There are many issues of health concern that arise when traveling internationally with a baby, especially if you plan on traveling to a developing country with great risks of exposure to things like malaria, water-borne disease, or meningitis. Developing countries also tend to have poorer infrastructure, resulting in poor water and traffic safety conditions. Make sure to consult your regular pediatrician and/or travel clinic for specific health information for your baby before you travel.
HEALTH AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR BABY
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Hi, I am planning on making a trip to Japan and Cambodia in May, I will be around 25 weeks and it’s my first child. I am not worried about the travel part but the food borne illness I could get in Cambodia. I have lived there and have all the vaccines for Cambodia when I lived there. I also know the language and my way around too. I’m just worried and need more advise and your thoughts about what I should do and not do in Cambodia since it is a developing country and there’s definitely problems with food.I know we need to drink bottled water and be careful with what to eat but is there more I can do with maybe drugs that prevent worms/parasites if I do get it. Also if there is a medicine that’s safe for the baby if I do need to take de-worming medicine. I also have a few questions about what can pass onto the baby and what can not through what I eat and intake. Thank you!!
Hi Diane, it sounds like you have a fun trip planned! I know how worrisome it can be traveling when pregnant. In general, you can take precautions with food by avoiding raw foods. For example, don’t eat cut pineapple you buy from the street, and make sure any fruits that you eat you buy fresh before they are cut, and select ones with peels and skins that you will remove. Avoid eating street food, as yummy as it can be. If you are able to prepare your own meals, try to do so. When ordering out choose hot, freshly cooked meals. Of course, as you know, you can still get sick with things like worms and parasites even if you take precautions.
However, as I am not a health practitioner I can’t offer you specific travel health advice for Cambodia. I do recommend that you visit a travel clinic near you and let them know of your itinerary and your pregnancy. They can provide you with recommendations on precautions to take. They can also prescribe medicines that are in safe classes to take in pregnancy in case you do become sick. I had parasites during my pregnancy for which I could not take any drugs because there are not any effective and safe drugs for pregnancy to treat the parasite that I had. Sorry I can’t offer you more specific advice about this- please see a travel clinic so they can answer your specific questions and prescribe you safe medicines. Also, discuss your itinerary with your midwife or ob/gyn as she/ he may also answer some of these questions based on their expertise.
Lastly, a little bit of everything you eat, drink, and inhale gets passed to your baby, which is why eating healthy and avoiding certain foods is so important when pregnant. I’m happy to discuss any concerns you might have about specific foods, but you will want to also discuss this with your midwife/ or ob/gyn and a travel clinic.
For more resources, visit the CDC website on Cambodia and Japan. The CDC also has information on drugs safe to take during pregnancy and which are not, if you do find yourself in Cambodia with a bad belly and a doctor prescribing you drugs you aren’t sure you should take. Be careful, because I have had doctors overseas prescribe drugs that are not classified safe during pregnancy. Just because someone is a doctor does not mean you should not double-check with your own doctor back home or reference the CDC to make sure the drug class is safe!
Happy, healthy, and safe travels!