Team-BHP - Driving Tips - With a pregnant woman

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Originally Posted by phamilyman (Post 1118177)

Another thought - Good you have the Palio. else the (say) Swift's rattles would drive her mad too :D

:) oh coome on man SWIFT doesn't even rattle that much :)

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Originally Posted by amitoj (Post 1118302)

Play the music she likes.

Good idea, just her favourite songs and music, how about a favourite movie of hers on the in-car DVD player?

This is OT but a relevant message for everyone around moms-to-be and children.
Are you a Third-hand smoker?-Health-Health & Science-The Times of India

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The toxic particles emitted in the smoke of a cigarette get clinged to the place you stay much after your cigarette is over and it can very well affect your children's health as you try to smoke in their absence, a new study said.

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Originally Posted by Bubby (Post 1118310)

Good idea, just her favourite songs and music, how about a favourite movie of hers on the in-car DVD player?

If the road is smooth, its ok. But a bumpy ride can give a headache, watching a movie on a small screen.

Besides, it is believed that unborn babies can hear the sounds from outside. That makes music more preferred over movies.

Do not tailgate behind any other vehicles - maintain a healthy distance to avoid sudden braking. If required - ask the mom-to-be to relax and take a nap or at least have the eyes closed. The traffic situation around the car may tense the lady even if you are driving real slowly. Always keep some paper bag handy for nausea in the first trimester. For long distance travel during the second trimester (first and third are not advised by docs), roll down the windows when you see a clean stretch of road. Continuous AC circulated air is not healthy for the lady - fresh air in the car at regular intervals would help.

Whenever possible, do not allow the lady to drive even if they insist on doing so. Driving is a stressful activity which has to be avoided.

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Originally Posted by kalpeshc (Post 1118588)

Thats a nice thought of rolling down window on a empty track, to get the fresh air in, but I never knew that AC circulated air is not healthy.
Thats something i just learned.

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Originally Posted by amitoj (Post 1118563)

If the road is smooth, its ok. But a bumpy ride can give a headache, watching a movie on a small screen.
Besides, it is believed that unborn babies can hear the sounds from outside. That makes music more preferred over movies.

Rightly said, even looking into your mobile continuously for 10-15 mins while travelling on road results in a headache.
Well good music is the key.

Nice Thread guys, had seen this one before but didn't have anything significant to contibute. Well heres what I chanced upon while surfing today, its an article about the use of dummies to ensure safety of moms-to-be in cars during coming years, and later goes on to explain how to travel safely with the moms-to-be on current generation cars.

Pregnant Dummies Improve Safety - autoevolution

EDIT: Heres a reference pic from the article.

Great thread and very sensible suggestions. Here's mine, based on experience: Do not drive on roads you are not familiar with when with a pregnant woman. The worst thing that can happen is a bad road. In October, on the way back from Kumaon, my sister-in-law was with us, and in her first trimester. I followed much of what has been recommended, but felt absolutely helpless between Udham Singh Nagar and Rampur. That has to be one of the worst stretched I have driven on. We were all very tense, and actually got an ultrasound done once we were back in Delhi. Luckily, everything was fine.

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Originally Posted by Dry Ice (Post 1129014)

Nice article Dry Ice and a sensible posture for the moms-to-be who have to drive.

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Originally Posted by Axe (Post 1129033)

Do not drive on roads you are not familiar with when with a pregnant woman. The worst thing that can happen is a bad road. In October, on the way back from Kumaon, my sister-in-law was with us, and in her first trimester. I followed much of what has been recommended, but felt absolutely helpless between Udham Singh Nagar and Rampur. That has to be one of the worst stretched I have driven on. We were all very tense, and actually got an ultrasound done once we were back in Delhi. Luckily, everything was fine.

Very lucky you were, god bless, first trimester and a stretch of bad road :Shockked:

Thats a very valid point, one should not go on roads which are not well known or have not been roamed recently, this is valid for both city and highway driving.

As bad roads are a big NO, specially in the first trimester, they can prove to be fatal for the baby.

I feel one should always avoid drives after the rains, specially in places where it rains heavily, as rain water always take it toll on the roads.

I used to drive my wife to her office every day till about a week before delivery. And I followed these simple thumb rules (apart from the obvious normal safety precautions) -

* Never raise speed above 40/50 so that you are in complete control of the vehicle all the time and can stop it within a few feet if you have to.
* Watch out for potholes and bumps etc. Under no circumstance can you hit them at high speed. Avoid going to places where you know roads are going to be bad.
* Avoid sudden jerky starts.
* Avoid sudden brakes.
* Wifey chose not to wear seatbelts at all

On top of this, the doctor advised not to ever take a diesel Ambassador taxi because of the vibrations !! Those days I used to have a silky smooth Zen.

Firstly, I couldnt find a related thread, hence posting as a new topic.
Mods, please merge if found inappropriate.

Folks - I am totally confused with the various advices given to me recently by aquaintances about travelling with pregnant women. The missus is carrying (5 weeks) and works as well. She normally commutes to office in the office cab and the cabbie keeps rotating on a daily basis. Once we discovered that she is carrying, I decided to align my shift with her shift so that we commute together. This is to avoid the trouble of telling the cabbies to drive carefully, for obvious reasons.

Now, I have been getting different advices ranging from, the missus should not wear a seat belt (the risk here is to be compensated by travelling at extremely low speeds) to travelling only in the front seat of the car etc. I am unable to decide what are the exact precautions to be taken.

It would be of great help to me (and others in my position) if you can share some tips/advices/precautions while travelling with pregnant ladies.

Regards,
Arun

Arun, congrats on the soon to arrive bundle of joy :)

With regards to traveling with pregnant ladies, below are a few tips from the doctor which was told to us:

1. No travel by auto/2 wheeler.
2. In car, preferably front seat only with a cushion to support lower back later on during pregnancy
3. No travel for more than an hour without a break
4. Extreme caution on bumpy surfaces, pot holes, road humps etc.
5. Avoid sudden braking as much as possible.

Hope this helps and yes, we are expecting our baby anytime next month! :)

A couple of life experiences which I can share are
1) Keep the doctors contact nos handy
2) A small medical kit is a must and some throw bags for that occasional morning sickness feel
3) Keep a bottle of water or juice whenever travelling.
4) Get the car in shape for the commute - I mean the creaky suspensions, WA/WB etc
5) Always preferred my missus to sit in the front rather than at the back. But if you have company then they can prefer to sit at the rear.

I am sure you will receive many more suggestions in the due course of time. Pick the best ones.