Key takeaways
- Three calls, in order: emergency services if anyone is hurt, her OB or midwife in every case, then the clinic after clearance.
- Write down what the OB says in their words. It is the first thing the clinic hears.
- You keep the notebook for the first week: dated, plain, one entry a day.
- Do not promise outcomes, speak about money for her, or decide it was nothing. If you were in the car, get examined too.
Sometimes the person reading this is not the pregnant one. You are the partner, the parent, the sister, the friend who got the call, and you have a phone in your hand and a job to do. The job is smaller than it feels and it has an order. Here it is, written for you, so she can rest while you read.
The calls, in order
- Emergency services, if anyone is hurt, if she has any symptom at all, or if she is unsure. Say she is pregnant and how far along. Let responders evaluate her and do not let her wave them off because she wants to go home.
- Her OB or midwife, in every case, even a low-speed bump, even feeling fine. Their office during the day or the after-hours line at night. They decide what gets checked and when. Write down what they say, in their words.
- The clinic, only after her OB has cleared her. Say auto injury, say pregnant, say how far along, and give the date of the crash. O'Fallon (636) 280-0990, Hazelwood (314) 627-1411, South County (314) 530-5480. Every room closes from 12 to 2. The O'Fallon room runs Wednesday and Friday by appointment.
That is the whole sequence. If you do those three things in that order, you have done the job. Everything below is how to do it well.
What to say to her OB's office
The date and time of the crash, what hit what, where she was sitting, where the belt was, whether the airbag deployed, and how she feels right now. Then listen. If they want her seen today, she is seen today. If they want her to go to the emergency room, you drive. If they clear her and give instructions, ask whether there is anything they want passed along to other providers, and write that sentence down exactly. It is the first thing the clinic will hear.
Anything that belongs to the pregnancy, at any hour afterward, is their call before it is anyone else's: bleeding, fluid, contractions or cramping, abdominal pain, a change in the baby's movement, dizziness or faintness. Do not wait to see whether it passes.
The notebook job
She is going to be tired, sore, and preoccupied with the pregnancy. You keep the notebook. Date at the top of every entry. What hurts and how much, on a scale she will remember. What she could not do today that she could do yesterday. How she slept, and on which side. Any headache, any dizziness, any tingling into an arm. Any symptom that belongs to the pregnancy, which you have already reported to her OB and are now also writing down. Keep it boring. The 72 hours page explains why day two and three are the ones to watch; the record page explains why the notebook matters at the exam and why the clinician's chart is the document that counts.
The drive
Pick the clinic room by your drive, not by its name. She should not be driving herself with a neck that hurts to turn, and late in pregnancy a long ride is its own strain. Choose the shortest, calmest trip you can make during the room's hours, and call before you leave so nobody arrives at a closed door. The rooms page lays out all three. Bring water and something to eat; bring the notebook, the OB's instructions, and any paperwork from the emergency room or the obstetric visit.
What not to do
- Do not decide for her that it was nothing. Feeling fine on the day is a timestamp, not a verdict.
- Do not promise anyone an outcome, a schedule, or a dollar figure on her behalf. You are getting her an exam, not managing her care or her affairs.
- Do not speak to anyone about money or coverage for her. If someone asks, the answer is that she has been examined and the findings are written down, and the rest is hers to handle when she is ready.
- Do not skip the obstetric call because you have a clinic appointment. The order is the point.
- Do not let her minimize. During pregnancy, taking a minor-seeming crash seriously is not overreaction. It is the standard.
Your own neck
If you were in the car, you took the same hit. Everything on the 72 hours page applies to you, minus the obstetric step. Get examined too. The clinic's auto-injury lane does not care which seat you were in, and two people with dated exams is a better week than one.
Then step back
Tell her what you told the clinic and what the OB said, so nothing has happened that she did not hear about. A handoff she did not hear about is not a handoff. Then let her rest. The calls are made, the notebook is started, the drive is planned. That is the job, and you did it in order.
The emergency line
Once her OB has cleared her, make the clinic call for her.
Say auto injury, say pregnant, say how far along, and read them what the OB said. Then pick the room you can drive to this week.