I will never forget that day. I was 24 weeks pregnant when I fell. It was a scary experience I never want to experience ever again. I never thought falling while pregnant could be as traumatic as it was. I learnt a lot from that day and want to share with you what happened.

Falling While Pregnant in the Rain

It was a typical Sunday in our household. I was getting bigger being 24 weeks pregnant but still managed to get some fresh air and exercise while walking out and about every weekend. We had finally moved into a new apartment and felt like we were settling in great with a regular routine.

We got ready to go to church as we normally do. But today, the rain was pouring. We decided to still go to church but bring umbrellas and waterproof jackets to help with the rain.

Like the previous weeks, we made our way to the bus stop a few minutes away from our apartment to catch the bus that would take us to church. Albie wanted to try a different bus stop that was closer. He said it would take us to a similar spot near the church and that it would be an easy walk from there.

But when we arrived at the bus stop, we waited a while and the bus never came. We waited literally for 20 minutes and by this time, the rain was pouring heavy. We managed to stand under a shelter in front of a store but soon realized that we would not make it in time for church even if the bus came. So we decided to walk back home and give church a miss for the week.

While walking back, the rain continued to pour down. It was hard to see and I had my eyes forward making sure to keep on the cars going by. I was trying to keep up with Albie in the rain, who was a few steps ahead of me. He was walking faster than usually because it was pouring and I guess wanted to get out of the rain as soon as possible. I was trying to keep up with him so much so that I slipped on a drain.

I fell, dropping the umbrella on the floor. I fell on my bottom. It was like a natural instinct to just fall back on my butt and break my fall with my elbows and arms rather than my stomach or back. I yelled as I fell and Albie turned around. I could hear him panic, rushing over to me. He helped me up and asked me if I was okay.

Falling while pregnant is a scary experience. I was in utter shock. I felt wet and worried that the fall could of hurt the baby somehow. I knew that if I was bleeding that this was a clear sign we needed to rush to the hospital. Since it was raining, it was hard to tell whether or not I was bleeding.

I remember holding back my tears. I think I was just overwhelmed with emotion. Just the thought that something could be wrong made me feel so angry with myself and upset that I let that happen. I felt ashamed that I fell in the first place. It felt like I wasn’t taking good enough care of the baby and that I let our baby get hurt.

Albie held my hand the entire way back home, holding my umbrella. I changed my clothes, dried myself and went to the bathroom to immediately check if there was any signs of blood. Apart from my elbow and butt hurting, I didn’t feel any different. There was no blood, not that I could see. I was still worried that perhaps there was internal bleeding. We were so worried for the next few hours.

The Aftermath of Falling

I checked several times whether or not I was bleeding to make sure that everything was okay. Still in shock, I took comfort by reading helpful information online about falls during pregnancy and whether or not I needed to go to the obstetrician for an examination or ultrasound.

I was reassured with many forum posts of other women experiencing similar if not worst falls during their pregnancy. Two signs that a pregnant woman should be concerned is if there is any bleeding or if you experience any form of pain, particularly in the stomach region.

I had neither. I laid on the couch waiting for our baby to kick around. Typically she would kick a few times a day and I knew that if she kicked for a bit that she was perfectly fine. And she did. I was so relieved. We had an appointment with our obstetrician soon anyway and when we went everything was fine. Although when I came to the appointment and the doctor asked if I was concerned about anything, I said no, our doctor did an ultrasound and the baby was completely fine. There was no internal bleeding either. Thankfully, everything was fine.

How to Prevent Falling in the Rain

1. Take care of yourself: The whole experience was scary and it did highlight the importance of taking care of yourself even the little everyday things like taking extra care walking around whether it is rainy or not. From then on we decided that I should not venture out if there was heavy rainfall- that it wasn’t worth it and the health of the baby and my own health was more important.

2. Wear suitable clothing and footwear: You probably see celebrities wearing six inch heels while pregnant and think you should do the same. The truth is, wearing proper shoes is not only a great way to prevent falls but it also can help ease back pain too. Though I was wearing sneakers, it was typhoon season in Taiwan and the weather can be windy, rainy and just plain awful. This makes falling while pregnant very easy to happen. I now make sure to wear more sturdy boots when it was wet outside and to hold my husband’s hand when walking anywhere.

3. Take it easy: I know it sounds so simple, but it’s the simplest of things that we can often forget to do. Whatever you are doing, whether you are running late or just busy going about your day, you should make a point to take it easy. Remember you are pregnant and that you are responsible for the human being in your womb. This is something that took me time to remember while pregnant and something that I really focused on especially after this incident.

Falling while pregnant was a lesson I will never forget at 24 weeks pregnant and one that I hope never happens again in this pregnancy nor in any other future pregnancies.