Yes, it is necessary and also safe to wear the seat belt while traveling during pregnancy. Up to two third of all the pregnancy traumas in United States are due to car accidents.
Researchers said that wearing the car seat belt properly, whether you are pregnant or not can greatly reduce the threat of injuries in car accidents.
Most of the women worried about how to wear the seat belt during pregnancy.
When you wear the lap belt improperly, there can be increased pressure on your baby and sometimes it also leads to fetal injury. But, this doesn’t mean that pregnant women need not to wear the seat belt.
Proper buckling up can potentially saves two lives. Despite of which pregnancy trimester you are in, you should use the seat belts with both the lap belt and shoulder harness.
Guidelines on how to wear the seat belt during your pregnancy:
- Keep the lap belt just below the expanding abdomen and across the hips, but not across your belly.
- Diagonally place the shoulder belt in between your breasts, but not under the arms.
- If it is required, you can adjust the height of the shoulder belt to fit properly.
- Ensure that both the shoulder and lap controls are as comfortable as possible without feeling any discomfort.
Other helpful tips while car travel during pregnancy:
- Everyone feels discomfort while driving. So, it is better to limit the driving time not more than 5-6 hours in a day.
- If you met with a crash, immediately get treatment to protect yourself and also your baby.
- Contact your healthcare provider if you observe pain in your abdomen, contractions or leakage of fluid or blood from the vagina.
