Driving & pregnancy

[DaisyFay3]

Hi everyone. This is my first post & would like to ask at what stage was your bump too large to drive? (belly touching steering wheel). I'm a bit worried about baby safety if the airbag inflates or I hit the wheel.

Thanks in advance
Daisy

Never.
If you have a proper driving position then your bump wouldn't be touching the steering wheel.

I drove right up until I had my twins at 37+2 and i was the size of a house. My bump didn't touch the wheel even then, so you should be fine.
Getting out the car was another matter though...

I drove right up to the day before I had DS at 40 + 1. No issues at all

I was driving up to a few days before my twins arrived at 38.5 weeks. I didn't touch the steering wheel. Check with your vehicle's manufacturer as to where the air bag would hit you. It wouldn't surprise me if it was aimed at your face rather than your abdomen, but it probably would be a good idea to confirm that with someone who actually knows your car.

My bump didn't get in the way. My DH suggested when I close it was probably not a good idea to drive alone but could have done up until the birth.

My bump didn't get in the way. My DH suggested when I close it was probably not a good idea to drive alone but could have done up until the birth.

Still driving. 41 weeks today!

Nowhere near at 36+6. And I'm measuring big. I've had to shift my seat forward a little to stay comfortable. Getting in and out is a bit of a faff, especially on the drive as I can't fling the door wide open wiithout thumping DH car. I might be heading for the parent/ child spaces at supermarket from this week I reckon

We have 2 cars - one manual, one automatic and I can remember only driving the automatic after about 8mths....I'm short and the clutch goes in a long way and even adjusting the steering wheel to its highest level I didn't feel bump was safe. With an automatic I'm further from the steering wheel anyway

It is something you should consider and try to avoid if possible

Thank you all for your replies. I'm only 5 feet tall and my seat is all the way forward so that I can reach the pedals. I'm now right up to the steering wheel. I'm now on week 22 and already it's proving difficult to drive. Maybe the bus & train is the way forward!

I'm 5'3" with short legs, have always had to have the seat almost the whole way forward to be able to get the clutch down properly. I drove with no problems until I had a c section at 40+12.

Yeah maybe height makes a difference

I'm 5'7 but drive (pre pregnancy) with seat in same position as DH who is 6'1

And with DH out at work every day, I'd be stranded in our fairly remote from anything useful home if I couldn't drive :/

I'm 5ft 2 and also have seat forward but never had any problems and drove up to 40+12. Dd was born at 40+13. I don't really understand why people have problems but clearly some do.

I started to struggle around 35/36 weeks last time - big baby, big bump, small car. It wasn't so much the bump touching the steering wheel, but that turning round to check my blind spot or leaning and looking when pulling out of junctions became impossible. My work told me to work from home as they didn't think it was safe! Probably right in retrospect.

I'm hoping the bigger car I have this time will mean I don't have the same problems.

Oh, and I'm nearly 5ft7 so not necessarily a height thing, although my small car was a 13 year old Corsa so very few adjustable things; back and forwards with the seat and a twisty recliner knob - certainly no steering wheel height adjuster! Much easier now with a new Insignia where you can adjust literally every single thing.

Drove myself to hospital at 41+7 for induction with belly nowhere near steering wheel. Remember that in most cars you can adjust the height and angle of your seat as well as hitching it forward. You can often also change the angle of the steering wheel.

I'm only 5 feet tall too.

On my first I got to about 30 weeks before my bump was touching the steering wheel.

My second carried far more up front so had to stop driving at 25 weeks.

To be fair when not pregnant I'm almost touching the steering wheel anyway thanks to my stupid little legs so I had less room to grow in the first place.

A colleague of mine who was pregnant at the same time as me drove safely right up to 40 weeks despite being only 2 inches taller than me because she had far longer legs.

Passed my driving test at 32 weeks. Examiner asked me if I would be ok to do an emergency stop, I replied a very confident affirmative. He didnt ask me to do an emergency stop.
I did stop driving for about 4 weeks though, from 38ish weeks to about 10 days post baby, but that was more to do with the awkwardness of getting an 18 month old into a car seat at the back of a two door car whilst full term pregnant, than my belly.

I'm 5ft and drove until DD was born at 39 weeks.

I had a big bump and it was nowhere near the steering wheel at nearly 42 weeks

I drove myself to the hospital when my waters broke!

Was weird driving the car after you've had the baby, it feels really strange!