• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

Shooting While pregnant

T

TOM-P

Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
669
Likes
26
Location
Rockland
Feedback: 6 / 0 / 0
A co worker of mine and her Husband are scheduled to take a firearms safety class this Sunday at Riverside. She is 4.5 mos pregnant and is concerned if any damage could be done to her unborn child. She is thinking loud noise/ vibration and even lead exposure. Anyone have any links to any information? Should she wait until after the child is born….. She is hesitant to call her DR.

Thanks Tom
 
I think lead exposure would be the greatest threat. If she is concerned about that, she could wear a mask.
 
Not a doctor but using common sense...I'm guessing that the noise / vibration would not be that big a deal since the baby is fairly well insulated against these by the mother. A concern would be exposure to various carcinogens, lead, smoke, cleaners and chemicals etc. The amount of exposure would depend on the type of range - indoor or outdoor, ventilation, number of shooters, type of ammo being used and exposure time. Lots of variables.

Would a face mask and frequent hand washing help? Maybe, I don't know, but if it was my wife I would play it safe and hold off until after the birth and nursing were over. There are probably those out there who would say there is nothing wrong with shooting while pregnant and that may well be so, but to me the stakes are just a bit too high.

Edit: just found this one: http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/Czarnecki/chemical_hazards_in_law_enforcement.htm
Police officers should receive training to reduce the exposure to lead. Full-time range workers may need additional training. The reproductive dangers of lead should be explained to male and female officers. Once a pregnancy is known, pregnant officers should not be required to participate in firearms training because of the increased risks for spontaneous abortion, premature delivery, preeclampsia, and decreased birth weight [27]. The fetus could be exposed during the earliest part of the pregnancy, before the pregnancy is known. Pregnant and lactating officers should be offered alternatives to live-fire training [27].

Male and female officers who plan to have children in the near future should be careful to reduce their lead exposure and should keep their blood lead levels under 30 μg/dL [29]
Click to expand...

Another good read: http://gemini.tntech.edu/~cpardue/pregnant.html
 
Last edited:
The one-day safety class at Riverside is a non-shooting course called Home Firearm Safety. The only danger will be handling the guns and ammo. (dummy rounds/components) as residual lead and other toxins are common regardless of how clean the firearms are.

Easiest thing to do is to bring some cleaning wipes or visit the bathroom and wash your hands after handing and be extremely cautious about touching your face before said washing. Do not use a hand sanitizer as it won't remove anything. You need a true cleaning wipe.

Are you sure it is on Sunday? The classes are usually held on Saturday. However, due to the holidays it wasn't scheduled this month.

I just got off the phone with Walter and he wasn't aware of any Sunday classes. Are you sure it is at Riverside?
 
Easiest thing to do is to bring some cleaning wipes or visit the bathroom and wash your hands after handing and be extremely cautious about touching your face before said washing. Do not use a hand sanitizer as it won't remove anything. You need a true cleaning wipe.
Click to expand...

+1 If there is no firing just clean up and you should be good to go.
 
I know that Jen (SiameseRat) had stopped shooting when she was confirmed pregnant, and I seem to recall that she said that she wouldn't start again until her son is weaned.

If it's a non-firing class as Chris suggests, you might want to suggest to her that she wear latex gloves while handling the firearms.
 
TOM-P said:
She is 4.5 mos pregnant and is concerned if any damage could be done to her unborn child. She is thinking loud noise/ vibration....
Click to expand...

Different from the snap of gun fire, but my sons were kicking to the beat inside at the Pink Floyd, Eric Johnson, Aerosmith concerts.
 
For noise/vibration, depending on the course they may just be .22. Is it possible that you could use .22 primer only and leave the building/room while others are shooting?

I'd recommend latex gloves (don't touch anything with them after you've handled a gun), also a good face mask. Not just one of those paper ones.
 
TOM-P said:
Thanks for all the fast replies. It looks like she will wait until after the birth to go to the class.
Click to expand...

Even afterwards, if she's going to nurse, follow the guidelines about lead. My wife was told that nursing women should follow the same eating and environmental guidelines as pregnant women though obviously the noise won't be an issue.

Good luck to them.
 
I see absolutely no reason to not attend the class. What amount of lead would she be exposed to while handling firearms during the class?
I was pregnant when I took my course and washed my hands after handling the firearms. I have not gone shooting because I wouldn't want to subject the fetus to the loud noise and lead vapor.
I am very happy to have recently received my Cl. A LTC while pregnant and now have the luxury of leisurely waiting until it is safer for the baby to go to the range.
Just my 2 cents.
 
when my wife found out we were pregnant we switched her to "win clean ammo".
Once she started to "show" she stopped all together. the whole lead and breast feeding etc.
 
