I plopped down on the couch...

[Anonymous]

..and thought "hey wait, I'm pregnant, I need to be more careful!" I fell a couple weeks ago, started a few days of bleeding, but all was well eventually, strong heartbeat at the dr on Friday. So when I plopped down on the couch yesterday, I was terrified, thinking, just how protected is a kid at 24 weeks? Did I hurt him/her? Did I just break their leg? (I know- no bone yet, right? very maleable). So then I figured, don't people still jog at this point sometimes? That's pretty jarring I'm sure, right? And there was no bleeding or cramping...

So my question - given I have been extra neurotic with this second pregnancy (first kid is healthy, no reason to worry) - please reassure me this is no big deal and I just need to chill out

[Anonymous]

If it makes you feel any better, at around 30 weeks with my 2nd pregnancy, I slid down a snow-covered slide, flew off it at full speed and landed flat on my back. Not something I would ever have done with my first!

I was fine, baby was fine and born 7 weeks later unharmed. I was freaked out and checked with my dr anyways. You can most likely relax. I'm sure your couch is well cushioned. But you can always call your doc if you're really worried.

[Anonymous]

I also asked my doctor "how protected is the baby?" I could practically see her little kneecap through the belly wall. It felt like there was no more than a half inch of me between her and the scary world.

The answer was, there are fewer things than you think that will harm the baby. In our modern world, a car accident is about the only thing that's going to cause problems. And it's not (like I thought) the pressure of the seat belt. It's the rapid deceleration jerking the kid suddenly. Then he told me all kinds of stories about people falling flat on their bellies and being just fine. So I think the message was, avoid sudden extreme jarring movements. Otherwise, live your life.