It seems like there's already a pretty big laundry list of things to avoid doing whilst with child: Drinking (alcohol or coffee), flying, unpasteurized cheese, sushi, etc. But while nervous mothers-to-be might be happy to know that certain supposed risks have been all but debunked (yes, you can probably walk in front of your microwave), a whopper of a new study might have just named one of the most common everyday occurrences-driving-as pregnancy's latest taboo.
According to a report in the Canadian Association Journal, pregnant women-particularly those in their second trimester-have a much higher risk of getting in car accidents than those who aren't. In fact, in the records that researchers analyzed, it was found that the risk of getting in a serious accident rose 42% during the middle three months of gestation. The cause is still under scrutiny, but study leader Dr. Donald Redelmeier tells NPR that he suspects that normal symptoms during that time in pregnancy, like fatigue, insomnia, and stress (aka what we refer to as "pregnancy brain") are likely culprits.
Now, for those of you expectant ladies who are currently wringing your hands, take a deep breath: Your mobility is not in danger, and Redelmeier and his team are not suggesting that you turn in your keys. Instead, it's just important to understand the risk, and take necessary steps to ensure that your next excursion is a safe one. (The steps are exactly what you'd predict: taking care to follow traffic rules, minimizing speed and distractions, etc.) "That seems like such incredibly banal advice to give. I realize that," Redelmeier tells NPR. "But every one of our crashes in the study could have been avoided by a small change in driver behaviors."
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