Not work related but I’m 4 weeks 5 days pregnant and shocked myself from a mini fridge freezer combo.
I see some discussion about the way current flowed mattering and I’m not really sure how it would have in my situation but I am concerned for baby.
I was lying on my bed, leaning over unplugging my 3 prong mini fridge, with my laptop on/nearby me. Can’t remember where my other hand was but I think my fingers slipped onto the metal prongs while taking it out and I felt it in my hand and maaaaybe go through my opposite hand near/on the laptop but frankly I’m not sure. You usually hear people standing when this happens so im not sure how current would have flowed through me in that situation but I’m very worried for baby.
My OB basically said there’s nothing they can do since it’s so early.
Do you think current would have flowed through baby?

 

Probably didn't cause any problems, but you're asking the wrong people. Your OB is a far better resource than anyone here is likely to be, or they can probably refer you to someone that would know a lot more.

Also, what's done is done. Unless there is something that could undo it or mitigate whatever effects there might be, then worrying over it is likely to cause stress that is probably worse for the baby than the shock.

 

Did current flow through baby? Probably.
Does it matter? Propably not, but you should talk to your doctor rather then here.

 

The only danger to the Baby is your worrying about the Baby.

Don't worry, relax and take care of your Body with plenty of
Low-Impact-Exercise and lots of Vitamins and Minerals.

Avoid anything with Sugar or Starches, including Fruits,
also avoid any "processed-foods" with more than ~3-ingredients.

Vegetables are generally good,
and any "fermented-foods" will help with your digestion of everything.

Sardines in Olive-Oil are an excellent "super-food", eat as much of them as You like.

Animal-Fats are generally very good, "Seed-Oils" are generally bad for You and your Baby.

Your Mental-Attitude is your best-friend, or your worst-enemy, which will it be ?

Not all Doctors are created equal, very few are actually competent.
Virtually none of them have any training in nutrition.
Doctors are trained to prescribe pharmaceutical-pills for "symptom-relief",
usually they don't know much else.
Old "Surgeons" are generally more competent,
but I avoid them all, and do my own research, I think You should too.
.
.
.

 

The best advice would be to try to forget that it happened.
Your baby is safe.
Have a wonderful pregnancy and delivery.

 

If the shock was from one hand to the other hand then for the average human it did not pass near the baby although there might possibly have been a small bit of current, because of resistance spreading. So there is nothing to worry about.
A hand to foot shock would be different. So keep your feet covered.

 

As noted, if the shock was not large enough to injure you, than the chance of any significant current going though the baby is vanishingly small, so don't worry.

 

Another vote for "don't worry about it".

The odds of genuine damage being done are minuscule and not actionable anyway. Let it go.

I'm with @LowQCab, your worrying is more likely to be a problem than the shock. Stay positive and attend to S.E.E.™: Sleep, Eat, Exercise. If you cover all 3, everything else will take care of itself.

 

Four weeks & five days? How did you know you were - um - expecting? That seems like a VERY early timeframe to know.

 

Probably didn't cause any problems, but you're asking the wrong people. Your OB is a far better resource than anyone here is likely to be, or they can probably refer you to someone that would know a lot more.

This! You really want to consult your OB with this.

Ron

 

This! You really want to consult your OB with this.

Ron

You really think that a bunch of strangers on an Internet forum who happen to be electronics enthusiasts of one stripe or another are going to know better about what does and doesn't pose a risk to a developing fetus than a licensed and practicing obstetrician? Or that an OB can't give you a better referral to who might actually have a better understanding of the potential impact to the fetus of an electric shock to the mother?

 

There is nothing an OB or MD can do after the fact to remedy the situation.
The best advice is to try to put it behind you and be positive about your pregnancy.

My daughter just gave birth a month ago. Preliminary signs had flagged a rare abnormality. The "experts" wanted to intervene during and after the delivery with multiple tests. After weighing all the medical advice available, she and her husband opted out of the intervention. The baby was delivered without concerns and mother and baby are doing fine.

 

My daughter just gave birth a month ago. Preliminary signs had flagged a rare abnormality. The "experts" wanted to intervene during and after the delivery with multiple tests. After weighing all the medical advice available, she and her husband opted out of the intervention. The baby was delivery without concerns and mother and baby are doing fine.

