Donna wibbled

My OB (and my husband, who is a trauma surgeon) both recommend not
driving for 3 weeks post C-section. They both feel that after
abdominal surgery, the consequences of an accident can be so
severe, that it's better not to be driving at all for that period
of time. Neither one has ever said that *riding* in a car was at
all risky. I have been under the impression that the major risk
factor in even a minor accident (following abdominal surgery) is
impact with the steering wheel.

I would imagine that wearing a lap belt is out, though, since a
crash with a lap belt can have nasty results in the midriff area
anyway, and if you did have a crash with a low-slung shoulder belt
it could hurt a heck of a lot - I felt like I bruised very easily
for a while after mine, if the baby kicked my stomach while nursing
for instance. Because the nerves are cut and you can't feel much
around the incision until they start to reconnect, you could in
theory do some damage that you wouldn't notice for some time, I
suppose. Certainly my wound infection didn't hurt at all, and it
certainly should have given the swelling and whatnot. But I went
home from hospital in the car and no one mentioned anything then,
just that I shouldn't drive myself.

Jac