From the moment a woman finds out she is pregnant, everything changes. In her diet, she cuts out the foods that would be bad for the baby and replaces them with vitamin rich, nutritious foods. She starts taking vitamins to help the baby grow healthy and strong. She might even take a class and read a few books to learn how to stay healthy while pregnant.

Expectant mothers want the best for their babies, so they do everything in their power to keep them safe. But what about when things outside a mother’s control—like car accidents—threaten the baby’s well being? At that point, all you can do is know the risks and try your best to avoid them.

Car accidents happen every day, and every person is just as susceptible as the next. Pregnant women, however, have more to worry about. They are carrying another person inside of them, and it is their job to make sure that child is safe.

Protecting Two Lives: Here Are Some Steps:
 

• A good way to keep your baby safe is to sit as far back from the steering wheel as possible. In a collision, the airbags deploy and can cause serious damage to the baby. So, sitting far away from them, the airbags will have less of an impact on the abdomen.
• Wearing your seat belt correctly is crucial to the safety of the baby. Having the lap belt low on the hips, below the abdomen, and wearing the shoulder strap above the abdomen across the chest is the safest way to go. In case a collision should happen, the belt will not have much chance to harm the belly area.
• If it is at all possible, pregnant women should always try to be the passenger. In the passenger seat, there is no steering wheel to hurt the belly, and the woman can put her seat farther back so the airbag does not deploy onto the abdomen.
• Even if it is a minor collision, pregnant women should always see their OB/GYN or midwife for a checkup after a car crash. Sometimes internal damage is not easily detectable. A good way to take care of the baby, even on the scene of the crash, is to let the EMT or medical attendee know that you are pregnant. Pregnant women have different hormone levels and even different blood pressure than a non-pregnant woman would. Letting them know also tells them what drugs not to give you and how to take better care in general.

Unfortunately, doing all you can is not enough sometimes. If you have been the victim of a car accident while pregnant, you could be entitled to compensation. Contact an experienced Southern California accident attorney at Steinberg Injury Lawyers Injury Lawyers by calling (800) 989-6385 or filling out our online form.

Be sure to order a FREE copy of our book, 7 BIGGEST MISTAKES That Can Ruin Your California Injury Case. It is a book every car accident victim needs to read.