| Baby's at the wheel, though not yet a teen! So when Driving for two, Keep space in between. |
| <> Accidents - Utero Trauma |
| Motor vehicle accidents are the main cause of fetal death and serious injury resulting from trauma. They are also the main cause of maternal trauma not involving the fetus. Seat belts and air bags make a difference. The statistics show they save many lives. Even so, avoiding accidents altogether is the best way to stay healthy, because -- |
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| Anyone who has ever been in an accident knows the incredible forces that impact your body. To have this occur while your pregnant just intensifies and complicates the seriousness of the injuries. What do you think it feels like when your car crashes into something? Just try to imagine running as fast as you can into the wall of your house. You know for a fact there would be lots of bumps, bruises, cuts, scratches and maybe a broken nose or worse. When your car crashes into something at only 15 miles an hour (people ride bikes faster than that!) you can suffer serious injuries if you are not securely buckled up – or out of position. Even though your vehicle stops at impact—your body parts keep traveling at the same rate of speed until those parts hit something too. Wearing safety belts will keep you much safer than not wearing them, but they reduce injuries—they don’t eliminate them completely. It’s been said that hitting an object at 30 miles per hour has as much as four times the force of impact as one feels at half that speed. In summation—see “Safer Driving” for a few tips on keeping your vehicle away from the other drivers around you. Avoiding accidents takes skill and knowledge and a proactive approach to your daily driving, while just buckling up and heading down the road leaves you at the mercy of other drivers. |
| studies show unbelted pregnant drivers involved in a frontal crash during their last trimester can experience "direct impact to the uterus by the steering wheel." (Klinich 98) |
| <> Steering Wheel. Tummy. Fetal Trauma. |
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| see "SEAT BELTS" and "AIR BAGS" on next page |
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| "This means that about 75,000 pregnant drivers and passengers are involved in a police reported motor-vehicle crash each year (NASS/CDS)." If the estimates are almost four times higher as some believe, then the accident victim count could be over 250,000 or more. As noted above, some estimate as many as 5,000 fetal deaths are a result of these accidents. ("Injurycontrol.com") |
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| After An Accident: Recovery There is help! |
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| Fetal trauma results in many types of injuries, such as "Placenta Ubruptio." Placenta Ubrutpio -- the separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus -- can be caused by a variety of conditions, and the effects can be mild or severe. Should you feel you may have this condition due to an injury such as an accident or a fall -- immediately consult your physician or visit a hospital to have an examination. Remember to be extra careful when driving or riding in a car because motor vehicle accidents are considered the leading cause of maternal and fetal trauma. |
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| Buckle up, Mom! It's a "Love" thing! |
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| According to many expert medical professionals and researchers, motor vehicle accidents pose by far the greatest risk of maternal trauma leading to fetal death. "In the US, about 2% of all pregnancies are involved in a police reported crash." Some reports estimate the true number to be four times higher! |
| THINGS TO AVOID WHILE PREGNANT: Accidents and Ambulances |
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