Shooting while pregnant?

[willtim]

I guess my biggest question is why risk it? It's only nine months.

 

[FEENIX]

I guess my biggest question is why risk it? It's only nine months.

It doesn't get any simpler than that.

 

[CVCOBRA1]

Too many keyboard doctors on here and you want to trust your unborn child to them? You say she is shuffled between four different doctors depending who is available, find another professional who is pro second amendment and get a true answer. If any question is in your mind keep her away from all. No CNN and only Rush.

 

[FEENIX]

Too many keyboard doctors on here and you want to trust your unborn child to them?

The OP and his wife have made a smart decision ...

I think we have simply decided to play it safe and just not shoot period

 

[willtim]

I do know studies have shown that a fetus will respond to its mothers voice.

 

[Gcan]

My wife is 6 months pregnant. She loves hunting and shooting but has done neither yet during pregnancy with a gun. All hunting has been with a bow so far. Rifle season starts here in November 16th. Her pregnancy doctor is not a single doctor but rather a group of 4 doctors. So she rotates between them depending on who is available during her visits. Anyways, every time she goes she asks about shooting while pregnant. We have received 3 different answers. One doctor said it is fine. The second doctor said they would not risk it. The third doctor said an occasional shot (hunting as an example) is fine but range shooting should be avoided. I think we have simply decided to play it safe and just not shoot period but I am curious what everyone's thoughts here are or see if anyone else here has any experience with this. Thanks!

No idea, but what a great subject.
Congrats.
Maybe just wait till next year and then take the family shooting. Can't start to early.
best wishes for you all.
G

 

[Tulsa Reiner]

My wife is 6 months pregnant. She loves hunting and shooting but has done neither yet during pregnancy with a gun. All hunting has been with a bow so far. Rifle season starts here in November 16th. Her pregnancy doctor is not a single doctor but rather a group of 4 doctors. So she rotates between them depending on who is available during her visits. Anyways, every time she goes she asks about shooting while pregnant. We have received 3 different answers. One doctor said it is fine. The second doctor said they would not risk it. The third doctor said an occasional shot (hunting as an example) is fine but range shooting should be avoided. I think we have simply decided to play it safe and just not shoot period but I am curious what everyone's thoughts here are or see if anyone else here has any experience with this. Thanks!

FYI: my horse trainers wife rode competitively, and practiced daily thru her 8th month, with no problems. Recoil affects the upper torso and head and neck, not the pelvis. Horse riding is a lot of bouncing of the entire body, and I think much more likely to cause premature rupture of the placental sack. Doctors who don't know the sports are much more likely to be super cautious. You have to respect what your wife is comfortable doing.

 

[CVCOBRA1]

I think the concern was more about noise than recoil, maybe not.

 

[Orange Dust]

Sound is absolutely the enemy here. The baby is in fluid and sound travels faster through water. It very well could damage the baby.

This is what we were told when my daughter was pregnant. She shoots skeet. She disobeyed. Found a new gun she wanted at the World, shot a couple of boxes through it. We bought it. She cheated again, bundled up with lots of padding on her belly and duck hunted pretty much all season. She did not shoot a big rifle that fall. Everything turned ok, but in my mind its kinda like smoking while pregnant. May or may not cause problems. I will say this; if she is regulated to hunting with a bow this year (not a bad idea BTW) you should be also. You are partners in this, and what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Put the guns away this year and enjoy being together bowhunting. I promise your world will be better if you do this. Seasons come much more regularly than children, and her time in the field will soon be harder to come by.

 

[BUCKWORKMAN]

My wife is 6 months pregnant. She loves hunting and shooting but has done neither yet during pregnancy with a gun. All hunting has been with a bow so far. Rifle season starts here in November 16th. Her pregnancy doctor is not a single doctor but rather a group of 4 doctors. So she rotates between them depending on who is available during her visits. Anyways, every time she goes she asks about shooting while pregnant. We have received 3 different answers. One doctor said it is fine. The second doctor said they would not risk it. The third doctor said an occasional shot (hunting as an example) is fine but range shooting should be avoided. I think we have simply decided to play it safe and just not shoot period but I am curious what everyone's thoughts here are or see if anyone else here has any experience with this. Thanks!

Lonģ Range Hunting Forum.?........Only, come now!

 

[Bigeclipse]

Lonģ Range Hunting Forum.?........Only, come now!

I am not sure what you mean by this?

 

[WyoMSRHunter]

My wife is 6 months pregnant. She loves hunting and shooting but has done neither yet during pregnancy with a gun. All hunting has been with a bow so far. Rifle season starts here in November 16th. Her pregnancy doctor is not a single doctor but rather a group of 4 doctors. So she rotates between them depending on who is available during her visits. Anyways, every time she goes she asks about shooting while pregnant. We have received 3 different answers. One doctor said it is fine. The second doctor said they would not risk it. The third doctor said an occasional shot (hunting as an example) is fine but range shooting should be avoided. I think we have simply decided to play it safe and just not shoot period but I am curious what everyone's thoughts here are or see if anyone else here has any experience with this. Thanks!

Im a OB in Wyoming so one of my standard questions to my pregnant patients is their shooting habits. The concern is not recoil, it is the noise. Sound travels very well through water (amniotic fluid). We don't know the effects of recurrent loud noise on their developing ears. My recommendation is hunting is OK but don't recommend range time. Just know there are no studies on this so we don't know the actual short term or long term effects. She should not go to an indoor range nor reload shells due to the high levels of lead.

 

[huntsman22]

My wife shot during both pregnancies. Both kids were born naked......

 

[RedDirtRifleman]

Im a OB in Wyoming so one of my standard questions to my pregnant patients is their shooting habits. The concern is not recoil, it is the noise. Sound travels very well through water (amniotic fluid). We don't know the effects of recurrent loud noise on their developing ears. My recommendation is hunting is OK but don't recommend range time. Just know there are no studies on this so we don't know the actual short term or long term effects. She should not go to an indoor range nor reload shells due to the high levels of lead.

To expand on this, CDC, OSHA, and NIH have a lot of guidelines and data on noise exposure to pregnant women, as well as lead exposure. Extended range trips are certainly a bad idea, and we can extrapolate that single shot exposure is similar to adults: maybe nothing bad happens, but do you really want to risk your baby's hearing for that one deer?

I've has tinnitus since I can remember. My wife and I had her sit out of hunting last year 100% for this reason. My kids won't know this ringing until they're 18 and shooting without my supervision and they're paying for their own ear doctors.