Meghan Markle’s pregnancy: What we know so far

She’s well aware of the Zika situation

Entertainment Tonight reports the Duchess will not be accompanying her husband to engagements at the Fiji War Memorial or the Colo-i-Suva forest (she’ll be doing morning tea at the British High Commissioner’s residence and meeting women vendors at a local market instead, Hello reports ), and this schedule tweak is possibly pregnancy-related. The World Health Organization advises against travel to by pregnant people to Fiji (and Tonga, another island on the Duke and Duchess’ itinerary) due to the risk of Zika virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. The Duchess has likely discussed Zika risks extensively with her medical team, and if they’ve given her the green light, no one should hassle her about this. It’s her choice, and in both Tonga and Fiji, the risk of Zika infection is now a lot lower than it was in 2016, CNN reports. We can expect to see lots of long-sleeved outfits on that part of the tour.

While she’s technically experiencing a “geriatric pregnancy,” that term is outdated

“Geriatric” is absolutely the last word we would ever associate with the youthful beauty that is Meghan Markle, but at 37, she’s technically in the zone that some doctors (still) refer to as a “geriatric pregnancy.” The unfortunate (and downright rude) term has been replaced in the vocabulary of many medical providers by “advanced maternal age” (which is slightly less rude), but is still being used by many members of the press covering Markle’s pregnancy announcement. Labeling the Duchess’ pregnancy as geriatric may be technically correct as she’s over 35 but it’s hardly necessary when there are much kinder ways to phrase it. And while many royal watchers are pointing out that Meghan’s advanced maternal age puts her at higher risk for some pregnancy complications, plenty of healthy 37-year-old women have babies every day.

Now is actually a great time for her to travel

While a lot of airlines don’t recommend or even allow traveling (especially a long international flight) late in pregnancy (we’re talking like 38 weeks) Meghan is still far from that stage. The UK’s National Health Service advices British moms-to-be that late pregnancy and early pregnancy are the trickiest when it comes to travel, noting the airline rules and that: “Some women try to avoid travelling in the first 12-15 weeks of pregnancy because exhaustion and nausea tend to be worse at this early stage.” It sounds like Meghan is just beyond that uncomfortable bit and into the fun part of pregnancy. We can’t wait to see some royal bump pics.