Pregnant GF Shooting A Gun?

[Bigrepp61]

im not a doc and im dont think that any one else here is either... i would go to her OB and ask him that question... ours said that he recomended against it because there are no studies proving it to be harmful, however there are no studies to prove it to be non harmful either..

all i know is if i say that you should go ahead and take her out and your baby is born deaf or has some other birth defect associated with any of the chemicals associated with shooting i would be heartbroken...

it ma be perfectly fine for her to go out and shoot but im not willing to have that on my conscience..

if anyone can show me a study that suggests otherwise i would back them 100% but till them i say try to keep her out of any situations that can even be remotely potentially harmful....

just the thoughts of a new father

ohh and congrats on the baby!!

[iMoses14]

First off, thank you all for your replies!

Second, thanks for all the best wishes and congrats on the baby. We're excited. I'm preparing my scary speech for all the future BFs that she'll never have (it's a girl).

We have our next baby appointment on Dec 1, so we're gonna talk to her doctor then. Hopefully, they say she can at least shoot my M&P15-22 cause she's obsessed with how "cute" it is. Lol. Obviously, I'd handle all the loading of the magazines so she doesn't have to worry about handling the ammo/lead issue (mostly). But, I'm sure she'll have gloves on cause it's cold outside.

I'll keep this thread updated with what her doctor says just in case anymore pregnant woman out there want/need info about shooting while pregnant.

[GuyMontag]

I'm intrigued.

I seem to be the only person saying to not go shooting.

My thoughts... if you can give your child every chance to be healthy, smart, well-developed, etc. why wouldn't you? There's so much crap in this world that gets studied and is declared safe (or dangerous) then years later determined to be dangerous to your health.

I can't see why you wouldn't give your unborn the best chance (s)he can have by avoiding things like heavy metals while trying to make fingers, toes, brains, etc.

As an example:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-fluoride.aspx

[chauncey]

I'm intrigued.

I seem to be the only person saying to not go shooting.

My thoughts... if you can give your child every chance to be healthy, smart, well-developed, etc. why wouldn't you? There's so much crap in this world that gets studied and is declared safe (or dangerous) then years later determined to be dangerous to your health.

I can't see why you wouldn't give your unborn the best chance (s)he can have by avoiding things like heavy metals while trying to make fingers, toes, brains, etc.

As an example:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-fluoride.aspx

i would say wait, also. it's a few months, why chance it. after the baby is born i'd say shoot all she wants but keep lead protection efforts elevated for a while.

my concerns would be the noise - and remember how sound travels differently through water than air, and the lead exposure.

if you absolutely are going to shoot anyway, i'd say do it outdoors, restrict it to a 22 LR, wear heavy clothes over the belly, and wear a dust mask that will adequately filter lead residue. change clothes (at least the outer layer), wash hands and face before eating or other food handling (cleanlieness for lead removal is not a bad idea for any of us).

oh yeah, just for julesAR15, *i am not an expert* (or a Doctor)

[Bigrepp61]

[QUOTE=Bigrepp61;1406116]
if anyone can show me a study that suggests otherwise i would back them 100% but till them i say try to keep her out of any situations that can even be remotely potentially harmful....

QUOTE]

I'm intrigued.

I seem to be the only person saying to not go shooting.

My thoughts... if you can give your child every chance to be healthy, smart, well-developed, etc. why wouldn't you? There's so much crap in this world that gets studied and is declared safe (or dangerous) then years later determined to be dangerous to your health.

I can't see why you wouldn't give your unborn the best chance (s)he can have by avoiding things like heavy metals while trying to make fingers, toes, brains, etc.

As an example:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-fluoride.aspx

thats what i was implying by that statement

[bac0nfat]

I'm intrigued.

I seem to be the only person saying to not go shooting.

My thoughts... if you can give your child every chance to be healthy, smart, well-developed, etc. why wouldn't you? There's so much crap in this world that gets studied and is declared safe (or dangerous) then years later determined to be dangerous to your health.

I can't see why you wouldn't give your unborn the best chance (s)he can have by avoiding things like heavy metals while trying to make fingers, toes, brains, etc.

As an example:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-fluoride.aspx

We risked it to make sure that mom stayed proficient with her gun. I think she only shot about 2 maybe three times during her pregnancy. Its true that lead is toxic, but lets be honest there are unhealthy chemicals all over the place, and in our food and air we breathe every day. You can't go anywhere without being exposed to pollutants and just about anything you buy from a grocery store or restaurant in full of unknown mysterious chemicals. Its not like she was inhaling concentrated lead dust for an extended period of time. If people can go a lifetime of shooting without having any serious heath issues from it, than most likely a fetus wont be harmed from its mother shooting for an hour.

I think it was really important for her to stay proficient with her firearm, because I can't be there to protect her all the time. And being pregnant, she had two lives to protect, not just one.

[streaker69]

[QUOTE=Bigrepp61;1406162]

if anyone can show me a study that suggests otherwise i would back them 100% but till them i say try to keep her out of any situations that can even be remotely potentially harmful....

You mean like driving a car with airbags, crossing the street or going to the grocery store? I'm pretty sure there's more evidence that those things are more dangerous than going to the range and shooting a few clips.

[LilEMT]

All the literature I read while looking around before on this topic said that pregnant women and small children should immediately launder their clothes and get a shower upon returning home.

Congratulations on you new baby to be!

Nikki

[FUNDAMENTALS]

There are precautions to take that prevent the absorption of lead
particulates when shooting by pregnant women on indoor as well as
outdoor ranges. After the activity She should have a good shower scrubbing
thoroughly. Several Federal LE agencies have admin policies concerning
qualifications for pregnant officers. Clearence from their doctor is the one
that is most important. Indoor Ranges, She should wear a mask. Here is
a description I am quoting from a Firearms Instructors Manual of a Federal
Agency, U.S. Secret Service.
"The exposure to lead on the firing line occurs as soon as the shooter pulls
the trigger and the hammer falls. This actions causes the primer of the cartridge in the chamber to explode, which ignites the main powder charge.
At this point a breathable cloud of lead particles is expelled into the air, with
lead dust spraying the shooters hands. Lead particles also shear off as the
bullet travels through the barrel. When the bullet exits the barrel, a second
cloud of contaminates in the form of the muzzel blast burst into the air. Then
as the bullet strikes the impact area another contaminated cloud rises".
"Lead particulates can also settle on the skin and hair and eventually be absorbed through through the pores of the skin. If lead particles reach the
mouth they can be ingested into the digestive system."
Now the information requires folks to wash your hands before eating, drinking,
at the range. When picking up empty brass, do not place them in the
cap you are wearing. Just simple precautions.
"An ounce or prevention is worth a pound of cure".
If you are an Instructor, wether LE or Civilian, get a Blood Lead Level Test.
Think about indoor ranges and poor ventilation, shooting steel plates, reloads
that are lead bullets, etc. This is not trying to make things sound scary,
It is just to keep you healthy and what you are exposed to.

[CenterTree]

There hasn't been a great deal of research on the in-utero acoustic effects gunfire specifically. A recent study found no hearing loss in infants exposed to MRI noise

MRI is pretty loud (can be around 100 dB) but not as loud as gunfire.

Just to make certain, I would get a set of these. LOL!!