and the baby. From the beginning of my pregnancy in Istanbul, my ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Feb 22nd, 2011 at 11:30AM: See part 1 of Knocked up abroad: getting pregnant in a foreign country here.
One of the best parts of my experience so far with pregnancy in a foreign country has been the excellent medical care I have in Istanbul. Like many other expats before me, as soon as I took a positive pregnancy test, I called up the American Hospital for an appointment. The hospital treats many foreigners each year, is ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Feb 16th, 2011 at 2:30PM: My first clue that something was different came when I woke up one night on vacation in Kiev at 3am, proceeded to eat 3 slices of toast with caviar spread, went back to bed and woke up a few hours later wondering if they made blueberry muffins in Ukraine (tragicially, they do not). That "time of the month" hadn't happened but flying tends to always mess with your body, so I didn't give it much of ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Sep 22nd, 2010 at 10:00AM: Fortunately, there aren't many babies born on planes. Run the numbers on this one: it just doesn't happen much. One would assume that rules around flying later in pregnancy have helped, but it turns out that these requirements really boil down to an honor system that leaves the carriers virtually powerless.
Of course, most pregnant women pay attention to the rules (or guidelines, in ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (2 years ago)
Sep 9th, 2010 at 3:30PM: At Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, a pregnant passenger saw that she'd have to go through the full body scanner and instead asked for a TSA pat-down. Her request fell on deaf ears, she told The Consumerist, and was pushed into the decision to get scanned. According to the logic applied by the TSA folks, the passenger says, "Oh it is less than an ultrasound, and it's really easy so just go ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Feb 3rd, 2010 at 4:00PM:
Pregnancy is already challenging enough, especially if you're a first-timer. Moms- and dads-to-be alike need a break from the doctor's appointments, planning and anxiety that come with bringing a new life into the world. So, when you measure the future in centimeters (you'll get it if you're expecting) instead of miles, it's hard to imagine getting on a plane, regardless of how attractive the ...
by Katie Hammel (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Aug 29th, 2009 at 12:00PM: I can understand the idea of a babymoon, a vacation taken right before a new baby is born. Enjoying one last (for a while anyway) trip before your life becomes a crazy blur of diapers and late-night feedings almost seems medically necessary. But taking a vacation with the sole purpose of getting knocked up - a procreation vacation - well, that sounds a little too "desperate marketing ploy" to me. ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (4 years ago)
May 3rd, 2009 at 12:00PM: Germany is struggling to combat a declining birth rate. And, it's everyone's responsibility to help the cause in its own way. TUI Cruises has come up with an unusual approach to encouraging procreation.
The cruise company is basically paying for pregnancy.
If you become "with child" on your honeymoon – as long as you are a passenger on the new liner, Mein Schiff – you'll get a full ...
by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) (4 years ago)
Jan 1st, 2009 at 12:00PM: On a flight from Amsterdam to Boston, USA Today reports that a woman of unknown nationality (though probably American or Dutch) gave birth to a Canadian while in flight. The miracle of international airspace is responsible for the citizenship, though it did not cause the underlying birth. There is no word on whether Northwest Airlines charged for the extra carry-on that materialized while Flight ...