Buckle Up Baby

"One of the interesting things we found in this study is that, of those who had bad outcomes [including miscarriage or preterm labor], 62 percent of the women were not wearing their seat belts," he says. "So a lot more women who ended up with bad outcomes weren't wearing their seat belts."

Eighty-two percent of adults in the United States wear their seat belts regularly, and only 72 percent of the women in the Michigan study did. Though the sample size makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions, the numbers do suggest that pregnant women, whether out of discomfort or concerns about the safety of their unborn children, may be wearing their seat belts less frequently than the population at large.

That's why researchers say the most important recommendation they have for pregnant women is to wear a seat belt at all—that, they say, matters much more than wearing it a certain way. For maximum safety, the lap belt should be put on below the belly button so it fits below the bump, while the shoulder harness should be worn off to the side of the belly, between the breasts and over the middle of the collarbone. For women who find that a normal seat belt no longer fits around their bellies, researchers suggest seat belt extenders. In addition, they say, airbags should never be turned off, because they are aimed higher (at the chest and face) and also help to keep drivers and passengers from hitting the steering wheel or dashboard in an accident.

"The greatest thing about this is that it doesn't cost anything," Pearlman says. "Think about saving 200 babies—we're probably talking millions if not tens of millions of dollars [to do that] in a hospital. But you don't even have to buy a seat belt. All you have to do is help spread the word that women who are pregnant and in a vehicle should buckle up every single time."

© 2008