Conceal Carrying During Pregnancy: The Third Trimester
This is the last trimester before baby arrives! I didn’t get to make it far into the third trimester before delivering Baby Primer Peak at 33 weeks 5 days. Unfortunately I don’t have much to say regarding to late pregnancy and conceal carry due to that. I do however have observations from the 6 weeks I was able to stay pregnant into the third trimester. With that in mind, here are my thoughts and experiences conceal carrying during the third trimester.
The further into pregnancy I got the more uncomfortable I felt. Issues from earlier in pregnancy worsen here, along with a few new changes.
Between the summer heat and general retaining of water in pregnancy my feet and hands continued to swell. As a result my hands hurt and I felt like my grip strength was gone. As I continued to conceal carry I did have the concern that if I needed to utilize my firearm in self defense, would I have the grip strength necessary to handle it well? Since we cannot shoot while pregnant, this isn’t something I could check. This is something we can mitigate with grip strength exercises, along with using good technique in our practice before pregnancy. If you are really worried here, changing to a smaller caliber may be an option.
While my feet did not grow in size, they did get puffier than my sneakers would comfortably allow. I ended up wearing sandals more than I would have ordinarily done in the summer. Sandals are not ideal shoes for fleeing, but at this point I was prioritizing comfort. I always choose sandals with a heel strap as that does ensure my shoes won’t fall off my feet, or become a tripping hazard, if I need to get out of an area quickly.
As my waist grew my mobility continued to be impacted. Most notably, it was painful to bend at the waist, so the pregnancy squat was adopted. While I was still able to pick things up from the ground, I was less interested in doing so. The pregnant conceal carrier needs to consider how quickly they would be able to pick up a dropped can of pepper spray, or worse, their firearm, if they are forced to use it in public.
As mentioned in earlier parts of this series, your balance, speed, and ability to flee diminish throughout pregnancy. I found myself getting tired more quickly, and feeling less steady on my feet as the weeks progressed. At the gym I continually needed to make modifications to workouts to protect myself and baby, even in a controlled environment. These problems will likely be greater in public. Keep this in mind when it comes to managing unknowns, as avoidance will be key here. Making the right choice sooner could save you later.
The third trimester brings even more doctor’s appointments, more peeing, a more sensitive tummy, and less room in your clothes. All of these need to be taken into consideration before you decide to leave the house with your gun strapped along your waistband.
Most, if not all, medical facilities and hospitals are not areas where you can legally carry a firearm. At Primer Peak we encourage everyone to follow their local laws and ordinances. That being said, going into an NPE while conceal carrying, especially when you begin going weekly, increases your chances of being made. It’s important to keep yourself and your unborn baby safe, so you really need to consider if the potential cost is worth the risk. For me it was not.
It was the weirdest feeling when Baby PP would kick at my bladder. Towards the end of my pregnancy we’d also note on ultrasound that their head was resting on my (usually) full bladder, using it like a pillow. It felt like any time I moved I’d have to head to the restroom to relieve myself.
As women, we are accustomed to taking our pants down every time we use the restroom. I learned very early into my conceal carry journey how to comfortably go pee with a gun on my waistband. I had no problems on the occasion I’d have to use the restroom in public. However, in the third trimester you inevitably will need to use the restroom more. Do you want to manage a firearm every single time? I didn’t. Alternate carry positions might need to be considered. Read my Conceal Carry While Pregnant | The Second Trimester article for more on alternate carry options for the pregnant conceal carrier.
I covered maternity clothing more in depth in my Second Trimester article. It’s still worth mentioning that as your belly fills out more of your clothing you’ll have less space to hide a gun along your waist.
I forgot to mention in my last article, but the difference in height of my maternity pants varied GREATLY. My maternity bike shorts had a waistband that went up to my bra, while my maternity jeans waistband lowered as my belly grew. If you have been carrying using a device that holds the gun independent of your waistband, I strongly encourage you to practice drawing in each pair of pants you wear. I may have been able to get away with carrying AIWB in my maternity jeans, but in my maternity leggings there was no way I could comfortably or quickly make my hands all the way to my firearm with where the waistband rose to.
I’ve seen a lot of conceal carry moms say something to the effect of “I forgot there was a gun in my purse” as a reason to not carry off body. Based on comments like that I assumed that my brain would completely turn to mush and I would forget very important things, like where I last left my firearm. You know yourself and your experience, but I’d like to say that this was not my experience with pregnancy brain. At no point did I forget to return my firearm to it’s designated location upon returning home.
The start of the third trimester is when I began to notice that I was more emotionally sensitive than before. The reality that I would soon be welcoming a baby into our family for the first time began to sink in. I would be excited, anxious, nervous, and scared all at once. I was also taking more personal offence to minor inconveniences, and that made me angry.
