Taking Care of Yourself and Your Baby After Being In a Car Accident While Pregnant

When a woman is pregnant, she often does extra things to take care of herself and her baby. For example, she may not usually take a nap, but now that she’s pregnant, she might include that in her everyday routine. She might sometimes forget to wear a seatbelt, but now that she’s pregnant, she might always remember. Even with everything a woman does to care for herself and her baby, accidents happen. If you are in a car accident while pregnant, the following are some things you should do to take care of yourself and your baby.

Contact the Authorities

Part of taking care of yourself includes ensuring the at-fault party is held responsible for the accident. After your crash, be sure you call the authorities. Because you’re pregnant, it’s probably a good idea to call 911 so an EMT arrives at the scene quickly to administer first aid. Even if you don’t think your injuries are life-threatening, you don’t know what’s going on inside. Contacting the authorities also gets a police officer to the scene to take a report of the accident. This could be a protection to you if the other party tries to place fault with you.

Receive Medical Attention

Never refuse medical attention if you are in a car accident while pregnant. You may not feel any pain at the moment, but even in a minor accident, it could cause serious injury to you or the baby. There are internal bleeding issues to worry about, as well as placental abruption. Even if the baby is fine because he or she has so much cushion in there, you need to be in good shape for when baby is born, so immediate medical attention is necessary.

Contact Your OB/GYN

After you have received immediate or emergency care, contact your OB/GYN so he or she knows you were in an accident. If the doctor is satisfied with the emergency care you received, he or she may recommend you only come in if anything changes. If he or she feels you need more tests run or a more extensive examination, you may have to make an office visit in the next day or two. In any case, do what you’re comfortable with. If the doctor doesn’t feel an additional exam is necessary, but you want to just be sure, schedule an appointment and go in anyway.

Get Started With Legal Help

It’s important you are well taken care of when you’re pregnant. If you were in a car accident while carrying a child, take care of yourself by first contacting the authorities, then receiving medical attention and next, contacting your OB/GYN.