Moving During Your Pregnancy: Do's and Don'ts
Pregnant and moving: Is that a suitable combination? Not natural, but unfortunately it can sometimes be no different. Moving during pregnancy is best, but it requires a various planning than a 'normal' move. Our colleague Holy from Florida has experienced it personally. She moved a few months ago during the last trimester of her pregnancy. Holly describes this in the following story as a cross country moving guide:
"Exactly in the previous trimester of my pregnancy, my husband and I found our dream home, a chance we did not want to miss. I tried to avoid a move during pregnancy and especially at such a late stage.
If you do have to move during your pregnancy, the second trimester is the most suitable. The pregnancy ailments of the first period, such as nausea and fatigue, are usually less. Moreover, in the second trimester, your belly is not so big that it gets in the way when carrying things. But unfortunately, in our case, it was not possible to move earlier.
So in the 34th week of my pregnancy, I was faced with a massive pile of moving boxes, which all had to be packed ... My experiences during my move I would like to share with you in this story. I also hope to give you some useful tips for your move.
Leave the moving boxes!
At whatever stage of your pregnancy you are, you do not have to carry heavy items. A moving box of about 15 kilos is too heavy. How much you want to help and how to fit you feel, think of your baby and just leave the boxes. Of course, you ask your friend, girlfriends, or movers for that!
You can, of course, simply pack moving boxes. Make sure that you put the empty boxes in such a way that they do not stand in the way when they are full (and you still have to move them). It is best to pack a box, close it, and then put the next empty box on top of the full box. So you never have to move a full box.
Make sure you take enough rest breaks. I was surprised that I got tired of bending and moving things so quickly. Another tip: write precisely on the box what is inside, on all sides and the top. You may have noticed yourself that you are more forgetful during your pregnancy? Right ... keep that in mind and write everything straight away.
Odd jobs and cleaning?
Do you already have a nesting rank? Especially at the end of the pregnancy, that chance is huge. You then have a natural urge to create a clean and uncluttered environment for your baby. Everything has to be perfect so that your baby will soon lack nothing.
If you have to move just during this phase, it goes completely against your natural nesting. After all, you are sitting between the boxes and the job projects for a while. You probably want to paint all the walls as soon as possible, lay floors, wash the windows and have everything spotlessly clean. But unfortunately that does not work ... you have to hold back a bit.
As I indicated earlier, lifting heavy things is not good during pregnancy. But working with chemicals such as paint and cleaning products is also a bad idea. The chemical fumes can be harmful to the baby. Leave the chores and cleaning to your partner, or hire a handyman or cleaning company.
To set priorities
But fortunately, this does not mean that you have to suppress your nesting all the way. However, you have to handle it wisely. Personally, I had to do my very best not to tackle all the jobs at the same time. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I occasionally panicked because I thought our house would not come off before birth.
What helped was setting priorities. After our old house was swept clean and our new home more or less cleaned, I immediately started furnishing the baby room. I have washed all baby clothes until the third month, folded them up and put them in the closet, packed the bag for the hospital and put down the cradle and the changing table. Then it was time to make the baby room cozy. Instead of painting, I used wall stickers to decorate the wall behind the chest of drawers.
Now that the baby room had been decorated, my nesting position was somewhat satisfied. Soon I could start other jobs with peace of mind, such as thoroughly cleaning our new home. (Naturally with non-toxic cleaning agents)
In the end, the entire operation took much longer than expected, but that was not bad. If you still have to move during your pregnancy, it is vital that you listen to your body. If you need a break, you must also take it. And that is my most important tip to you: Do not expect too much from yourself. Plan enough time for every step of the move. It is ideal if you can enter your new home one month before the date of moving so that you have plenty of time to do chores. And think of yourself and the baby for every job first. Your well-being is the most important thing!
Being pregnant and making yourself useful during the move
Your belly is in the way, you cannot lift, and the smallest effort makes you tired. That is annoying, but it does not mean that you cannot make yourself useful during the move. An essential part of moving is namely: plans! There is a lot of administrative work to do: send address changes, sign a new energy contract, register with the municipality, you name it. This is what you have written for you now!
During the move day itself, you can keep an overview and ensure that everyone knows what to do. Delegate! You can also provide coffee and food for the movers and friends who come to help. You will see that organizing and delegating during the move day is an essential task. So you do not have to feel guilty because you can do less physical work than the rest. You partner and the movers are probably happy with a person who keeps the overview and who provides a nice cup of coffee. "
Have you ever moved during your pregnancy? How did that go and do you have tips that are not mentioned in this article? We would like to hear it! Leave a comment below.