If you thought you weren’t sleeping well already, it gets worse. In the third trimester I was waking up to use the restroom more, as well as waking up with random pains. There were also nights I could not fall back to sleep and instead would lie awake for hours with pregnancy insomnia. With my tiredness I was less alert when I needed to be, which explains why I felt grumpier.
The third trimester might be the time that you begin to consider if it is safe for you to conceal carry. Are you able to make sound judgements? If you find yourself in a defensive encounter, will you be able to articulate a legal and ethical reason for your response?
Post Partum Depression (PPD) and Post Partum Anxiety (PPA) are well known, but Perinatal Depression and Anxiety also exist. This is a very exciting and happy time, but sometimes you might not feel happy and excited. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or others, please let your partner and provider know. I genuinely want you to be there to protect your baby once they are born, and that might mean putting the guns away for the time being, and relying on your situational awareness and less lethal tools to do so.
At the end of this trimester (or before) your baby will join you earthside! Writing this as a new mom I can assure you that it is the most amazing thing. There are two considerations related to the pregnant conceal carrier in regards to welcoming your baby. Are you having an induction, or waiting for spontaneous labor?
Due to some medical issues I encountered later into my second trimester/early into my third trimester, my doctors decided that a scheduled induction would be the best course of action to keep baby and I healthy and safe. After working through the initial disappointment that I wouldn’t get to experience the excitement of waiting for spontaneous labor, I began looking forward to my 37 week induction. My body had other plans, and after being hospitalized for a fever, and then diagnosed with “atypical presentation of HELLP syndrome” we had an unplanned, preterm induction and Baby PP was born!
My husband and I went to the hospital thinking I would be in and out. I had a fever and body aches, but as a precaution we went to Labor and Delivery (L&D) to make sure baby was okay. What resulted was a week long hospital stay, and an unplanned induction.
One reason I would encourage you to remain unarmed during your OB appointments is because your doctor could send you to L&D as a precaution. You won’t know before you get there if you will end the day with baby on the outside or not, but if you do, you need to be sure your firearm is in a safe location. Your hospital room is not a safe location for your firearm.
If you are going to the hospital for any reason while pregnant, this is the time to leave your gun at home. And I’d encourage your partner to leave it at home as well. We genuinely thought I’d be sent home after taking some Tylenol and having a non-stress test done to ensure baby was okay. We didn’t expect that we’d become parents at 33 weeks gestation.
Initially we were scheduled for a 37 week induction for mid-Summer. The best part about this plan, was that I was able to prepare with my baby’s birth date in mind. I knew my hospital bag would be packed, the house would be spotless, the dogs would be at daycare, and the guns would be safely locked up while baby daddy and I were checking in for a few day hospital stay.
Obviously I wasn’t going to be conceal carrying when checking in for my induction, but my husband made the same decision for himself. We were going to go to the hospital unarmed. While there was some uncertainty with how the day would end (vaginal or C-Section), we knew we wouldn’t have to worry about securing a firearm during the birth of our baby.
You never know when exactly you will go into labor. Since this wasn’t my experience, I can’t comment on what it is like to be in waiting, but I can provide you some things to consider as it relates to conceal carry.
What will you do if you go into labor while you are armed and out and about? Unlike in the movies, if your water suddenly breaks and you go into labor while at the grocery store you probably don’t need to immediately head to the hospital. If your baby is full term, unless your doctor tells you otherwise, you can probably go home to labor at home for awhile before heading to the hospital.
If you do go straight to the hospital, there are hospital policies and procedures in place should you arrive armed. Greg Ellifritz wrote a little about what happens to your Conceal Carry Gun if you show up to the hospital still conceal carrying. If you are able to do so, I encourage you to go home to lock up your gun before going to the hospital. You’ll also be able to have a snack and grab your bags while you’re at it.
I’m adding this more for the partner than for the mom. If your baby mama is having a C-Section, scheduled or urgent, you will not be able to have a gun with you. You will change into scrubs, go into a sterile operating room, and you will meet your precious bundle of joy. You will act as support to the person you love who grew your child, and is undergoing major abdominal surgery to bring them into the world.
If a decision has to be made to either go with your partner or stay behind so you can remain armed, you should go with your partner. This is the time to leave your gun at home.
Congratulations on your upcoming arrival! You have just a few more weeks until your baby joins you on the outside. As a mama whose baby came early, enjoy this time! It won’t be long before your belly is empty, and this little baby isn’t kicking you from the inside anymore. You’re in the home stretch and then you’ll be enjoying new motherhood.
Conceal Carry During Pregnancy | The First Trimester
Conceal Carry During Pregnancy | The Second Trimester
Conceal Carry During Pregnancy | The Fourth Trimester
Conceal Carry During Pregnancy | Training and Classes
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