Should you shoot when you are expecting?

Should I shoot when I’m expecting?  That is between you and your Doctor.  My advice is Not Unless Your Life Depends on It!  Exposure to loud noises can damage your hearing, perhaps permanently.  Studies have indicated that the womb amplifies sound via the fluid.  Therefore, depending on the stage of development, your baby is being exposed to very loud noises without the cognitive ability to anticipate of understand where they are coming from.  Plus, their little ears may be more sensitive than ours.  Think how loud the gun shot from a 9mm or a .38 is with your ear protection on?  Imagine if you had nothing to protect you from that noise?

Think about lead exposure.  Sure, it is minimal, and for the average shooter the fully developed system takes care of it for us, but for a fetus the lead particulate is filtering through Mom right to the baby.  Junior’s system may not be developed enough to process the lead.  Lead exposure has been proven to be responsible for multiple developmental and cognitive issues. 

Even an outdoor range exposes you to lead, debris and noise.  Plus, there are multiple chemicals involved with cleaning your gun after shooting that you may not want to expose your unborn to.

Bottom line, it is between you and your Doctor.  However, unless you life is on the line, consider keeping up your skills by dry firing and save the live fire for when you need a break from the new baby.  Cute as they can be, there will come a time when you want to pull your hair out.  That is a great time to head to the range and make holes in paper.  Just leave your precious bundle at home with Dad.

 Be safe!!

Concealed Carry when you are Pregnant

Most of us understand that going to the range while you are expecting is probably not a great idea.  The lead, the noise...none of it is good for the baby.  However, as your tummy grows, your center of balance is shifted, you may feel more vulnerable and want to continue to carry concealed, but how?  This question has come up a couple times so I'd like to offer a couple options here.

After a lot of thought, and asking several women who have kids, we all came to the same conclusion, a Remora holster. Once you move from “regular” clothing to that with a stretchy panel, there is no belt to secure a holster, you need something you can tuck in to the general are of the strong side hip, shifting for comfort and the movement of your baby. If you are wearing a dress, your options are more limited, especially the closer you are to your due date as you probably can’t see your feet, let alone reach your thigh. At that point you might consider a sized up Belly Band (the stretchy band with the pockets for magazines and your gun). Wear it like a maternity belt, wrapped low under your belly. Yes, you run the risk of showing the world your Tuesday panties on Thursday if you have to draw, but it is better than being without your gun.

Stay Safe!