I have just booked a 3 week trip to the UK. I’ll be 29 weeks pregnant when I fly out and 33 weeks when I fly back.

Before booking the flight I did a bit of research into the pros and cons of air travel when pregnant. As far as I can see air travel isn’t recommended until after the first trimester – (not knowing I was pregnant at the end of December I travelled 4 times by plane and at that time I was 4 weeks pregnant!).

I haven’t found any specific reasons for not flying while pregnant although it’s important to remember that you’ll need a medical certificate to show that you have had no complications in the pregnancy and also your delivery date if you’re planning to travel between the 27th and 33rd week of pregnancy. Some airlines let you travel up to 36 weeks pregnant.

When I asked my obstetrician for a medical certificate she gave me a note dating the conception date and the delivery date. It was written on what they normally use for referrals to see a consultant.

I’m not sure whether this really counts as an official medical certificate and it doesn’t state that I’m in good health and have had a normal pregnancy so far. I will have to ask again at my next appointment as I feel that I should be entitled to something better. Another point is that although I live in Spain I’ll be travelling from France with a British airline so I need to check with them whether they need anything in English or whether Spanish is OK?