Anyone else worried about driving?

danabsd · July 2012

My mom said she could not drive towards the end of her pregnancies because she couldn't get close enough to the steering wheel to reach the petals. Lucily for her she took the train to work and it didn't have much impact for her in terms of work, but I am seriously concerned it is going to affect me working as long as I want to! It makes me wish I had one of those fancy cars where the petals get closer to you but unfortunately I have a perfectly well running car that is paid for so replacing it makes no sence.

Anyone else worried about not being able to drive? Do you have a plan in place of one day you get into your car and can't reach the petals?

STMs were you able to drive all the way through? What did you do if you weren't?

#shortpersonproblems

hmp1 · July 2012

I could drive the entire time but I'm 5'9.

blindvictory · July 2012

I'm 5'1" and I've never even thought about this being an issue. I can still reach the pedals just fine...my belly is pretty big and I'm nowhere near being out of room. Getting situated in the seat is kind of uncomfortable for a minute but I think I'll be fine.

Manx4 · July 2012

I never had that issue - no one I know ever had that issue either.

Now if you want to talk about trying to paint your toenails or bending over to get something you dropped...that I can relate to.

ilovelife · July 2012

Manx4:
I never had that issue - no one I know ever had that issue either.
Now if you want to talk about trying to paint your toenails or bending over to get something you dropped...that I can relate to.

This! I also could no longer eat while driving. I put the food on my lap but the steering wheel and my bump made that impossible!

drubie · July 2012

I've been worried about it, since I'm 5' tall, but I still have ample space between my belly and the steering wheel, so I'm not terribly concerned at this point. That said, I might still have my husband drive me in for my last few weeks, since I'll have to start parking further away (university parking is a drag!) starting in August.

mlf625 · July 2012

Uh, no. I am 5'3" and gained 50 with each of my previous babies - I drove just fine up until the end.

danabsd · July 2012

blindvictory:
I'm 5'1" and I've never even thought about this being an issue. I can still reach the pedals just fine...my belly is pretty big and I'm nowhere near being out of room. Getting situated in the seat is kind of uncomfortable for a minute but I think I'll be fine.

I am 5'1.5" and I still fit fine to date, it's the future that concerns me. Even though I feel huge now I know I will only get bigger in the coming weeks.

alice2Bcheshire · July 2012

I never got anywhere close to not being able to drive, but I'm 5'6". I suppose if you're under 5' that it's a possibility, but no one I've ever known personally has gotten too big to fit behind the wheel.

brideandbreve · July 2012

I'm more worried about going into labor at work and getting stuck in traffic on I-95 as I try to get home or to my doctor's office/the hospital.

Around here (northern VA), if I-95 gets bad, then everyone ducks off onto Rt. 1, which means traffic he!l as far as the eye can see.

roxyttandme · July 2012

It has definitely crossed my mind. I know even with my seat as far back as possible, if I got in an accident, my belly could bump into the steering wheel or get blasted by an airbag. Not a good thought. Saying that,, my work is 1.7 miles from my house. DH drives everywhere else we go.

Nicolejb781 · July 2012

My MIL had this problem when she was pregnant with my DH, she's a tiny women to begin with and I guess she was all belly which stuck straight out front so she couldn't reach the stearing wheel and the petals. However, when I was pregnant with my son I never had this problem and I'm not much bigger than my MIL so I don't anticipate that it'll be a problem this time either!

Jumpin4joy · July 2012

I'm 5'4 and recently had to move my chair forward one click so that it was more comfortable. I'm still not super close to the steering wheel though but I notice its a little uncomfortable climbing in. My boyfriend has been driving anywhere we go together but I have to commute an hour into work and back. I also have the fear of going into labor and then having to drive my butt home/to the dr. When I voiced this fear to my coworker she said there's no way they would let me drive myself home!

tinabean00 · July 2012

Wow, never thought of that. I'm 6' with like 3.5' legs though, so that's not really an issue for me.

bosha711 · July 2012

I am 5' 3.5" & was able to drive up till the end. It was uncomfortable to get in & out & go around turns/curves, but I was able to still reach the pedals.

mrs.kapow · July 2012

5'4" with no issues, but I will say my mom said the same thing and I think it was mainly due to driving a manual car and dealing with the clutch.

