Pregnancy Safety: Concerns About Boating During Early Trimester

Question
Hello.  I am 30 years old and mother of one son (21 months).  The date of my l.m.p. is May 20th.  I am really concerned about my activity last week while on vacation.  At 13 weeks pregnant, I was boating with my family.  The driver was taking it very easy (not just for me but for the 5 children on the boat with us).  However, on one instance we ran into some large wake from another boat.  Even though the driver slowed down, our boat struck the wake and dropped with a rather high impact (twice).  I am just so nervous that my body jarred too hard.  Could this result in miscarriage OR could this instance cause harm to my baby?  I am smart enough not to engage in unsafe behavior.  And the driver of the boat is a respectable physician and a very careful father of four.  It's just eating me up inside.  My next appt. is a couple of weeks away.  I guess I'm just looking for some insight into this situation.  Thank you so much for your time.  -- Lori King.


Answer
The baby is well protected in the uterus surrounded by amniotic fluid. Unless you had a piercing injury (stabbing, gun shot, hit by a car, etc) you should not worry. Any exercise, or heavy activity such as you describe in the boat will not cause any harm to the pregnancy or to the baby. Even a blow to the abdomen rarely causes a miscarriage. Don't worry about the waves.