Has anyone learned to drive whilst pregnant?

[Boo81]

I'm 26 weeks and my DP just bought a car. Am I mad considering learning to drive at this stage? Or should I just leave it until after the birth?

My mum did. She passed at 7 1/2months pg.

My dad still insists it was because the tester didn't want her to "drop a baby" in the car.
I think he's still bitter about her passing first time when it took him 3 attempts!

yep i did and am sooo glad i did as it's great now to know that i can drive when baby is born. i'd advise going for a big big blitz to get it over with as soon as possible..

Yes, I did! Started lessons at almost exactly the same time as I conceived, coincidentally, and passed test on 11 Oct (4 months pregnant). Told driving instructor at about 3 months and he said I'd better pass first time, then, as pregnant women were harder to teach as they didn't take criticism well! I also told the examiner that I was pregnant so he wouldn't make me do emergency stops. Not sure if that made him more lenient towards me or not...Also, my grandma passed her test at 7 and a half months (although that was in the 60s, and I'm sure the test is harder now!).

The only thing is, lessons are really expensive, so you probably want to blitz it as HappyGirl says if you're already 26 weeks. I had learned before 10 years ago so wasn't quite starting from scratch, and it took me 4 months, although some of that was waiting for a test date (10 week waiting list in my area). I don't know if you'll be able to continue learning with a newborn/be able to concentrate as well with the sleep deprivation, and you don't want to pay for heaps of lessons, then stop for a while and then have to pay for heaps more just to get yourself back to where you were. Also, book your theory test as soon as possible so there's no delay to booking your practical when the instructor thinks you're ready.

Good luck - I love driving now! It still feels bizarre that I can just get in the car and go wherever I like without having to organise lifts/look up buses/trains.

Alo, one of the first things Mum said to me when I told her I was pregnant was to hurry up and pass my test. She had my twin and I when living in country with one bus a day to nearest shops, and couldn't drive. Life will be so much easier for you if you can drive, according to her!

I did. So glad I did.

Yes, pregnancy was my incentive to learn after many horrible bus journey's with my niece. I passed 2 weeks before due date. My driving instructor did advise me that even though he would not ask me to do an emergency stop, I had to be prepared to do one. This was also said to me on my test.

Yes, I passed when I was 6 months. It was really hard work but I am very glad I did it.

I hate driving still but at least I can take the kids to emergency dr's appointments/birthday parties now.

Also, pushing a pra, in the snow is crappy.

Good luck!

pram pushing a pram!

Hubby taught me to drive to begin with and it was a lot of fun, so much so I fell pregnant with ds 3 weeks into it lol. Passed my test 3 weeks before giving birth, 2nd attempt so was cutting it fine. My instructor told me that if you tell your examiner you won't do emergency stops it's an instant fail although an examiner is highly unlikely to ask you to do one if you're clearly pregnant.

Passed at 38 weeks which was great as had an emergency section with dd and it would have taken ages to pass with the break of post section and caring for dd in the early days.

If you do get one of these www.johnlewis.com/230557341/Product.aspx

as you might be a bit heavy on the brakes to begin with. I got one when I found out I'm rhesus negative and got more worried about the consequences of bruising or a bleed if I had an accident. It would protect you if you're concerned about emergency stops (which its a good idea to do because they do happen in RL driving not just tests).

I think my bump belt is fab. It takes about 10 secs to put on and I feel a lot happier not having the seatbelt resting on my bump. It's very easy to move between seats/cars too, just one strap to do up.

Good luck!

Sorry - bump belt link properly posted: www.johnlewis.com/230557341/Product.aspx

Thanks for all your replies. I think I'll bite the bullet and try to learn before the baby comes. Think its cutting it fine thinking I might pass my test by then but you never know.

The bump belt looks like a great idea. I'm also rhesus negative so need to take care of bumps, etc.

I learnt and passed my test in 3 months whilst pregnant. I sat the written at around 3.5 months and as soon as i passed that i booked the practicle. after 3 months of 2 lessons a week i passed with one minor fault. Pretty impressed with myself. I didnt' want to be like my mother who is a 3 route person!
A week after passing my test i decided to drive from London to Inverness to see if i could do it. And i did. It was awesome, 7 months preggers and hitting the road like a teenager. Loved it. I have never looked back, that was 1.5 years ago, and since then i drive nearly every day and have driven a few times overseas on the wrong side and everything.
My adivice is DO IT. You wont' regret it.

When my driving examiner asked about i pregnancy i said i was having a girl and i planned on calling her Jane. That was the name of the examiner, sneaky.... My daughter is not called Jane.

my mum took her test in a mini whilst eight months pg with twins (back in the 60s)

You might as well do it now, while you have the time! Who knows what it'll be like once DC has arrived....

I'd do it, it'll give you so much more independence.

I passed my driving test 8 1/2 months pregnant with DD1. So glad I did as it made things much easier.

I'm not sure if I got any special treatment though, since the examiner did not even realise I was pregnant! I am slightly concerned about this really, since he walked from the building out to the car with me waddling along beside him, and then he watched me struggle to get in the car. I'm not a big lady, so the bump was definitely very obvious by then! I do wonder about his observational skills as a result....

The bump belt is a great plan - I have one now for my current pregnancy and have found that it makes driving much more comfortable. I also used a Klunkclip - to stop the belt from going too tight around the bump. I don't think it improves the safety for bump like the bump belt claims to, but it does make it more comfortable to drive.

Go for it Boo, good luck!

I looked into doing this a bit later on in my pg and it didn't work out in terms of dates for me. You need to get your theory test booked and passed first and that can take up to 4 weeks depending on where you are, they're v busy. After that you should book your practical test immediately as the waiting list for that is about 6 weeks. You can start an intensive course (1 or 2 week) once you've done this? Good luck!