Travelling while pregnant

Fifteen weeks: Last week my two children, my husband and I boarded a plane for the UK to visit family. My morning sickness lifted just in time for me to enjoy a much needed holiday, with a renewed sense of energy so I could enjoy some long walks in the Welsh countryside. We’re here for nearly five weeks, most of it in Wales and Ireland, but are taking a brief tour with my mum to Scotland, London and Paris. Phew! Many people raise their eyebrows when they discover I am pregnant and venturing on such a journey. I don’t really understand this ‘china doll’ approach to pregnancy. Surely our bodies are not so fragile. Both of my previous pregnancies happened literally while ‘on the road’ — travelling with my children’s father during his lecturing tours which took us all around the world for the entirety of my pregnancies. While emotionally it wasn’t so easy to be away from a home during that time, physically it was never difficult. But I don’t yet feel the baby. I know I’m not meant to until about week sixteen, but still, I’m waiting expectantly.