Relocation can get stressful in normal conditions, but with a baby on the way, the process can get additionally complicated. If you’re moving while pregnant, you might even wonder if it’s really a good idea in the first place. The truth is, it can be perfectly safe with the help of a few tips that can lower anxiety and stress levels and save your and your child’s health. Create a detailed plan, round up some friends, and listen to your body’s needs; all of these will make your relocation process efficient, smooth, and safe.
Detailed Planning Is an Essential Step in the Relocation
Relocating during pregnancy will go smoothly if you organize everything strategically. Create a binder and keep all the important documents in it. Make a to-do list, a moving essentials checklist, and a list that will track your day-to-day activities. When you know what’s on schedule for the day, it will be easier to get everything done without overdoing it and putting an additional strain on yourself. Besides, you won’t forget important things like finding a new doctor and making check-up appointments.
Finding a New Doctor Should Be High on Your Priorities List
No matter if you are moving from a small town to a big city or the other way round, finding a doctor should be high on your agenda. It might seem easier to find one in an urban area with many hospitals, but anyone who’s made a doctor’s appointment knows that it can take weeks to get through the doors. When planning, you can find an OBGYN while still packing. Then, all you should do is call and schedule an appointment. Talk to your current OBGYN and ask if they can recommend anybody in your future area.
Friends and Family Can Be a Great Source of Help
If you’re DIYing your relocation, having helpers will make the whole process easier and more efficient. That’s why you should recruit all available friends and family members in the vicinity. Throwing a packing party will be a perfect opportunity to say bye to friends and loved ones before you move. Due to your pregnancy, you should not pick up bulky and heavy objects, but your friends can lend you a helping hand and load the truck instead of you.
Listen to Your Body – It Will Tell You If You Need to Slow Down
Who knows you better than your own body? Be in tune with its needs, and you’ll get through the moving process without a fuss. Whenever you feel like you need to sit down, have a glass of water or a snack, do it. Pushing yourself to the limit won’t do you good; if your body is telling you to slow down, you should listen.
Be Mindful of Your Condition
You might not feel the effects of pregnancy yet, but still, you should avoid picking up heavy boxes, working too hard, and skipping meals. Be mindful of your condition. Take it easy, and you’ll protect yours and the baby’s health.
Pay Attention to Nutrition When Moving While Pregnant
While thinking about movers, money, and what to pack or not, proper nutrition might slip your mind. But healthy meals are essential for every pregnant woman. You should be eating 500 extra calories a day, and some of those should be filling snacks that are rich with protein and fat. That’s why you should always have beef jerky or nut butter at your disposal.
There Is More Than One Way to Reduce Stress
Stress-free moving is possible. Lowering anxiety and stress levels is crucial for every pregnant woman. Also, taking care of yourself and your baby comes as a priority, and that’s why you should:
- Stay active and take daily walks, exercise, or yoga. Physical activity will lower cortisol levels and get your mind off of anxieties.
- During pauses, read a book or watch a movie.
- Grab a bite with friends because socializing is a good method to get distracted and relaxed.
- Treat yourself to a spa or a massage session.
- Take a deep breath because deep breathing reduces stress levels, and it will help you relax.
- Sleep, ideally for at least eight hours every night.
Stay Away From Chemicals While Cleaning Your Home
A lot of cleaning goes into a relocation. You have to use plenty of cleaning supplies, and some of them include harmful chemicals. To be on the safe side, you should avoid ammonia and bleach altogether. When you have to clean, use gloves but also try to get cleaning products with natural ingredients that don’t have parabens and formaldehyde.
Hold off Purchasing Baby Supplies
Is your baby due to arrive shortly after the relocation? If not, you should wait until you get to your new place to buy all the necessary supplies. This way, not only will you have fewer items to pack, but you will get to save some money on the move. Also, once you settle into your new home, it will be easier to assess what you and your unborn child require. Then you can take into consideration the room size and get the right crib, nursing chair, and pillow, as well as drawers and dressers.
Follow Safety Tips All Through the I, II, and III Trimester
How far along in your pregnancy you are will affect your moving experience, because every trimester brings something different. If you follow safety tips, you will go through the relocation period smoothly and without any health scares or problems:
- First Trimester – This is a period when most pregnant women experience morning sickness and nausea. The body is changing fast, so the mood swings can leave you unbalanced and exhausted. During this time, you just need to take short breaks whenever you feel any kind of fatigue or queasiness.
- Second Trimester – This is an ideal time for a relocation because all nausea and sickness have passed. However, you should still take regular breaks and enlist the help of others. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health states that expecting women should not lift more than 18 pounds when less than 20 weeks pregnant.
- Third Trimester – Those last months of the pregnancy can be hard on the body. This reflects in abdominal and back area pain, and also fatigue and lack of balance. In the third trimester, you should avoid carrying things entirely. Have a spot where you can sit down and rest your feet.
Hiring Professionals Will Make Moving While Pregnant Stress-Free
If you want to avoid all the stress of planning, boxing up things, and relocating them, contact professional movers to help you. They can assist you with moving large objects but also with putting them in storage, or shipping your car if you have one. When you choose professionals, all you have to do is kick back and relax while they do the grunt work.
