Expectant women usually have to make lots of adjustments in their day-to-day lives as the pregnancy grows. Normally, most of the adjustments are needed in the second and third trimesters, and involve enhancing the comfort and safety of the mother and her unborn baby.
Among the inevitable adjustments involve car travel safety. Regardless of whether a pregnant woman sits on the driver or passenger seat, she has to consider how safe she and her baby will be throughout their travel. This article specifically addresses women drivers by giving 7 car driving safety tips for pregnant women. The following tips cover a wide range of areas including body positioning, general car driving safety, in-car entertainment, and handling health emergencies.
1.Adjusting the driver’s seat:
For most pregnant women, the normal positioning of the driver’s seat may be too high or too low depending on her size. If due to the current position you have to hop down or drag up as you drive, you are definitely not comfortable and this can affect the pregnancy.
Push back the seat so that the baby bump is at least 10 inches from the steering wheel. Ensure that the head rest is well adjusted to support your head and neck as you drive. For increased support to your spine, you can add a cushion. You’ll need to regularly check your pace requirements and change the seat’s position accordingly. You’ll also need to adjust the steering wheel. It should be aimed away from the baby bump at any time. So, you can tilt it so that its center points at your chest rather than the abdomen.
2. Wearing the seat belt properly:
Wearing seat belt is an issue worth emphasizing on because there are many women who for various reasons fail to put it on the right way and risk hurting the child in the belly. Studies conducted on the risks pregnant women face while driving when pregnant suggest that a three-point (lap/shoulder) belt is the best type of seat harness.
Here’s how to properly wear a three-point seal belt: fasten the waist wrap below the bump. Let it snug on the hip bone to your comfort. The shoulder strap should run across the chest, fitting snugly between your breasts and pulled to the side of the belly.
3. Quality Music is good for Pregnancy:
If you really love having great car speakers playing your favorite beats as you drive around, make sure it’s quality music and it’s safe for you and your baby. Music becomes unsafe for you and the pregnancy when volume becomes too high. Even if you are an audiophile and you’ve been ramping up the music on your speaker champion series speakers, you must now do what’s best for the baby and yourself.
Set your car speakers to play at a volume not higher than 65dB. Anything higher could startle your baby and cause distractions. Very loud volumes may also cause vibrations that can adversely affect your pregnancy. The best volume level according to neonatal science is below 50dB – the level maintained in neonatal intensive care units.
4. Give your body regular breaks:
If possible, a pregnant woman can avoid taking long journeys. But if you have to drive for six hours and more in a day, remember to give your body regular breaks. During pregnancy, one gets fatigued unusually fast and legs are more likely to swell. Taking driving breaks and stretching legs and arms for a few minutes promotes healthy circulation. Let your stereo play some nice music, relax your body and mind. You’ll effectively reduce fatigue, nausea, and blackouts which are often major concerns for pregnant women.
5. Drive more carefully:
While it’s true that a pregnant woman is very conscious about the need to drive with more care, statistics show that they are at a great risk of encountering accidents. A large study carried out in Canada revealed that expectant women are more likely to get into car crashes because they are more prone to making driving mistakes. The numerous hormones that run up and down the woman’s body and disrupt other body functions can partly explain this.
When you and your little bundle of joy are driving around, the standard safe driving habits aren’t enough for you. Remember to maintain slow speed and reduce distractions to the minimum. It’s also advisable to avoid driving at night to reduce the chances of getting fatigued, suffering low visibility and encountering drunk drivers.
6. Be prepared for health emergencies
It’s probably common knowledge that a woman’s health is at a greater risk during pregnancy than at other times. When driving, this risk is increased even further because of the car’s functionality, increased discomfort and fatigue. Even the most efficient car will produce fumes and a pregnant woman may find them quite displeasing. Fatigue and discomfort, even at their lowest levels may also cause health issues to a pregnant woman when driving.
Birth could come earlier than expected while one is driving. In the light of all these possibilities, you want to be prepared for health emergencies. Always have toiletries, a pillow, additional clothes, a fully-charged phone and any other item that you think might be of help during an emergency.
7. In the case of a car crash…
If the unavoidable happens and you are involved in a car crash, contact a doctor immediately. Regardless of how minor the crash might be, or whether or not you are hurt, it’s better to take this caution. Even a small internal trauma (that you can’t detect) may have serious implications on the baby or your health if it’s not immediately detected and appropriate measures are taken. Seeing a doctor immediately ensures that your pregnancy is checked and anything that needs to be addressed is taken care of.
Being a little more aware of the safety risks of driving while pregnant goes a long way in keeping a healthy pregnancy to the due date. Avoiding driving could be the best way of keeping these driving risks away but in our current modern world only a few women can do it. Add the above 7 car driving safety tips for pregnant women in your information book as you prepare for the good things motherhood brings. Your pregnancy means everything to you and you can do anything to protect it wherever you go. These tips will help you do that every time you are behind the wheel.