Congrats! You’re pregnant! I know for a fact you have a million questions. Questions for your mom, your friends, your doctor, and everyone you meet with kids. You have tons of people to ask questions of, but who do you talk to about being able to hunt and shoot while carrying that precious cargo? Depending on your doctors, they may not agree with you going hunting. You want to ask them questions, but you don’t want to be judged.

Then you start reading online. You can’t get a straight answer there either. You read 5 different articles and get 5 different answers. Now, what I’m going to tell you isn’t a set-in-stone answer. It isn’t perfect and everyone has their own opinions.

The First Trimester

The first trimester is ridiculously important for development. When it comes to firearms, you don’t need to worry about the noise just yet. The main issue with shooting during the first trimester is lead exposure. This is something you need to watch during your whole pregnancy. Lead exposure is very dangerous and can cause multiple birth defects. The best way to remedy this is to shoot with steel, TSS, or copper.

The Second Trimester

So you made it past the first 3 months? YAY! This is a huge achievement since the first 12 weeks are when the most things go wrong. This is also when you have to start planning things in advance. If you need to go to the gun range, go earlier in this trimester. Once the fetus starts reacting to loud noises outside of the womb, I recommend limiting your range time. Some ranges won’t even let you shoot if you are showing. Again, you need to limit your lead exposure. Lead can pass through the placenta so switch your ammunition if you can. I stopped shooting at the range after the 23-week mark.

The Third Trimester

The third trimester is the home stretch and it feels like it is going to drag on forever. You’re going to be counting the days until you get to hold your little bundle and also get back to “normal.” Normal doesn’t really happen right away, it’s going to take a while to recover and get into a pattern with your new baby. However, just because you waddle from room to room and it takes twice as long to get up and down the stairs, don’t let that stop you from hunting and being active. I hunted up to the beginning of December and my daughter was born mid-January. The only reason I stopped? I couldn’t keep waddling a mile in, sitting most of the day, and waddling a mile back out. Words of advice, don’t push yourself too hard. If you need to rest, do it. If you had plans to go hunting and you just can’t make yourself go, stay home and rest. I was working right up until my daughter was born.

Overall?

You have to do what is best for you. Everyone is different and has different limits. Some people may think I pushed it too far going archery hunting at 8 months pregnant. Other people were shooting pigs in Texas up until their child was born. However, avoiding lead exposure as much as possible is always good. Use steel, tungsten, or copper bullets or shot if you are going to be shooting. Don’t push your limits and do what is best for you and your baby! It never hurts to consult with your doctor if you have a specific question.

Congrats and enjoy this time!