I couldn't drive with my little sister in her manual truck near the end of my pregnancy because her bench seat sits so close to the dash.

VanessaB24 · July 2012

i'm 5'4 and I drive a Hyundai accent and my belly doesn't hit the steering wheel. I'm not sure it ever will but who knows. So no I think I'm good with my small car.

leffe1 · July 2012

I had zero problems driving. In fact, I had my 40 week appt. and drove myself to the Dr.'s. I gave birth to dd later that night! Oh and I drove a Corolla at the time.

linzeek44 · July 2012

I'm more worried about my driving because my eyesight is getting worse and my prescription just doesn't work the same way... and apparently they won't give me a new prescription until after pregnancy/nursing because hormones are messing with my eye sight. :P

Then again, I'm 5'8".

gingerfamily · July 2012

I'm 5'3" and it wasn't a problem with DD.

OSUWifey09 · July 2012

I didn't have that issue the first time around [although I rode the bus most of the last four months of my first pregnancy, I still drove a few times a week and never had an issue reaching the steering wheel]. I'm also on the tall side [nearly 5'10"], but I never really thought about the belly getting in the way.

My concern is that sitting for longer than 30 minutes makes me uncomfortable and my hips/pelvis hurt once I do get up and going, so driving to my sister's [an hour away] or my parents' [2.25 hours away] is hard to do without stopping to stretch. I didn't have that issue with my first.

miss50 · July 2012

I don't think my height will be a problem, but hormonally, I fear driving after the baby is born. Like...finally I responsible for another life and it hits home.

A few weeks ago we were driving down a windy road and tears starting rolling down my face in fear.

lzmac11 · July 2012

I never even thought of driving being an issue. I am 5'8" though and am still "miles" away from the steering wheel. I drive a standard (Kia Rio) and have no issues. I do make my husband drive to most places though. I love to drive, just prefer it in small increments.

I will say though, my mom who is all of 4'8" said that she had to stop driving with both myself and my sister around 32-35 weeks because she couldn't reach the clutch anymore on the car she drove at the time.

jenndub · July 2012

I never had a problem with my previous two pregnancies but I'm 5'8. My cousin is 4'10 and she delivered in March. Even she didn't have a problem driving the whole way through. Hopefully this won't be an issue for you.

SnShne322 · July 2012

I'm 5'1" and I'm perilously close to the steering wheel. All our cars are manuals, which I think is the issue. I have to sit super close the reach the clutch. For the most part H drives since we work together, but I think I will hit a point where I'm just too close and I'm rubbing and won't be able to drive myself comfortably.

melody921 · July 2012

hmp&mrj:
I could drive the entire time but I'm 5'9.

This. A short friend had this problem. I think it was more that her arms couldn't comfortably reach once she pushed back to accommodate the belly. She just stopped working early and had family help her with errands and such.

terri_doula2010 · July 2012

I'm 5'4" and my belly goes straight out. I drove a stick shift the day before I had DS.

mrsbhk22 · July 2012

I'm 5'2 and it was starting to get difficult when I had DS#1 at 35 weeks, but only because I had a standard (so I had to sit closer for the latch). No problems with my automatic at 38 weeks with #2. I carried all out in front too. It did make me nervous that the belly was so close to the Air bag though....

cateykins09 · July 2012

I hadn't even thought of it, im 5'5 and we have a 07 focus manual. I have a lot of room right now, but will be interesting to see if i'll be able to reach the clutch by the end.

jenwill · July 2012

I'm 5'2" and had no problems driving when pregnant with DD#1. I'm bigger this time around and I'm getting a little close to the steering wheel now-but it's a different vehicle. I've only known one person that had this happen to her but she's 4'9" and she was pregnant 11 years ago (which could have been vehicle related for all I know).

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