Going shooting when pregnant: Is it safe?
There are lots of things we worry about when pregnant -- dyeing our hair, polishing our nails, going to a rock concert, having anal sex -- but I never thought about if shooting a gun was safe during pregnancy.
One CafeMom wanted to know and many gave their thoughts....
You are more clumsy when pregnant, so not a good idea to be handling a gun.
The noise may be too loud for baby, especially later in pregnancy, and it can startle him.
It's illegal in some states to be on a shooting range when pregnant.
There is no problem with it if you are careful.
No because of the lead in the gun powder.
It seems there aren't any in-depth studies done on this, but in this article written by Elizabeth Kennedy and Fabrice Czarnecki, M.D, Shooting While Pregnant: Dangerous or Not?, several doctors are questioned.
The doctors were contacted with the question of if it was safe for a law enforcement student to attend a firearms training course. They all agreed that there was no reason why a woman couldn't shoot at a lead-free range with frangible bullets -- aka bullets that disintegrate upon impact and do not ricochet.
The author, shooting experts, and doctors also suggested that if you must shoot, to follow these guidelines:
Discuss with your doctor first.
Use lead-free ammo (with lead-free primers).
Shoot outdoors (to reduce exposure to noise and chemicals).
Shoot the smallest possible number of rounds.
Wear a respirator.
Wash hands carefully (three times) with cold water.
Do not drink/eat within one hour after shooting.
Use a silencer when possible.
Wear heavy clothing and or soft body armor covering the abdomen.
One lieutenant interviewed raised the following point: If you wouldn't bring your newborn baby to stand three feet away from someone shooting on a range, why would you take a baby that's in utero?
What do you think of shooting while pregnant? Would you go?
Written by Michele Zipp for CafeMom's Pregnancy Buzz
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