Worried about baby - trapped in a car with car alarm

[bestwisheskindregards]

This morning my partner popped to the shop and left me in the car but locked the car and took the keys on auto pilot without thinking. The car alarm went off shortly after and went off 3 times whilst I was sat in the car, unable to get out.

I had a panic attack as it was so loud and I was trapped and panicking about the noise for baby. I'm still so worried that it'll have damaged baby's hearing.

Just looking for some reassurance as I'm freaking out. My partner feels awful 😞

Is this your first baby?

Baby will be absolutely fine. Please speak to your midwife about your reaction. Get a handle on your anxiety and panic. You're going to have hundreds more moments like this. Get some help before baby arrives.

Also, does your car not have a door unlock button in the driver's side? Most cars have a button to lock and unlock doors from the driver's side.

Did baby seem distressed by the noise? Children are often completely undisturbed by noises like that, in fact there was research that showed that home smoke alarms going off frequently didn't even wake children from their sleep. Unbelievable when you think how quickly we would react to that sound. Certainly when we had a water leak that set our smoke alarms off for quite some time when DD was a newborn she was completely unfazed.

It must have been very distressing being trapped in but unless your baby seemed upset or pained by the noise or you've noticed any differences in their hearing, I wouldn't worry. Car alarms are designed to be loud but not designed to damage hearing.

Sorry. I totally read that as you being pregnant! Just because you said he locked you in the car then you mentioned baby. I thought you were pregnant!
He locked you both in the car then?

Baby should still be fine. If you were in a large building and a fire alarm went off, you'd be hearing it for just as long while you exited the building. It will have seemed a really long time because you were panicking but it would have been quite shirt bursts really.

You'll both be fine.

And maybe go out and test if the door unlock button works from the inside if the car has been locked with the key. Some of them will work after the key locks the car but some wont.

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish I'm 28 weeks pregnant.

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish no I read it as she's pregnant and worrying that a car alarm has damaged her unborn babies hearing

You can’t damage the hearing of an unborn baby with normal external noise. It’s the hormones making you think irrationally. It’s all fine.

Baby will be absolutely fine. They're in a big balloon of water. It'd be like you being underwater in a swimming pool with an alarm going off - would have dulled all the sound.

I'm absolutely flabbergasted ( and Christ, I must be getting old if I'm using that word) that there is any make or model of car that locks you in on the inside!!

You baby is inside you, what on earth could a car alarm do to its hearing?!

[quote bestwisheskindregards]@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish I'm 28 weeks pregnant. [/quote]
first child?

so no actual baby in the car, just one inside you?

The baby will be fine. All the sounds are muted by the water around them. Have you ever dived under water? You don't hear much there.

Panic attacks will do much more damage than external noise. Please speak to you midwife and see if she can help you with some coping techniques. You need to look after yourself.

Your baby will be fine, they're well cushioned in there. Hope your partner isn't as thoughtless when the baby arrives!

@PutinIsAWarCriminal

Panic attacks will do much more damage than external noise. Please speak to you midwife and see if she can help you with some coping techniques. You need to look after yourself.

This.

Sorry I missed that this was in the pregnancy topic and it never occurred to me that you'd be worrying about an unborn child's hearing. In the kindest way possible, I think few people would consider this anything to be concerned by. If this is part of a pattern of very anxious behaviour it may be an idea to seek out some MH support

I'll stick my neck out and say that unless there is a back story of MH or constant concerns then you probably don't need medical support for anxiety.

When you're pg, everything is a bloody risk and it's really hard to work out what's serious and what isn't. It's very normal to pop onto mn and get another opinion. Replies like that actually detract from making mn supportive IME from when I was pregnant, hence I have a different opinion.

IMHO, non medical, the baby will be fine.

However please do seek proper medical advice if you have concerns about the baby or are unduly worried. Don't get stressed by what randoms on the internet post or you'll give yourself anxiety if you actually didn't have it already.

Sorry, I realise my post looks like a specific reply to @daisychainsandrainbows kind and balanced reply, it wasn't, it was a general rant that whenever anyone voices a concern whilst pregnant on mn you end up getting your MH questioned.

@FoxtrotSkarloey

Sorry, I realise my post looks like a specific reply to *@daisychainsandrainbows* kind and balanced reply, it wasn't, it was a general rant that whenever anyone voices a concern whilst pregnant on mn you end up getting your MH questioned.

This isnt just voicing s concern or asking for a second opinion.

She had a full blown panic attack. That needs some help and guidance so she can manage things like that.

The baby will be fine but you need to get help for your anxiety or talk to the person currently helping you. Read “why love matters” by sue Gerdhart for more about stress and anxiety (and managing it) and the impact on the baby.

You are a very effective protective blanket around your baby. It's natural to be worried but being so anxious that it ruins your pregnancy for yourself isn't healthy ( for you or baby).

Congratulations on your imminent arrival! I hope you enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and motherhood.

Oh DH has done this to me a couple of times, drives me nuts! He's done with an actual baby in car seat and me before and she suffered no ill effects! She seemed entirely unbothered by it.

You can usually get out somehow if you're coming from inside out anyway. Did you try the doors/unlock button on dashboard/door handles? Good to know in case it happens again!

Exactly this happened to me 10 years ago! Pregnant, locked in car by DH, alarm went off and I had a panic attack. I didn't even consider the baby's hearing though, it was just the noise and feeling claustrophobic that caused me to panic. DS is fine!

Never really sure what people mean by a panic attack, do they just mean they found it really very stressful and were upset about the situation? Surely anyone would be, it's an infernal noise! Certainly no reason to be worried about the baby's hearing, but I can totally see how I probably would be too, I worried about everything! Then when he arrived I realised I'd be worrying for the rest of my life, so I might as well have a beer and relax

@Cherryblossoms85

Never really sure what people mean by a panic attack, do they just mean they found it really very stressful and were upset about the situation? Surely anyone would be, it's an infernal noise! Certainly no reason to be worried about the baby's hearing, but I can totally see how I probably would be too, I worried about everything! Then when he arrived I realised I'd be worrying for the rest of my life, so I might as well have a beer and relax

Panic attack can be anything including hyperventilating, feeling like you will die, fainting, heart racing, chest pains. It's not just being a bit anxious

I went to a very, very loud gig at 37 weeks pregnant. It didn’t even occur to me to worry about the baby’s hearing. The band now soothes my kid. 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Cherryblossoms85

Never really sure what people mean by a panic attack, do they just mean they found it really very stressful and were upset about the situation? Surely anyone would be, it's an infernal noise! Certainly no reason to be worried about the baby's hearing, but I can totally see how I probably would be too, I worried about everything! Then when he arrived I realised I'd be worrying for the rest of my life, so I might as well have a beer and relax

Panic attacks are a very physical experience. I have never had one but have witnessed a friend having one on holiday once. He thought he was having a heart attack (so did the rest of us).