driving after birth

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

How long do you recommend for vag deliveries and c/sections not to drive? When I started pp, someone told me 2 days for vag and 2 weeks for sections. I've been telling people that ever since, and now I've been told it should be two weeks for vag and three for sections. Just curious.

Specializes in Nurse Manager, Labor and Delivery.
There is a very big difference between driving a car and moving a couch. I can see why there would be no heavy lifting or strenuous activities, but sitting in a car, turing a steering wheel? I can't wrap my brain around it.

Again..it isn't the ACTION of driving that is the problem. It is the physiologic changes going on in the body that can cause syncopal episodes, dizziness and blurred vision (amongst many others) that can cause an accident.

I am surprised at the resistance to this? Has our culture become such that an expectation of rest or taking it easy after giving birth is so outrageous? What is so pressing that you HAVE to drive immediately if not sooner after having a baby? (now I realize there are those who have circumstances that dictate that very thing, hold the hate mail, please). But then, I can't get patients to wait to have sex, so....:banghead:

Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

All I got to say is try driving a stick shift with a fourth degree lac. No way.

All I got to say is try driving a stick shift with a fourth degree lac. No way.

Ouch . . . . . :o

steph

How long do you recommend for vag deliveries and c/sections not to drive? When I started pp, someone told me 2 days for vag and 2 weeks for sections. I've been telling people that ever since, and now I've been told it should be two weeks for vag and three for sections. Just curious.

I drove home from the hospital after delivering my last one. They said it was against policy but I had no choice, my husband can't drive, there was no one else.

When I had my son at home I was up two hours later fixing breakfast and I was driving that same day. But I was 24 then, I'd be too old to swing that now.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

People who have had NSVD usually can drive, unless they have been using narcs for post partal pain control.

People having had surgical procedures, (csection, abdominal hyst) etc, are told not to drive for two weeks. SOME insurance companies will refuse to cover those who break this rule, driving too soon, if they get into an accident, so it is a good idea to try to comply if at all possible.

Really, driving for the most part, in itself, does not strain the incision so much----it's the fact that people are most often using some powerful narcotics for pain control, that can cause errors/delays in judgement that are critically-important in activities like driving or operating dangerous machinery---this is a big reason why many are told not to drive after they have given birth.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

My kids are adults but like the majority of these posters, was not given ANY discharge instructions. With my second child, I drove myself to the hospital at 7cm dilated and then drove home within 12 hours of delivery. I went back to work 72 hours later and moved from Spain to IL three weeks later. No choices, you just did it - never occured to me that I shouldn't.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I think it unforgiveable not to give patients d/c self-care instructions. I can hardly believe hospitals do this, but I know they do, from feedback from my sisters and their experiences. We give written self and infant care instructions to every patient, as well as a list of things they need to know before going home. It's a checklist and they are asked to check off any item we did not cover sufficiently for them, so we can discuss it before they go home. We certainly are far from perfect in our teaching where I am, but at least this mechanism allows patients to bring to our attention what we have failed to tell them, before they leave.

I think it unforgiveable not to give patients d/c self-care instructions. I can hardly believe hospitals do this, but I know they do, from feedback from my sisters and their experiences. We give written self and infant care instructions to every patient, as well as a list of things they need to know before going home. It's a checklist and they are asked to check off any item we did not cover sufficiently for them, so we can discuss it before they go home. We certainly are far from perfect in our teaching where I am, but at least this mechanism allows patients to bring to our attention what we have failed to tell them, before they leave.

I like the idea of having the patients check off the info. With my second child, born Saturday evening, the nurse came into my room at 3 am on Monday, woke me up, ran quickly down her checklist and left. I didn't remember a thing.

I will have to remember the patient checklist for my leadership clinical next semester when I have to come up with something smart to implement on the unit ;)

Specializes in Nurse Manager, Labor and Delivery.

I, too, cannot believe that there are no discharge instructions going on. We have had to revamp our many times because of JCAHO, and national safety recommendations. Not only do we have to give instructions, the patient has to sign that they understand them, and then sign a kind of a "test", going over the instructions to make sure they comprehend what they have been told.

Smiling Blue Eyes put in what I cannot believe I forgot. Those pesky narcotics!!!!

Specializes in M/B,L&D,NBN,PEDS,CHN.

In the past we always taught, and it was printed on most of the individualized MD instructions to avoid driving for 2 weeks. Verbally I reminded moms of their blood loss and changing body along with sleep deprivation, that MAY lead to an increased reaction time that COULD cause them to be MORE LIKELY to be involved in a car accident while driving. But...people do what works for them, my job is done when I've passed the info to them, what they do with it is their call. If a loved one of mine was injured/killed due to the carelessness of one of these compromised women, I certainly would be slow to forgive. When going against MD instructions and jepordizing other people on the road...well it's just irresposible and selfish. There are things called taxis and other possible avenues to exlore before endangering others. If the hospital/MD did not provide any education/restrictions regarding driving, then it is understandable. I honestly don't know if there is evidence available supporting any restrictions, just know what we taught.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

CEG if you need a copy, let me know. It's pretty good.

After my c-section last year I was instructed not to drive for four weeks. Everyone who came into my room kept saying that I was the best looking c-section they've seen. (And believe me, with the way I felt, I felt sooo bad for the other moms!) I wonder what the other mothers were told about driving. I think this must be standard orders because it was also in my paperwork.

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