To ask when you stopped driving in pregnancy?

[drivingquestion]

Name change as asked in my due date groups under real name!

When did you stop driving in pregnancy? I’m 5ft nothing with short legs and finding at nearly 32 weeks that it’s harder to fit behind the steering wheel. I have adjusted my seat and the steering wheel as much as possible. I can’t lower the seat anymore or move further back as I wouldn’t be able to see or reach the pedals.

Attached pic - am I still ok for now? I have about an inch between my bump and the steering wheel. I’m concerned about whether it is safe or if I need to hang up my car keys for a while!

Thanks x

I don’t remember how far along I was but I stopped when my bump touched the wheel as it made it tricky and therefore unsafe. Maybe a week or so before? Roughly.

Right up until baby was born (he was 2 weeks late).

I drove on my due date

This has reminded me that one of my sisters, who is only 5’4, got so fat when she was pregnant, she couldn’t fit behind the wheel of her mini and my dad swapped cars with her for the last few weeks.

So she drove around in a big Jag and he was in her mini. 😂

Never stopped. And I was huge. It could be a squeeze 😂. I regularly drove 2-3 hours to visit my family and the only thing that made me want to do shorter journeys was my hips started to hurt if I was sat for too long in the same position - but by that point I was stopping for a loo break at least twice so I could get out and move around.

No one ever mentioned stopping driving while pregnant to me, not midwife, doctor, antenatal course etc. I did stop after as I had a c-section and I was told to wait 6 weeks.

Im 5'1

I was huge

But i still drove until the end maybe my car was different

I drove the night I went into labour

Never, it wasn’t really an option.

I had a colleague many moons ago who drove herself the mile and a half to the hospital in labour as her partner (who had recently passed his test) panicked and forgot what he was supposed to do behind the wheel. That woman was incredible. She'd only finished work a couple of hours before.

I never stopped. In in a crash the dynamic forces of the seatbelt plus air bag regardless of where you’re sitting will cause damage. I don’t know anyone that used the pregnancy seatbelt protector thing. And your uterus is low down in your pelvis where lap belt is even if you tuck under bump and it will slide up from legs when it tightens if you try and keep it off your pelvis that way.

I drove to the hospital at 39 wks for a checkup, didn't realise I was in labour, checked in at 11am and had DD at 6pm. Luckily DH arrived in time to see DD being born and take the car home so I didn't get a ticket!

About 6 months. DS was all at the front and. I’m 5 foot. To create a gap I had to move the seat back but then couldn’t reach the peddles 😂😂😂

I didn't

And I'm 4ft11 haha I just made it work

I drove until the day before DS was born which was over 42 weeks, had to get other kids to places whilst DH worked!

I never stopped, but I've heard of a couple of people say they had to stop. Your belly looks fine. I'm sure mine was like that too next to the steering wheel.

I had twins so was very big, but I continued to drive. I did worry a bit about them if I had a crash as the steering wheel was so close to my bump.

I didn’t. I even drove myself to hospital whilst having mild contractions!

I never stopped..drove 10 hours before baby was born.

Drove more when pg as didn't drink

I never stopped driving. In fact, I was on the way home from doing the big shop at a Tesco (alone - but that’s a whole different matter) when I got my first contraction. I was 3 days overdue at the time. Never occurred to me to stop driving.

I'm v short and in my 3rd pg had a huge bump. I did get to a point around 34 weeks where my bump was touching the steering wheel in my car and I couldn't drive it anymore but it was just about OK in DH's car so I drove that. As it happened we needed to get a new car anyway and the one we got I could fit in very comfortably.

If there is another car you have access to it may be worth trying that. There is such a wide range of driving positions/steering wheel set up in different cars.

I didn't actually realise that people did/were supposed to stop driving! I was still driving past my due date as my son was overdue

I stopped when the bump was rubbing on the wheel - it was quite late (39 weeks maybe?). 5'2" with short legs, and a massive bump. In my first pregnancy I was also massively swollen and could not get shoes on or move ankles properly; that did not help.

I only did with 1 of them as I had a broken rib , which we didn't know how it happened but oh my days was it ever painful when dc kicked. It would stop me in my tracks so wasn't safe to drive.
Rest I drove up until the day I went into labour. 5.3ft and was a whale