Sort-a similar with my #3. Six weeks early and the ultrasound was predicting the baby would be 3 pounds soaking wet. Knowing how good my wife took care of her needs during the pregnancy I predicted the baby would be over 5 pounds. There was a rotating team of 5 doctors, all of them arguing with me that the baby needed to be saved. Late that night (always late at night) she delivered naturally. And weighed 5.6 pounds.

The next morning one of the doctors saw me and said "So I hear you had your baby last night. How big was she?" I said "5 pounds." I immediately got a look of 'you're BS'ing me'. Before she said another word I said "I'd be a fool to try and lie to you. I KNOW you're going to go see what the chart says." That was the last I ever saw of that team of experts.

The reason why I knew the baby was more than 3 pounds was that the ultrasound technician told me that the baby was in the breach position and getting an accurate weight estimate was difficult. The little rug-rat has five of her own little RR's now.

As for this thread - I swear I've seen this question asked before. Back then it was not a legitimate thread, just someone wanting to be heard. Sitting back and snickering at all us sparky's talking about babies.

Think I'm going to give my little RR a call this evening. Ciao y'all.

 

The doctor should know better than the rest of us, but count my vote in the "try to forget it ever happened" pile. It's unlikely anything bad happened, and there's nothing that can be done anyway. Stress is no good for you or the baby, so the best thing you can do is try your best to forget it ever happened.

 

There is a saying: "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." So it might be beneficial. Relax and think about the good things.

 

Not work related but I’m 4 weeks 5 days pregnant and shocked myself from a mini fridge freezer combo.
I see some discussion about the way current flowed mattering and I’m not really sure how it would have in my situation but I am concerned for baby.
I was lying on my bed, leaning over unplugging my 3 prong mini fridge, with my laptop on/nearby me. Can’t remember where my other hand was but I think my fingers slipped onto the metal prongs while taking it out and I felt it in my hand and maaaaybe go through my opposite hand near/on the laptop but frankly I’m not sure. You usually hear people standing when this happens so im not sure how current would have flowed through me in that situation but I’m very worried for baby.
My OB basically said there’s nothing they can do since it’s so early.
Do you think current would have flowed through baby?

This is a step and touch voltage question. To answer your question simply, your baby is probably fine. If you felt it go through you, arm to arm, it traveled through your heart. Get an EKG. Current flows not just in the easiest path, but across ALL paths to find ground. Having said that, if you were able to let go without a problem, and just got a slight shock with no residual pain, tingling, or discomfort anywhere, you and your baby are probably fine.

I recommend, as we are not experts, that you talk to your Burn Control Center (call your fire-department for the number if need be), and talk to them, as they will give you the best advice.

 

A shock doesn't destroy cells, it clamps muscles down. Your brain is electrical. Your body mechanics are controlled by electrical impulses from the brain. IF the baby got any of the shock it would not have done harm unless it harmed you.

There is a saying: "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." So it might be beneficial. Relax and think about the good things.

I think I could use several shocks now - if that's true about making us stronger. It's gotten so a sheet of 3/4" plywood is too heavy for me to lift anymore.

 

It sounds like the current just ran between your fingers which is the most benign way of getting shocked.

My last shock back in December was when I was disconnecting equipment left behind by the previous engineer. This was inside an EMI chamber so no cell phone coverage. Even if I yelled I was the only person in the building. While leaning across the equipment with my left arm on a completely bonded box (hey, that's what you do in an EMI room) I put a wrench on the power lead and got a brief arm to arm line voltage shock. I knew I was not injured but due to this serious safety violation I made an accident report, and management insisted I go to get checked out. Urgent Care ran an EKG, advised me it did not look great and advised me to go to the hospital for a ton of tests. Since my regular doc is a cardiologist I waited to the morning to see her, and she ran another EKG and said it was *my* normal.

So... even after a bad shock it will probably be OK.

BTW, this led to a new standard procedure for operating in this room, with a two person minimum requirement. I did not get any report of what happened to the lazy guy who left the power on and went home. This power is controlled by a cutoff switch outside of the EMI chamber room and is not obvious at all. once inside, and not tagged in any manor.

 

A shock doesn't destroy cells, it clamps muscles down. Your brain is electrical. Your body mechanics are controlled by electrical impulses from the brain. IF the baby got any of the shock it would not have done harm unless it harmed you.

I think I could use several shocks now - if that's true about making us stronger. It's gotten so a sheet of 3/4" plywood is too heavy for me to lift anymore.

This depends on whether shock is AC or DC. AC clamps, whereas DC burns.

 

This depends on whether shock is AC or DC. AC clamps, whereas DC burns.

True.