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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

When did you stop driving in pregnancy??

30 replies

first1 · 10/03/2010 15:35

I'm finding it increasingly more uncomfortable and I'm only 30+2. I live in a small village with speed bumps everywhereeee and I'm starting to have a real vendetta against them! I'm sure many women continue to drive right up until the end but at the moment I don't feel like driving any more than the 10mins there and back to Sainsburys!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

waitingforbedtime · 10/03/2010 15:36

I drove up until 2 days before I gave birth.

BellasYummyMummy · 10/03/2010 15:37

i'm still driving and am 4 days overdue... i dont think i should as my bump touches the wheel which is really dangerous but i have to get out and about. I hate going over bumpy roads, and having braxton hicks while driving is awful! i will continue to drive up until baby arrives!

parkj83 · 10/03/2010 15:39

sorry to hijack, but do you use the regular car seatbelt, or do you use one adapted for pg ladies??

llareggub · 10/03/2010 15:39

I never considered not driving and I had SPD. In fact, I think I drove myself to hospital to be induced. Unless there are medical reasons for not driving, my advice is to carry on moving around for as long as possible.

Is this your first pregnancy? I found that there were things I did in my 2nd pregnancy that I wouldn't have dreamt of doing in my first.

TattyCatty · 10/03/2010 15:39

Right up until my contractions started about 24 hours before DD arrived.

rubyslippers · 10/03/2010 15:40

i drove during my labour

went out and cx speeded up a lot

drove home between cx - wouldn't recommend it tbh

PlumBumMum · 10/03/2010 15:41

I didn't stop driving until dh had to drive me to hospital in labour
and I've never found seatbelts uncomfortable either, can you get pg adapted seatbelts?

Original poster

first1 · 10/03/2010 15:43

Seatbelt isnt uncomfortable at all, but I get nauseous in the car recently. Hmmm maybe it's just a blip and will pass soon

OP posts:

Morloth · 10/03/2010 15:46

I think it was about 30ish weeks last time (don't drive here at all).

I backed out of my driveway and couldn't remember what to do next, decided right then and there that I had no business behind the wheel!

CMOTdibbler · 10/03/2010 15:48

The day I had DS.

sandyballs · 10/03/2010 15:48

When I was pregnant with twins I drove to the hospital for a scan the day before I had them. Took me a while to heave myself out the eat but felt fine and didn't want DH to take leave prior to the birth as wanted him there for as long as poss afterwards. All depends on how you're feeling really.

parkj83 · 10/03/2010 15:48

Something like this seatbelt adaptor

I never bothered with DS, but then, I didn't drive at the time!

I'm only mildly concerned, as I seem to be growing quite a bit, and I have enough problems with the upper part sliding up over my boobs and strangling me... and now the lower portion is threatening to ride up (Ooh, I hate my seatbelt!!)

mumatron · 10/03/2010 15:56

i drove myself to hospital after my waters broke with dd. dp was wasted had had a pint.

can you see why is now ex-p?

Gumbo · 10/03/2010 15:59

It never occurred to me to stop driving in pregnancy! I worked 65 miles away and drove to and from work until 38 weeks, when I went on maternity leave. Drove right up until the day before he was born... but then again, I also was cycling up until 5 days before I gave birth (I had a small bump) so perhaps I'm the wrong person to answer this...

randomimposter · 10/03/2010 16:15

up until the day my waters broke at 36+5. Would never have thought of stopping tbh. But follow your instinct, you know you best. Good luck.

MumNWLondon · 10/03/2010 16:46

I drove up until i was in labour! And then about a week afterwards.

Never occured to me otherwise. But I don't get huge...

rockinghertosleep · 10/03/2010 17:07

Drove during labour...45 minutes to home from DH's old neighbours whom we'd been visiting. Ate a curry, had a bath, then DH's friend drove me to the hospital right before my waters broke. DD born 5 hours later

During the drive I'd been having what I thought were BH for 3 hours already and I remember thinking to myself - "I don't know why they tell women not to drive during labour - if this were labour I could totally get myself to the hospital!" Cue me thinking "Oh god there's no way I could drive now!" when about an hour and a half after arriving in hospital!

skinsl · 10/03/2010 17:10

never considered stopping driving, and I was huge. I think I drove to the shops the day I started in labour.

Rindercella · 10/03/2010 17:28

With DD1 I drove right up to the eve of her birth - I remember picking DH up from the station at around 8pm and then going into labour at 3am (she was born a few short hours later). 3 days before that we made the mistake of taking my then company car (a nifty little sports number which only I was insured to drive) out for a run to Stratford-upon-Avon on a bank holiday Monday. Absolute madness - we got stuck in horrendous traffic, I started having severe BH and panicked like mad (not as much as DH though ).

I am now exactly 38 weeks pregnant and still driving - can't see any reason why I shouldn't be tbh. The only thing I have a slight problem with is reversing as turning round is a bit uncomfortable.

oldenglishspangles · 10/03/2010 17:33

I didnt stop. Apart from being driven to hospital by dh and home again after, i always drove.

MummyElk · 10/03/2010 19:23

didn't stop at all with my first pg, am now 39 wks and quite happy still behind the wheel....i prefer driving than being driven tbh, because i can control how i go over the speed bumps etc...it's more painful being driven..
also, i was VERY uncomfortable at 32 wks pg, and have got increasingly MORE comfortable as the weeks have gone on and the baby has moved further down...i'm not saying this will definitely happen to you but it MIGHT....just a positive thought for you there!
but as others have said, you know you best. just do what makes you happy. and comfortable.

14hourstillbedtime · 10/03/2010 20:19

Until I hired my chauffeur.... he has been an excellent addition to the staff, along with the cook, nanny, housekeeper and tweeny - it's so exhausting just being pregnant and then also having to cope with DH's dinner parties, colour-coordinating the napkins and seeing that the flower-arranging people do a good enough job for the Embassy!

Seriously, though, it really depends on how you are feeling and also what your other commitments are: I bet a lot (not all, obviously) of people who have posted on here already are on their second or subsequent child and hence you really do just need to get on with things more. Really not flaming you, as I remember well how much more precious I was with my PFB. Also, if you have SPD or some other horrible third-trimester problem, then completely understand you may want to cut back on some activities!

If I have any advice it would be, relax and enjoy this pregnancy as much as possible - and do what you need to do to make it through

14hourstillbedtime · 10/03/2010 20:21

Oh, and check out my post on driving in pregnancy (posted in the pregnancy section of Mumsnet - duh!) 'Officer, I think I'm having contractions'......

amyboo · 11/03/2010 08:16

I'm still driving and I'm 37 weeks. I am finding it a lot more comfortable now that we've got a new car - we did have a Peugeot 206, and now have a 308. I find that there's more room and the steering is lighter, so it doesn't hurt like before. I'm not using a special seatbelt - I just make sure it's below and above my bump not actually resting on my bump.

cupofteaplease · 11/03/2010 08:24

I drove when in labour with dd1. I was 10 days overdue and I'd had a sweep that afternoon. I was a single parent and wanted to spend the night with my mum and dad in case anything started (despite them living an hour away ) Anyway, in the car I started getting what I thought was back ache. Turns out it was early labour and once my waters popped during the night my mum had to drive me all the way back home in labour- not so fun!

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