Driving with a newborn

[Muffinmonster50]

NC as I haven’t announced my pregnancy to friends yet.

I have only been driving for 2 years but I’d label myself a confident driver. I haven’t had an accident or needed to make a claim , I’m very cautious and sensible.

I now have an irrational fear about driving when I’m heavily pregnant and when I have a newborn. fears of an accident or breaking down at the roadside are making me anxious. I know I shouldn’t let it worry me but there really are some terrible drivers where I live .if I wasn’t so alert I may have experienced many near misses or actual accidents by now. The thought of something happening just feels me with dread.

I have 2 other dc age 7 and 3 and feel confident driving them around so I know it’s totally unreasonable to feel different with a newborn but it’s unsettling. Again the thought of a sudden brake pulling the belt into my bump and making my waters break is nerve wracking.

Can anyone reassure me it’s no different to now? Any advice or tips you found helped when you had your new baby in the car? I’m also not sure how I need to wear a seatbelt when I have a large bump? It would be gratefully appreciated !

Yes you need to wear the seatbelt. Going through the windscreen won't be good for you or baby. There are adapters to make the belt more comfy but I never used one.

Start planning car seats now... 3 across can be difficult.

You can get mirrors to see baby in back... but personally I found it a distraction.

Sorry I should have clarified, the position of the belt across my bump not by not wearing it at all 😅

You wear the belt under your bump when needed

You don't wear the belt across your bump - when you're pregnant you change the position slightly.

A car drove through a red light whilst I was halfway across the crossing when I was pregnant, he missed me by a half a metre. Another car decided to turn into a one-way street (the wrong way) as I was crossing it, again missed me by inches. Those two near misses whilst I was pregnant was enough to put me on edge for the rest of my pregnancy when walking in London. Its probably more dangerous to be a pedestrian than a driver. I wouldn't say breaking down is a rational fear to have - what about that scares you?

Oh gosh that’s terrifying I’m so glad you were okay!
I have had a burst tyre and an overheated engine in the past which were scary experiences, the thought of something like that happening again with a new baby in the car makes it all the more worrying! I am mostly concerned about a dangerous driver crashing into me as there are a lot of speeding drivers around here. I worry I may become a nervous driver.