"Exactly in the previous trimester of my pregnancy, my husband and I found our dream home, a chance we did not want to miss. I tried to avoid a move during pregnancy and especially at such a late stage.
If you do have to move during your pregnancy, the second trimester is the most suitable. The pregnancy ailments of the first period, such as nausea and fatigue, are usually less. Moreover, in the second trimester, your belly is not so big that it gets in the way when carrying things. But unfortunately, in our case, it was not possible to move earlier.
So in the 34th week of my pregnancy, I was faced with a massive pile of moving boxes, which all had to be packed ... My experiences during my move I would like to share with you in this story. I also hope to give you some useful tips for your move.
Leave the moving boxes!
At whatever stage of your pregnancy you are, you do not have to carry heavy items. A moving box of about 15 kilos is too heavy. How much you want to help and how to fit you feel, think of your baby and just leave the boxes. Of course, you ask your friend, girlfriends, or movers for that!
You can, of course, simply pack moving boxes. Make sure that you put the empty boxes in such a way that they do not stand in the way when they are full (and you still have to move them). It is best to pack a box, close it, and then put the next empty box on top of the full box. So you never have to move a full box.
Make sure you take enough rest breaks. I was surprised that I got tired of bending and moving things so quickly. Another tip: write precisely on the box what is inside, on all sides and the top. You may have noticed yourself that you are more forgetful during your pregnancy? Right ... keep that in mind and write everything straight away.
Odd jobs and cleaning?
Do you already have a nesting rank? Especially at the end of the pregnancy, that chance is huge. You then have a natural urge to create a clean and uncluttered environment for your baby. Everything has to be perfect so that your baby will soon lack nothing.
If you have to move just during this phase, it goes completely against your natural nesting. After all, you are sitting between the boxes and the job projects for a while. You probably want to paint all the walls as soon as possible, lay floors, wash the windows and have everything spotlessly clean. But unfortunately that does not work ... you have to hold back a bit.
As I indicated earlier, lifting heavy things is not good during pregnancy. But working with chemicals such as paint and cleaning products is also a bad idea. The chemical fumes can be harmful to the baby. Leave the chores and cleaning to your partner, or hire a handyman or cleaning company.
To set priorities
But fortunately, this does not mean that you have to suppress your nesting all the way. However, you have to handle it wisely. Personally, I had to do my very best not to tackle all the jobs at the same time. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I occasionally panicked because I thought our house would not come off before birth.
What helped was setting priorities. After our old house was swept clean and our new home more or less cleaned, I immediately started furnishing the baby room. I have washed all baby clothes until the third month, folded them up and put them in the closet, packed the bag for the hospital and put down the cradle and the changing table. Then it was time to make the baby room cozy. Instead of painting, I used wall stickers to decorate the wall behind the chest of drawers.
Now that the baby room had been decorated, my nesting position was somewhat satisfied. Soon I could start other jobs with peace of mind, such as thoroughly cleaning our new home. (Naturally with non-toxic cleaning agents)
In the end, the entire operation took much longer than expected, but that was not bad. If you still have to move during your pregnancy, it is vital that you listen to your body. If you need a break, you must also take it. And that is my most important tip to you: Do not expect too much from yourself. Plan enough time for every step of the move. It is ideal if you can enter your new home one month before the date of moving so that you have plenty of time to do chores. And think of yourself and the baby for every job first. Your well-being is the most important thing!
Being pregnant and making yourself useful during the move
Your belly is in the way, you cannot lift, and the smallest effort makes you tired. That is annoying, but it does not mean that you cannot make yourself useful during the move. An essential part of moving is namely: plans! There is a lot of administrative work to do: send address changes, sign a new energy contract, register with the municipality, you name it. This is what you have written for you now!
During the move day itself, you can keep an overview and ensure that everyone knows what to do. Delegate! You can also provide coffee and food for the movers and friends who come to help. You will see that organizing and delegating during the move day is an essential task. So you do not have to feel guilty because you can do less physical work than the rest. You partner and the movers are probably happy with a person who keeps the overview and who provides a nice cup of coffee. "
Have you ever moved during your pregnancy? How did that go and do you have tips that are not mentioned in this article? We would like to hear it! Leave a comment below.
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