Can I learn to drive whilst pregnant?!

[Sastra]

I'm currently 24 weeks and I am now working 3 days a week until maternity starts (35 weeks, including some annual leave).

I'm thinking of using some of the time to learn to drive, but are you even allowed to when you've got an increasing bump? Or is it inadvisable? Thanks!

Hiya!
I'm learning to drive at the mo- no problem with doing it while preggo, although it depends how you feel. I am due to take my test soon-although unlikely to pass- so will continue having lessons until I get sick of it (I HATE driving) or I just feel too fat / knackered.

I did take lessons until 36 weeks (and continued four weeks after birth of my child). By then I was so big that I did not feel like having lessons anymore. The only thing we did not practise was the emergency stop for obvious reasons.

My friend could still have some lessons but not take her test because of the forced emergency stop. Don't know if that was just the instructors policy

I was learning when pregnant with dd.
It stopped abruptly when she was born early (not connected)
If you have time I for it

Don't know, but I'm sure if you phoned one of the driving schools up they would let you know.

Just to warn you though, and speaking purely from a personal perspective, I found during each pregnancy I had, that my judgement of distance, spacial awareness, ability to memorise things, ability to cope with stressful situations or perceived criticism, and just not being comfy, just abandoned me.

Learning to drive is bloody expensive, and so is taking the test. Might be better to wait until you aren't coping with the pregnancy hormones too, to give yourself a better chance of passing.

A lot will probably depend on the instructor.

i learnt to drive when pregnant and took my test when overdue ( i failed but aht was nothing to do with being pregnant, i rolled back slightly on a hill start literally an inch but thats an automatic fail!) it was fine and you can still do the emergency stop, they do it going very slowly anyway ie in a 30mile per hr zone and warn you. my instrucotr and the examiner testing me had no problems with me being pregnant, tho when i said i was overdue i think the examiner was slightly paranoid my waters may break or something!

One of my driving instructors had a girl who'd taken a driving test with him twice, once in her mother's tummy when she was pregnant and once in her own right as an 18 year old. I had an instructor in another part of the country who learnt whilst 6 months + pregnant specifically because she wanted to be able to drive before the baby came.

There are no rules stopping pregnant women from driving, who already have licenses, so so long as you're compfortable driving, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to learn.

Do it! You'll find it really hard to find the time for lessons when baby is born.

I started learning at about two months pregnant and, after a couple of fails, passed the third time at nine months pregnant. I had made a few mistakes in the test I passed but reckon that the gigantic bump helped the examiner overlook them . It was a bit scary driving with the baby as a newly qualified and completely inexperienced driver but I'm now two years on and finally beginning to enjoy driving.

Best of luck. Hope you're a quicker learner than I was .

I dithered about with lessons after DC1, but found it really hard to arrange. When pregnant with DC2 realised toddler/ baby/ folding up buggy on buses would probably send me over the edge, so arranged to stay with my mum for a week, and do 4 hours a day for 5 days (much cheaper than booking a package intensive course!)

It was exhausting, have to be honest (not a natural driver), and I was 7 months pregnant by the test 2 weeks later. Wore very tight maternity sweater as hoped instructor might pity me and pass me, and to everyone's surprise (esp my instructor's!), I passed! :)