Safety Tips for Moving When Pregnant

Moving is an ordeal for most people but moving while pregnant can make the process even more exhausting. Your feet hurt, your back hurts, the last thing you want to do is lug around heavy moving boxes and furniture.

On the other hand, many pregnant women don’t want to be seen as delicate. Staying fit and strong while your baby bump grows is entirely possible. However, when it comes to moving you have to keep a careful eye on your health to ensure the safety of you and your baby.

Our St. Louis movers have compiled a list of helpful safety tips for moving while pregnant separated between each of the three trimesters. As you get closer and closer to the nine-month mark, there are different safety and health considerations. Here’s what you should and shouldn’t do when moving at every trimester.

Moving While Pregnant – First Trimester

Your baby bump will unlikely be big enough during the first trimester to be a barrier to moving. You can still see your feet, so your belly won’t likely hinder any of the movement you are required to do when packing your household and loading everything into a moving truck. However, the nausea and morning sickness (which often strikes at any time of the day) common during the first few months of pregnancy can be a hindrance.

If your moving date is scheduled anywhere within the first 13 weeks of your pregnancy, just make sure to avoid overexerting yourself. Your body changing and mood swings can leave you feeling unbalanced and exhausted.

Be sure to start the packing process as soon as possible so you have plenty of time to rest in between completing tasks. Always have puke bags or a bucket nearby and leave the heavy lifting to family, friends, or professional St. Louis residential movers.

Moving While Pregnant – Second Trimester

The second trimester is typically the ideal time to move while pregnant. You’ve passed the nausea and sickness of the first trimester but haven’t reached the physical discomfort and decreased mobility of the third trimester.

Women in their second trimester have the most physical and mental energy, which is needed when relocating. Their baby bumps are bigger but still small enough to freely move around without much pain or discomfort. Still, just because your energy levels are higher, don’t overexert yourself.

Continue to enlist the help of others and leave the heavy lifting to people without a bun in the oven. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends expecting women lift no more than 18 pounds when less than 20 weeks pregnant and up to 13 pounds when more than 20 weeks pregnant.

Moving While Pregnant – Third Trimester

The last few months of your pregnancy can be hard on your body. As your belly grows larger, starts protruding out, and fetal activity increases, you may start experiencing aches and cramping in your abdominal area and back. Fatigue and lack of balance are also common during the third trimester.

Another thing you’ll have to watch out for, particularly in the final weeks of your pregnancy, are signs of labor. Try to avoid scheduling a moving date around this time, because the last thing you want is for your water to break while you’re in the middle of a move.

If you can, it is best to move before your third trimester. However, moving with a newborn may be infinitely more difficult, so you don’t want to wait until after the birth either. If you must move during your third trimester, avoid carrying heavy or even mid-weight things entirely.

Reserve a spot (preferably an armchair or sofa) where you can sit down periodically, so you won’t have to stay up on your feet for hours. You’ll likely spend most of your time sitting down, but don’t feel guilty about it. Having a supportive spouse or family members and an experienced crew of St. Louis local movers there to help is ideal.

Don’t forget to eat enough healthy nutrition and stay hydrated throughout the moving process. And before planning and starting any move, speak with your doctor or obstetrician first about other safety tips for moving while pregnant.

If you want as stress-free and effortless of a moving experience as possible, enlist the help of All My Sons Moving & Storage St. Louis. Call (314) 328-7043 for a free, no-obligation estimate tod