Shooting while pregnant?

[Kowan]

9 months of self-sacrifice v. a child having lifetime health issues?!
yep, priceless.................

Agreed. My ex took great care of herself while pregnant.

[LittleOldLady]

First of all, I totally support parents-to-be, who put the health and first rate development of their child first. Small sacrifices, huge long term gains.

In passing, a friend of mine was sick for six months after eating cheese made from raw milk. It came from a gourmet store, but it turned out to be a bad idea, even for a 70 year old man. It was a bacterial infection of some kind. I don't know if it could be transmitted in-utero, but why take risks unnecessarily?

That said, isn't it miraculous that those of us over 60 survived at all? Mothers smoked and drank, ate whatever sounded good, gained 50 pounds, took no exercise or pre-natal classes, no pre-natal vitamins or special anything. They just lived their lives while they waited. None of the modern pre-natal stuff was even known at the time. No one knew that lead painted woodwork was bad for children to gnaw on. I wonder how many pregnant women painted their babies rooms with lead paint in those days. Because that's all the paint there was. I remember seeing my mother ride a bike down a steep the hill, to get my father's check to the bank before 3 on a Friday so the mortgage check wouldn't bounce. She was 8 months pregnant with my sister at the time. And no one thought a thing about it, except it was a funny sight to see her spin down the hill with her big belly and her long black hair streaming out behind her.

Just miraculous that we survived to be as healthy and gifted as we are...

My Mom smoked/drank, rode motorcycles, shot guns every weekend. Drove without a seatbelt etc.
Sometimes I think people worry too much.
Doesn't mean it was the correct thing to do, and more care should be taken, but it also doesn't mean one should live in a bubble wrapped environment either.

I think I turned out pretty good.

[savannah]

It's true little old lady. I remember driving across country with my parents minus a seatbelt. My Dad smoked and I inhaled second hand smoke. He got cancer. So far, I haven't gotten cancer. We used to hand slap drunk drivers. I do think we survived but it was in spite of our circumstances. Why not just take those nine months and dedicate it to the learning of a lifetime skill, protecting our children the best we can while they are under our care.

[BonnieB]

Sounds like an opportunity in disguise to me, to switch hobbies for just nine months. Learn a new skill. Knitting jumps immediately to mind. Or crocheting. Heirloom hand made baby booties, hand made receiving blankets to bring baby home. And a lifetime of cuddly afghans.

Or maybe get a copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and REALLY learn how to cook. Just watch out for the butter, French cooking is not skinny...

Take an online course, learn how to program websites, get a professional certification. There's plenty to do, besides shooting, assuming you're pregnant and shouldn't shoot.

Believe you me, once that baby is born, you're not going to have any time for yourself for the next 15 years. So make the most of enforced peace and quiet, while you can.

Best wishes for a safe and happy time.

[penguinofsleep]

my opinion (not a woman or medical professional):
- don't shoot and take as many precautions as possible to avoid/minimize lead exposure.

what i understand:
- for an adult, yes lead is a problem, but not a huge one at low levels. for a child and infant, they are much more sensitive to lead (in terms of development, esp the brain, and need much lower levels in the blood for negative impact) and absorb lead much more easily vs adults as well. add in the noise and damage to hearing, bad times.
- as i said in another thread mentioned above, shooters do not have 2-4x higher lead levels in the blood by accident or from eating bullets when we get hungry. it comes from little things. hence i would also recommend things like having your husband/visitors washing hands and rinsing mouth out immediately after shooting and wash hair/face ASAP, wipe things down that will be exposed to any range equipment, wash range laundry separately, and if possible, store all associated equipment in an area with minimal contact to you.

actual advice from a doctor:
- do not breastfeed if lead levels in your blood are significantly higher. the lead will carry over.

[veiledthreat]

My OB had no problem with me shooting outdoors up until the third trimester. I washed my hands very well after and wore a dust mask to avoid both floating particles as well as accidentally touching my mouth before washing. She said the lead risk is greater earlier in pregnancy, but minuscule if you wash well and the sound is dampened greatly by amniotic fluid and from just being inside another person's body. Have her get her doc's opinion, but that was mine. I went shooting in the NV desert in October before my December delivery (which was actually a month early and had nothing to do with my shooting habits).

[meyerlemony]

I'm currently 22 weeks pregnant. My OB said that shooting outside, with pistol calibers, was totally fine. Rifles are off limits, unless it is a .22. No cleaning, no shooting at indoor ranges, no reloading.

All that being said, now it is HOT and I can't handle shooting outside in the sun, so I'm just not doing much of anything.

All of that "no sushi / no cheese" stuff is nonsense, per my OB. The real rule is "don't get food poisoning!" And you can totally have up to 200mg of caffeine per day with no worries. I can't eat deli meat anyway, because of the nitrates and my ulcerative colitis, but if you want deli meat while pregnant just go for the nitrate free stuff.

But certainly have her get her OB's opinion. Since the only studies out there were done with pregnant sheep and large calibers, the answer is we really just don't know.

[BonnieB]

Hoorah ! for Meyer. Always the voice of reason and hope!

It never occurred to me to crunch bullets when I'm out of popcorn, but I'm game!

I'd be particular about raw food (milk, eggs, fish but obviously not tomatoes, etc.). But I'm particular about that anyway. I certainly will eat raw food, but only the best and cleanest sources, whether pregnant, elderly or not

And definitely consult one's OB/GYN. If there are any women who are OB's in your area who also shoot, that would be ideal.