The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians
-
J. Matern. Fetal. Neonatal. Med. · Apr 2020
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyMaternal car driving capacity after birth: a pilot prospective study randomizing postnatal women to early verses late driving in a driving simulator.
Background: Women are commonly advised to avoid driving following cesarean section (CS), however, this advice is based upon little evidence. Aims: We aimed to assess a woman's capacity to drive a car postbirth using a driving simulator to objectively examine driving behavior and competencies. Materials and methods: We conducted a pilot, prospective, randomized study from a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney, Australia. ⋯ At 7-8 weeks, all women were driving, without an accident. Conclusions: Although the study is limited by small sample size, there was no difference in driving capability by early versus late driving time since birth, nor by mode of birth. Further research is needed, but we cannot provide evidence to discourage well women from driving from 2-3 weeks post birth.