You’re pregnant. Congratulations! And as most women, you want to nest and get ready for your newest family member during this time. But, now you need more space in the home, so you’re also moving! Your stress has doubled, and you don’t know where to begin and where to nest. To help you in this process, we’ve gathered the top ten tips to help you move to your new home safely while pregnant:
1. Plan ahead
Give yourself extra time to pack, unpack, get your current home cleaned and your new home ready. You’re going through a lot of changes physically and mentally. You won’t have the same energy or even brain function, as your brain goes into “mommy mode” and prioritizes function that’s vital for baby’s survival. According to BrainFacts.org, many women report having memory problems during pregnancy and spatial memory is impaired as it’s not critical for a newborn.
So you might want to look into getting the most stressful parts of moving, like packing and unpacking, done by professionals to keep you focused on more important things, like your health and your baby’s health. Your future self and healthy baby will thank you later.
2. Talk to your doctor
Everything from your blood pressure, weight gain, and your baby’s heartbeat play a vital role in both your and your baby’s overall health. These are important factors to consider as moving can be physically and mentally taxing. And while your friends may each give you advice and the internet seems to be full of answers, everyone’s body, health, and pregnancy journey is unique. Healthine discusses that both sitting and standing for too long should be avoided. So, talk to your doctor about what’s right for you and consider discussing the following:
- What’s a healthy proportion of movement to rest for your stage of pregnancy and overall health
- How to best monitor your health during this process
- Potential risks and how to minimize them
- How they can best support you during this time
3. Pack a lightweight baby bag with essentials
This is especially important if you’re moving in your third trimester. Your baby can come any day now. So your hospital bag with essentials needs to be portable, with you at all times, and easily accessible. Huggies gives you an extensive list of items to pack and prepare for the big day for not only you, but also the baby, and your partner.
4. Get help from trusted family and friends
Recruit your besties and family members to do the heavy lifting while you’re busy planning and preparing. You’re the orchestra conductor and you’re looking for your choir. You’ll need a couple of organized people, some muscle, and most importantly, good listeners who can follow your instruction, so you can move in harmony.
5. Declutter & pack with unpacking in mind
You want to make move-in day as stress free as possible too. So start throwing away everything you don’t need before you get to your new home. Those clothes that are ten years old that you haven’t touched in years…throw them away! Your garage full of toys your kids have outgrown—donate! If you have larger items that you don’t want to get rid of but want to store away, you can use special storage services. Otherwise, look into disposal services to get rid of unnecessary junk.
6. Listen to your body
If you need more rest, rest. This is not the time push through. Even if what you need is more mental rest and less planning, take the time you need to recharge. Also pay attention to these most critical factors:
- Pain (anywhere in the body)
- Pressure through pelvic floor, perineum, or vagina
- Peeing/leaking
- Peaking/doming through abdominal midline
- Dizziness, fatigue, breathlessness
All of these are signs to slow down and take it easy. You can look out for more tips from wellness experts, here.
7. Wait to buy baby gear till after the move
It seems like a no brainer, but it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of preparing for a newborn. As much as possible, to avoid having more items you’ll have to move, wait till you’re in your new home to buy more baby clothes, furniture, and other essential items. You’ll have less to move and plan for. You’ll have less to organize right away. And everything will come in slowly at your new address, giving you more time to organize and place everything in its proper spot.
8. Avoid these type of movements
Your physical capabilities before pregnancy will surely impact what you’re able to do during pregnancy—from how much weight you can lift to the amount and type of movement you can do. So this will vary from person to person and should be discussed with your healthcare professional and possibly personal trainer, if you have one. You can also search general guidelines from sources like Baby Center to give you an idea. But here are a few key types of movements to avoid:
- Anything that involves laying on your back
- Lifting too heavy (discuss with professionals to know what this means for you)
- Anything that puts too much pressure on your body
- Bending over
- Anything that inhibits your balance
9. Avoid toxic chemicals
It’s important to avoid toxic chemicals that can be found in many cleaning products and even paint! And we all know moving involves a deep clean of your current home and painting potentially both homes! Schedule these important to-dos while you’ll be away for both your current and new home to ensure your utmost safety.
10. Hire professionals
Possibly one of the most important factors to consider is hiring professional help. Whether you need local moving services or a long-distance moving company, businesses like iMoving make finding a quote and booking movers fast, safe, and effective. You can get help finding moving labor, moving box kits, and getting your car relocated. They can even move that grand piano with their special piano services for your child prodigy.