Did your ability to park vanish when pregnant?

[aloha]

I normally hotly insist that pregnancy does not affect my intelligence/ability etc, but over the last couple of months particularly (I'm about 36 weeks) I have noticed that I've found parking to be a total nightmare. It makes me really stressed and snappy with poor ds ("BE QUIET!! MUMMY IS TRYING TO PARK!!) and I've damaged one of our tyres by going up the kerb so often. Does anyone recognise this? I'm getting worse and worse

[starlover]

yes. i ran into a car in the carpark a few weeks ago... oops!
in my defence I was more intent on avoiding the concrete pillar on the other side of the car... and the one I drove into was a BMW so deserved to get blue paint all down one side... haha

[Leogaela]

Yes! I was very proud of my ability to park before! But have to admit that my brain seems to be a bit mashed since I got pregnant. My memory is terrible as is my concentration and logical thinking. I am completely useless at work!

[motherinferior]

Actually I parked better while preg than at any other time, what with revving up for my test and all.

[JoD]

I haven't noticed any change in my parking abilities, although tbh I'm absolutely hopeless at the best of times.

I wonder if my DH is having 'sympathy parking difficulties' though as he bumped his car last night while reversing it onto our driveway ...

[beansprout]

I misjudged walking through a lot of doors, but once I was in the car I was fine.

[gingerbear]

I couldn't reverse park - bump was too large for me to turn my head and look over my shoulder. I was always bumping my bump on things too!

[BadHair]

Yup, driving in general got worse both times. I used to be able to park a massive, un-power-steered car on a penny but as soon as was pg I turned all pathetic and just couldn't judge distances. Have had minor scrapes both times I was pg.

[Bozza]

Yes but think it was a physical thing - couldn't move around so well to see what I was doing.

[Pidge]

Can't park at the best of times, but last Friday almost got completely stuck - jammed right up against the kerb, and with a car tight in front so I couldn't get out and try again, cursing through gritted teeth, with dd (2.5) in the back saying repeatedly "What's mummy doing?"!! Very happy to blame pregnancy hormones for this!

[Nik72]

My reverse parking is much better - it always used to deteriorate when I had PMT. Memory's crap though.

[charleypops]

I don't like driving at all at the moment (18 1/2 weeks pg), it makes me nervous. Don't know why, and I park very very slowly too.

Also twice this week I've gone to put a cup of tea on the shelf next to the sofa and missed it completely

[warmmum]

Yes, spatial awareness completely up the spout. Also once I was really big I could not turn around to check behind.

[motherpeculiar]

bad at parking generally but REALLY crap now.

I once thought that every pg woman was due at least one minor car mishap - seemed to happen to everyone i knew, especially in the earlier stages for some reason

I'm also with those suffering from memory loss and lack of concentration - it's getting a bit embarrassing at work and I am loath to admit any pg relation, but it does seem to be there

roll on mat leave when I can stop pretending

[tweetyfish]

i managed to reverse full speed into the only car in the car park... i'd totally forgotten to look behind me ???!!! normally a good driver/parker so not sure what happened there!

[CountessDracula]

No but when I had bad glanduar fever I reversed at high speed into a pillar in car park and trashed my car.

[Mirage]

Oh yes-I'm 20wks & had two near misses in 1 day last week-both times I nearly reversed into another car whilst parking.

[aloha]

Spacial awareness now gone completely. Keep walking into things!

[wild]

Found it much worse when ds born tbh. sOOOOO tired ...

[redsky]

Only car accident I have had in 20 years was when pregnant. Pregnancy didn't just affect my driving ability. I have NEVER regained my pre-pregnancy concentration levels - sorry to depress you!

[fisil]

Yes definitely. With my mc last year I was only pg for 9 weeks, but the car still bears two fantastic "trophies" from the time!

[Angeliz]

I met my sisters new man (yet another one) on boxing day at my mams.
The only thing i said to him was, "is that your car outside?", i then went to drop off my other sister and reversed into his car smashing his bumper, to which my 3 year old nephew said,"mammy are we going to walk?"

[Angeliz]

I met my sisters new man (yet another one) on boxing day at my mams.
The only thing i said to him was, "is that your car outside?", i then went to drop off my other sister and reversed into his car smashing his bumper, to which my 3 year old nephew said,"mammy are we going to walk?"

[Angeliz]

I met my sisters new man (yet another one) on boxing day at my mams.
The only thing i said to him was, "is that your car outside?", i then went to drop off my other sister and reversed into his car smashing his bumper, to which my 3 year old nephew said,"mammy are we going to walk?"

[FrenchGirl]

am fabulous at parking due to having lived in Bordeaux as a student and having to park a mini in extremely small spaces.
v v proud