The lesson every woman should learn: Paramedic shares a ‘life-saving’ guide to driving safely during pregnancy – from where the wheel should sit to how to wear a seat belt
- Australian paramedic Nikki has shared a guide to driving safely while pregnant
- She says seat belts should sit below your baby bump, never across or above it
- Nikki advises adjusting the steering wheel to aim upwards, 25cm away from you
- This is so if the airbag releases, it will go towards your chest and not your bump
- Nikki’s tips have been hailed as something every woman should know
A paramedic’s guide to driving safely during pregnancy has been hailed as vital information every woman should know.
The video, uploaded to Instagram by retired mother-of-two Nikki, reveals where the steering wheel should be positioned and how to wear a seat belt once you have started to show.
‘How to wear your seat belt while pregnant is probably one of the last things you think about, but you need to know about it,’ Nikki wrote in the caption.
Nikki says the lap section of the seat belt should sit on your thighs below your baby bump, never across or above it, while the shoulder strap should sit across your collarbone between your breasts.
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Australian paramedic and mother-of-two Nikki (pictured) has shared a useful guide to driving safely while pregnant
A seat belt incorrectly worn by a pregnant woman can almost double the risk of harm to the unborn baby, even when travelling at just 40 kilometres per hour, research from Queensland Health shows.
While driving, Nikki said the steering wheel should be adjusted to slant upwards at least 25 centimetres away from your bump.
If the airbag releases, it will go towards your chest, not your belly.
The clip, which has racked up over 2,600 ‘likes’ since it was uploaded on Friday, has sparked passionate responses from women who have had terrifying driving experiences while expecting.
‘I was in a car accident two weeks before I gave birth, we were hit by a speeding driver into our passenger side, thankfully my seatbelt was under my bump,’ one mother wrote
‘I went into shock from the crash immediately and my whole bump went hard for 20 mins, I was so scared I would lose my baby from the impact.
‘Thank goodness she was ok.. I ended up with bruising all under my bump and my 20-month-old in the back had a scratch to his neck from the seat belt – lucky I’m a stickler for securing my kids into their car seats properly!’
Another mum said she was lucky to have known that the driver’s seat should be moved backwards when she had an accident at 30 weeks.
A paramedic’s tips for driving safely while pregnant
* Aim to sit the lap-sash across your upper thighs or pelvis area rather than across your bump.
* Avoid putting a cushion or pillow between your bump and the seatbelt.
* Put the shoulder strap over your collar bone and between your boobs.
* If driving, adjust your steering wheel to aim it upwards, at least 25cm away from your bump. This is so if the airbag opens, it goes towards your chest and not your bump.
* Aim to be at least 25cm away from the seat in front or dashboard if travelling as a passenger.
Source: Tiny Hearts Education
The steering wheel should be adjusted to face upwards, so if the airbag releases, it will go towards your chest, not your belly
‘This is so important, I remember reading somewhere about not having the seat so far forward and I ended up in a crash at 30 weeks due to a medical event,’ she wrote.
‘Baby completely fine thankfully, lower speed and other factors meant not a scratch on me and no bruising from the airbags either. This page is honestly the best!’
Others called the video Nikki’s ‘finest work’ and thanked her for sharing such vital advice about parenting and pregnancy.
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