As a gal who LOVES to shoot, even I will be giving up my range time if/when I prepare to have a baby. It is not worth the health risks to her & the baby. I would recommend that she put off the class until after the baby is born, & even then make sure that no lead comes into contact with the baby from residue on clothing, shoes, etc.....

Just my $0.02.

-Ana
 
There was just a discussion of this topic on an NRA Instructor list I'm on. A couple of points came up. First, latex gloves don't stop most of the cleaning solvents people may be dealing with during a class. Use disposable nitrile gloves instead. This also avoids possible latex allergies. Second, the fetus is not insulated from noise; amniotic fluid, like most liquids, transmits sound much better than air. Someone also pointed out a good article by a couple of well-qualified women, reviewing everything that's known on the topic. Their conclusion: "Unfortunately, there are no definitive studies that clearly answer this question."

Ken
 
KMaurer said:
There was just a discussion of this topic on an NRA Instructor list I'm on. A couple of points came up. First, latex gloves don't stop most of the cleaning solvents people may be dealing with during a class. Use disposable nitrile gloves instead. This also avoids possible latex allergies.
Click to expand...

Nitrile over all is better than Latex. It might be a bit more expensive and harder to find, but worth the money and effort.

Their conclusion: "Unfortunately, there are no definitive studies that clearly answer this question."

Ken
Click to expand...

At least they are honest about it.

Gary
 
I'm guessing that the noise / vibration would not be that big a deal since the baby is fairly well insulated against these by the mother.
Click to expand...
A good friend of mine is an environmental sound engineer (he runs noise for that little construction project they are winding down in Boston) showed me a rather interesting paper on this subject a few years ago. It involved sheep, transducers, gunshot noise, and inter-uterine measurements. The conclusion was that the fetus is not protected from environmental noise.
 
On the sound issue, I've been at the indoor range at MRA while people are shooting rifles and S&W 500's. It gets to me even if I'm doubled up on ear protection. If you're shooting a .22, fine but once again, err on the side of caution. It's only 9mo.
 
Flamingo26 said:
I see absolutely no reason to not attend the class. What amount of lead would she be exposed to while handling firearms during the class?
I was pregnant when I took my course and washed my hands after handling the firearms. I have not gone shooting because I wouldn't want to subject the fetus to the loud noise and lead vapor.
I am very happy to have recently received my Cl. A LTC while pregnant and now have the luxury of leisurely waiting until it is safer for the baby to go to the range.
Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

Agreed! Ask ahead of time to shoot only .22 and if possible after/before everyone else.My class range time consisted of 10 rds.of .22lr. from a Ruger pistol.Most NRA instructors only allow/ask you to use this anyway.Just my opinion although obviously I would suggest to be just as cautious about everything as you are now.If you have doubts...don't do it.[grin]
 
I just got an email from my wife saying she'd be interested in going to the range with me and my cousins up in Maine this weekend! Amazing. She's never shot before and she knew I was planning on spending the bulk of Saturday at the range after we drive up to Maine Friday night and she said it might be fun to try.

However, I just now thought of this- she's 8 months pregnant. The baby can't wear hearing protection!!! My guess is it's probably not good for the baby's ears. I did a very quick Google search on the topic but didn't read anything definitive.

Anyone know anything about shooting while prego???
 
Well... hmm... the whole lead thing just opens up another can of worms. I (stupidly) never even thought about the lead aspect. Jeez... I wonder how much residual lead I have on me or my guns? I've been cleaning them on the coffee table while we watch TV together every night, sitting right beside her on the couch.... damn... thoughts?????
 
Get your blood lead level tested and have your wife do the same. Then you'll know. You will need to arrange ahead of time with your doctor's office to make sure that they have the correct vial on hand -- the test requires a particular vial that most doctors don't keep in stock. The test is relatively cheap (~$20).
 
I've heard it said that the sound doesn't transition well between the air and the amniotic fluid. Of course, that was some guy on the internet who made that comment.

To me, that effect + the lead, I have to ask if it's worth it? A couple of months isn't long to wait.
 
pipmaster1971 said:
I've heard it said that the sound doesn't transition well between the air and the amniotic fluid. Of course, that was some guy on the internet who made that comment.

To me, that effect + the lead, I have to ask if it's worth it? A couple of months isn't long to wait.
Click to expand...

If sound doesn't transmit through Amniotic fluid, how do they do Ultrasounds?

Plus, do you really want to hand a firearm to a hormonal pregnant woman? [wink]
 

Similar threads

Mall of NH shooting
2
Replies
50
Views
2K
hunt4riches
H
Interesting shooting video
Replies
2
Views
160
peterk123
P
SD shooting in Chicopee, MA
Replies
1
Views
208
VTski4x4
VTski4x4
Paintball Shooting Smart Security Camera
Replies
3
Views
166
DetectNES
D
It’s Almost 2024 Party Shooting Season!
Replies
4
Views
168
slap shot
slap shot
Back
Top Bottom