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Shooting While Pregnant: Dangerous or Not?

Dustin

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My wife is now in her third tri-mester. I've recently introduced a pistol into our home and she was a bit nervous about that idea. After a few weeks she's recently been doing breakdown and funstion checks with me. Just this week she asked to go to the range b/c of some not too distant neighbors who are always in trouble with the law.

YEAI THOUGHT !!!!!!!

Then I performed a detailed search on women shooting while pregnant.

I've found a few articles and am posting my findings here.

Conclusion:

Only if need be seems to be the advice of Doctors.

To know why, you can read the articles.

Shooting While Pregnant: Dangerous or Not?
By Elizabeth Kennedy and Fabrice Czarnecki, M.D. http://gemini.tntech.edu/~cpardue/pregnant.html
Short Piece

Pregnant women should not shoot firearms, unless in self-defense, and should avoid shooting ranges altogether. Women who are breastfeeding should only shoot lead-free ammunition. Pregnant women should not clean their guns because of possible exposure to chemicals. The guns should be cleaned by other people and away from the pregnant woman.

If a pregnant woman chooses to attend a firearms training session regardless, the following steps are recommended to reduce the health hazards to the fetus:

Use copper jacketed ammunition with lead-free primers

Shoot outdoors to reduce concentrated exposure to noise and chemicals

Shoot the smallest possible number of rounds

Wear a respirator with a high efficiency particulate air filter

Wash hands and face carefully after a shooting session with soap and cool water

Avoid drinking and eating within 1 hour after shooting session

Use a silencer if possible

Wear heavy clothing that covers the abdomen

Do not pick up spent brass

Do not clean firearms afterwards

Shower and change clothing afterwards

If you are an expectant father and are participating in firearms training:

Wash your hands before leaving the range

Launder your range clothing yourself

Clean your guns away from your wife

Hope this helps some unanswered questions out there.
 

LEO 229

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Good post...

You have be shooting lead free ammo... but what about the guy next to you. It is in the air and all over the surfaces.

Lead is read bad for kids.

I would not suggest she shoot unless absolutely necessary.. ;)
 

Tess

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You have to make up your own mind, but I always figured back when not everything invented was "bad for us" women, we had lower instances of autism, ADD, ADHD, and myriad other "afflictions" in our children.
 

Task Force 16

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Lobelville, Tennessee, USA
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eyesopened wrote:
Use a silencer if possible
Honey, I have to buy a silencer for you and the new baby. :D

Yeah, wouldn't want that unborn rugrat to hear the shooting. They may be born with a unexceptable (PC)urge to play with guns. Can't have that.

I wonder sometimes about all the warnings about this and that.
 

MetalChris

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Task Force 16 wrote:
eyesopened wrote:
Use a silencer if possible
Honey, I have to buy a silencer for you and the new baby. :D

Yeah, wouldn't want that unborn rugrat to hear the shooting. They may be born with a unexceptable (PC)urge to play with guns. Can't have that.

I wonder sometimes about all the warnings about this and that.
Um, maybe the silencer is suggested because the fetus cannot wear ear plugs. :)
 

mobeewan

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Hampton, Va, ,
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Evil Ernie wrote:
I gotta wonder if the Founding Mothers followed this advice when the Founding Fathers stored, shot, cleaned BP rifles and pistols....hmmm....NOT
"But still here we are"
 

Pol Mordreth

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Smyrna, Tennessee, USA
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My wife is in her second trimester. We hunted around until we found a local gun range with back to front positive ventilation. We have already discussed it with her doctor, and he had many of the same recommendations. However, he did say that the majority of lead exposure danger to a fetus is in the first trimester. His opinion is that with good handwashing practice and taking a change of clothes for shooting in is sufficient to minimize the risks to an acceptable level.

He did like our idea of range practice with a lifelike doll in the snugli that we will wear when out and about. I have to say, if you are planning to carry your baby in one, definately practice with it on and with a doll in it. Drawing and presenting your firearm to a target is a lot different with 10 - 20 pounds of baby on your chest, god forbid you ever need to.



Respectfully,

Pol
 

FogRider

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Centennial, Colorado, USA
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Evil Ernie wrote:
I gotta wonder if the Founding Mothers followed this advice when the Founding Fathers stored, shot, cleaned BP rifles and pistols....hmmm....NOT
Probably not. Of course, that doesn't make it a good idea. They also did things like bloodletting to get rid of bad humors.
 

Dutch Uncle

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Lead, even in minute amounts, is very toxic to an embryo in the first trimester, particularly to its central nervous system. NOT a good time for lots of range time. Still, if a woman judges that protecting her life and that of her unborn child from criminal predators is a priority, then using the above precautions would make it feasible to get the necessary range experience for a CCW. Its all about risks vs benefits, like anything else in life.
 

Dustin

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Pol Mordreth wrote:
My wife is in her second trimester. We hunted around until we found a local gun range with back to front positive ventilation. We have already discussed it with her doctor, and he had many of the same recommendations. However, he did say that the majority of lead exposure danger to a fetus is in the first trimester. His opinion is that with good handwashing practice and taking a change of clothes for shooting in is sufficient to minimize the risks to an acceptable level.

He did like our idea of range practice with a lifelike doll in the snugli that we will wear when out and about. I have to say, if you are planning to carry your baby in one, definately practice with it on and with a doll in it. Drawing and presenting your firearm to a target is a lot different with 10 - 20 pounds of baby on your chest, god forbid you ever need to.



Respectfully,

Pol
And what about the Noise ?
 

Dustin

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Joined
May 28, 2008
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Location
Lake Charles Area, Louisiana, USA
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Pol Mordreth wrote:
My wife is in her second trimester. We hunted around until we found a local gun range with back to front positive ventilation. We have already discussed it with her doctor, and he had many of the same recommendations. However, he did say that the majority of lead exposure danger to a fetus is in the first trimester. His opinion is that with good handwashing practice and taking a change of clothes for shooting in is sufficient to minimize the risks to an acceptable level.

He did like our idea of range practice with a lifelike doll in the snugli that we will wear when out and about. I have to say, if you are planning to carry your baby in one, definately practice with it on and with a doll in it. Drawing and presenting your firearm to a target is a lot different with 10 - 20 pounds of baby on your chest, god forbid you ever need to.



Respectfully,

Pol
And what about the Noise ?
 

Evil Ernie

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Nov 18, 2007
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779
Location
Castle Rock, Colorado, USA
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Dustin wrote:
Pol Mordreth wrote:
My wife is in her second trimester. We hunted around until we found a local gun range with back to front positive ventilation. We have already discussed it with her doctor, and he had many of the same recommendations. However, he did say that the majority of lead exposure danger to a fetus is in the first trimester. His opinion is that with good handwashing practice and taking a change of clothes for shooting in is sufficient to minimize the risks to an acceptable level.

He did like our idea of range practice with a lifelike doll in the snugli that we will wear when out and about. I have to say, if you are planning to carry your baby in one, definately practice with it on and with a doll in it. Drawing and presenting your firearm to a target is a lot different with 10 - 20 pounds of baby on your chest, god forbid you ever need to.



Respectfully,

Pol
And what about the Noise ?


Huh? Speak up........
 

zookeeperk9

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Nov 21, 2006
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Franklin, Indiana, USA
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My Son and his Wife went with me to the range when she was about 7-8 mo. pregnant. She was just going to sit at the picnic table and watch. When the the firing started she jumped up and headed to the truck. We stopped and checked on her and she said "Your Daughter is kicking the crap out of me" .... lesson learned.
 
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