What to Do After a Car Accident While Pregnant

While pregnant, you want to do everything that you can to protect your baby. Sometimes, however, accidents happen. Car accidents can be particularly devastating normally, but when you’re pregnant, it can be even riskier.

If you are pregnant and involved in a car accident, what should you do?

Is Your Baby at Risk?

After an accident, your first thoughts may be towards your baby. Could your baby have suffered an injury? Is your baby at any risk? While your womb naturally protects your baby, it may not be able to protect it against the sudden jolt of a vehicle. It is possible that the sudden motion or any impact against your stomach can cause the placenta to pull away from the uterus. A placental obstruction can lead to serious consequences for your baby. Your baby could lose vital nutrients or bleeding could cause other problems.

In addition to physical complications, your baby could suffer due to your mental anguish. Stress can cause complications with your pregnancy. It is important that you have regular checkups after an accident. Let your doctor know what happened.

Other risks to your baby include:

• Birth defects
• Miscarriage
• Hemorrhaging
• Internal bleeding

You could also go into preterm labor or have a high-risk pregnancy due to the accident.

Should You See a Doctor?

If it was a low-impact car accident, you may think that you do not need to see a medical professional. For those who aren’t pregnant, these types of accidents may not be a problem. In fact, some people walk away from a fender bender with little more than minimal damage to the vehicle. When you’re pregnant, however, you need to be more careful. Even a small accident could potentially harm your baby.

To avoid complications, contact a doctor as soon as possible. Sometimes said complications won’t be obvious right away. It is better to have a checkup than to risk not catching the problem. You can either set an emergency appointment with your OB-GYN or visit an emergency doctor.When you are pregnant, you worry about the health and safety of your child too. While an accident may not harm you, you have to remember that the baby is vulnerable. If you were in an accident while pregnant, you may want to contact and consult with a car accident lawyer, like from John K. Zaid & Associates, as soon as possible. He or she can help you file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver.