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Flying while pregnant: cabin air quality and your baby

Another consideration when it comes to air in the plane is that the air in the cabin is generally deficient in oxygen, it's dry and stale.

Usually, oxygen levels in airline cabins are about 20 to 25 percent less than they are on the ground. The humidity is only about 20 percent of normal levels as well.

Top that off with the effect of budget cuts necessitating the recycling and recirculation of air in cabins and you've got air that isn't very good to breathe.

This oxygen deficient air in the cabin is loaded with germs, carbon dioxide and other contaminants. The result of breathing it can be headaches, dry skin, excessive thirst, colds, flues, eye infections and shortness of breath.

If you happen to be asthmatic or have a respiratory disease, the risk of illness is greater.

Ways to combat negative effects of recycled air when you fly:

· Avoid drinking anything that contributes to water loss - like alcohol or caffeinated drinks

· For every hour you are on the plane, drink a glass of bottled water

· Keep your skin moist with moisturizers

· To better enable your nostrils to filter contaminants, use saline spray

· If you feel faint or short of breath, ask for oxygen

· Keep your legs up and move around as much as possible during the flight. Blood will pool in your legs if you don't move and blood pooling coupled with dehydration increases the risk of clotting and thrombosis

If you are in good health and especially if you are in your second trimester, when your pregnancy is in the easiest phase, flying shouldn't be problematic. For more articles on flying during pregnancy, we invite you to check out our site here.