Shooting while pregnant?

[Orange Dust]

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.

Good plan. Goes to the point I made earlier: Whatever she decides to do, you do it too. You don't want to find out what happens if a pregnant woman gets really peeved at you. Trust me on this one. I am old, traveled that road and have the scars to prove it.

 

[WyoMSRHunter]

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.

I can't tell if I have tinnitus because of all of the ringing in my ears!!!

 

[Orange Dust]

I can't tell if I have tinnitus because of all of the ringing in my ears!!!

Me either. Sometimes the pitch changes and its more like a buzz. What do they call that?

 

[WyoMSRHunter]

Me either. Sometimes the pitch changes and its more like a buzz. What do they call that?

Tequila......

 

[762x51]

i think it would be fine, but you've got less than 3 months, why risk anything? i think the biggest issue would be her coming into contact with lead. coming into contact with lead is not good for kids. she also probably doesnt need to be climbing in and out of a deer stand or riding a 4 wheeler out into the woods.

 

[CVCOBRA1]

"coming into contact with lead"......come on, she's not eating the paint off of window sills that were painted in the 50's. Get real here. I was a toddler in the 50's and my shakes don't bother me now like they used too. I would rather have a hunter born than a snowflake......Mom refrain from pulling the trigger till your little one is here.....

 

[Doghunter23]

took my wife to the range a bunch with both kids with no issues, she asked her OBGYN -and she said that she went to the shooting range while pregnant with all her own kids...so dealers choice I guess. I would think an unbreaked rifle with low recoil would be best.

 

[Bob Wright]

Could you substitute a crossbow, for a rifle in your hunting season? We can here in my state. Then, consider how to safely get her out to a ground blind, safely. Otherwise, I would have her sit this one out at camp or home.

 

[WildRose]

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!

At 6 months I'd say there's probably at least some risk of hearing damage to the unborn child if you're shooting something horribly nasty and loud particularly at the range.

Other than that, a single shot on game particularly from a blind where the muzzle is outside of "The box" so to speak probably isn't going to do any harm but I'd still avoid anything punishingly loud to the shooter. Remember the baby is swimming in fluid and fluid is a much better conductor of sound than air.

If you're shooting suppressed I wouldn't let it concern me at all.

If she's handling firearms however while pregnant she does need to be sure and wash her hands and face thoroughly as soon as the hunt is concluded. She should also avoid drinking from any open containers (not capped or in a cooler) that have been exposed to GSR and the same for eating.

No I'm not a doctor but I do understand the potential problems.

 

[huntsman22]

Self test..... submerge yer head in a bucket of amnioutic fluid, and touch one off. No more 'guessing'.....

 

[nvschütze]

I am never-married, and no illegitimate kids. Protecting the unborn is our greatest duty as parents and as a People. My worthless opinion is to lay-off anything that can hurt the baby: Booze, smoke, AC/DC's music, et cetera...

 

[Doghunter23]

I am never-married, and no illegitimate kids. Protecting the unborn is our greatest duty as parents and as a People. My worthless opinion is to lay-off anything that can hurt the baby: Booze, smoke, AC/DC's music, et cetera...

ohh come on bro... thinking like that is how you raise snow flakes-or even worse progressives! Had my boy shooting the AKM by 5 years old.

 

[lgwatson]

At 6 months I'd say there's probably at least some risk of hearing damage to the unborn child if you're shooting something horribly nasty and loud particularly at the range.

Other than that, a single shot on game particularly from a blind where the muzzle is outside of "The box" so to speak probably isn't going to do any harm but I'd still avoid anything punishingly loud to the shooter. Remember the baby is swimming in fluid and fluid is a much better conductor of sound than air.

If you're shooting suppressed I wouldn't let it concern me at all.

If she's handling firearms however while pregnant she does need to be sure and wash her hands and face thoroughly as soon as the hunt is concluded. She should also avoid drinking from any open containers (not capped or in a cooler) that have been exposed to GSR and the same for eating.

No I'm not a doctor but I do understand the potential problems.

My daughter gave birth last year. While she was pregnant, her doctor advised her to not be around shooting while pregnant to prevent hearing damage to the baby.

 

[Paper boy]

2 each his own!