Is it ok for my pregnant girlfriend to still shoot?

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whitesmile

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So at 1:20 AM 9/27/2011 I found out my girlfriend is 6 to 7 weeks pregnant so I'm going to be a father... I'm pretty excited and so is she, but my girlfriend asked me a question that I'm really not sure about the answer to;

Is it OK for pregnant women to still use this kind of and if so, how late into the pregnancy? (yes, she's that awesome to wonder if she's still going to be able to shoot the Glock lol) I figured that there are enough guys and females on here that at least a few people should have some experience with this subject. She (and I) would appreciate any advice and / or wisdom that anyone can give.

Thank you in advance and as always,
Have fun and stay safe!
 
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You should do a search for pregnant shooting hunting etc, as there has been at least one fairly recent thread that went into some detail about this topic.

Most of us will say no, she should not shoot while pregnant. Primary reasons are:

1) Potential lead exposure is bad for the fetus.

2) Definite loud sound exposure is bad for the fetus. (Amneotic fluid is not a good sound suppressor.)

Most ob/gyn's that responded seemed to feel it would be a bad idea.

Some people will disagree. I noted that none in the previous thread who thought it was ok were doctors.

Check for yourself.

Good luck,

M

Edit: Good luck with the baby, not just the search. And congratulations.

Edit 2: I ran the search function for "pregnant shoot" and found the recent thread I was talking about: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=456339&highlight=pregnant+shoot
 
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She really needs to consult with her Doctor on this. Grats on the baby. This is probably one of those things left to a professional and not an Internet Forum. I know that there are some noise regulations for work areas for pregnant women. Not to mention exposure to lead. Like I said these hazards should be addressed to a medical doctor. You probably don't want to clean any firearms around her either.
 
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Congrats on the new addition!!
My wife and I just went through the same situation.
She loves to shoot and range time is one of the hobbies we share together.
I'm not 100% sure weather or not its ok to do, we had alot of mixed responses to the same question your asking. So she sat it out...last weekend was her first time back at the range. It didn't take her long to get back to her usuall groups at the 25yrd line.
 
We had this discussion previously on TFL. There are more issues than lead exposure. Take a look at this prior thread and tell your girlfriend to not worry about guns till after the baby is happy and healthy and doing well after the boy/girl is born. I would definitely NOT let my wife shoot while pregnant and as a doctor I would not approve shooting for any pregnant patients.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=450587
 
We had this discussion previously on TFL. There are more issues than lead exposure. Take a look at this prior thread and tell your girlfriend to not worry about guns till after the baby is happy and healthy and doing well after the boy/girl is born. I would definitely NOT let my wife shoot while pregnant and as a doctor I would not approve shooting for any pregnant patients.
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Sage Advise indeed and enough said!!
 
There are Dr's who have gone to both sides of this. Personally, I don't think the pressure waves on the amniotic fluid can help a fetus at all. Lead and heavy metal factors aside, I think I'd stay far away from a range during pregnancy.
 
Part of the problem is that there is not any good data, and no way to obtain the data.

It would be unethical to subject pregnant women to something that even MIGHT harm their fetus.
 
Even a small amount of organic lead can be absolutely devastating to a developing child.

Shooting ranges are loaded with organic lead, primarily from the primers.

There are lead-free primers on the market, but as others have said, the sound and pressure pulse from shooting might not be good for the child.
 
I would put it in the category of caffeine: not necessarily life-threatening, but certainly not healthy. In other words, if she needs to shoot something dangerous during gestation, it's nothing to panic over, but as a hobby it should certainly be avoided.

There are lots of things that get sacrificed during pregnancy, but lucky for her, women tend to be good shots naturally, so she'll be back in practice really quick afterwards.

Also: Congrats!!!
 
I would put it in the category of caffeine: not necessarily life-threatening, but certainly not healthy. In other words, if she needs to shoot something dangerous during gestation, it's nothing to panic over, but as a hobby it should certainly be avoided.
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IMHO it is way more dangerous than caffeine. Especially if you are shooting indoors.

As others have pointed out even a small amount of lead exposure can lead to serious health issues for a fetus or developing child and that does not even take into account the damage to its developing ears.

Would you subject yourself to toxic levels of lead or shoot without any hearing protection?
 
I would not want to be inside your girlfriend's womb while she's at a range and firing...

Lead is not so good for an adult but just a little lead goes a long long way toward screwing up an embryonic brain.

And your child is going to have a rough time overcoming flinch when he or she finally gets a gun in his or her hands... :)
 
From the link provided by OP, I think he is referring to Airsoft.

In that case, no, it's plastic - that should be fine, provided she is not getting shot with it.

As far as actual firearms, I would say that between the noise and the lead, its a bad idea. But best to consult a professional.

Congrats, by the way:)
 
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WVsig said:
MHO it is way more dangerous than caffeine. Especially if you are shooting indoors.

As others have pointed out even a small amount of lead exposure can lead to serious health issues for a fetus or developing child and that does not even take into account the damage to its developing ears.

Would you subject yourself to toxic levels of lead or shoot without any hearing protection?
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I'm just saying, consider the risk vs benefit. Of course lead is more dangerous than caffeine. But if it's between getting assaulted, mauled by a wild animal, etc. or possibly harming a fetus with a little lead and sonic pressure, well, i don't think many people would tell her not to shoot in that situation. I just don't want a girl beating herself up over hearing protection later if she feels her life (and her child's) is threatened. Not a likely scenario anyway, but i thought it was worth mentioning. Sometimes message board topics spiral into extreme territory, so i wanted to throw it out there early.
 
Stressfire said:
From the link provided by OP, I think he is referring to Airsoft.

In that case, no, it's plastic - that should be fine, provided she is not getting shot with it.
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Doh. Thanks; guess that information kind of renders irrelevant many of the points made thusfar, lol. I fully admit ignorance on this one; didn't know what Airsoft was.
 
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