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Original poster

Which is worse? Moving while heavily pregnant, or with a newborn?

24 replies

LassoOfTruth · 13/01/2020 10:18

Just for fun really - to settle a friendly argument between me and DH. Of course I might not get a choice, depending on how quickly we can sell our house/find a new house etc! Our 2nd baby is due in late June (we have a 2 year old also). We need to move fairly soon because our current home is too small for the three of us as it is - what are your experiences, wise people of MN?

OP posts:

Apolloanddaphne · 13/01/2020 10:20

I would move whilst pregnant. That way you only have one child to consider and can hopefully have your new house ready to greet the new arrival.

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 13/01/2020 10:21

I'd go while pregnant, definitely.

Lunafortheloveogod · 13/01/2020 10:23

Move while pregnant.. you don’t need to feed your bump or change it’s bum. Much easier to pack sandwiches for you now than figuring out bottles with a house n van to pack on little sleep:

WineAt4pm · 13/01/2020 10:23

Definitely do it while pregnant if you can. We were all ready to put our house on the market and move, DC2 arrived and we've postponed a year- no way could we physically do it right now with a total velcro baby who won't be put down and a toddler.

DappledThings · 13/01/2020 10:23

I moved with a 2 week old and it was fine. Tiny babies are very portable and was easier for me than trying to lug my pregnant belly around things being all over the place.

I was EBF so didn't need to worry about finding and sterilising bottles etc. That might have changed things otherwise.

LizziesTwin · 13/01/2020 10:26

I moved continent with 2 toddlers and an 8 month old. We thought it would be easier to stick with the same dr, nursery etc and then move once the baby was born. Worked out fine apart from one 48 hour period in which my milk dried up due to the strain & a small hurricane.

lilmishap · 13/01/2020 10:27

Newborn is worse, being pregnant leaves your hands free.

Aus84 · 13/01/2020 10:27

I've done both. While pregnant providing you have no major issues with the pregnancy was way better. I started to nest in the last trimester so really enjoyed packing and unpacking, cleaning etc. When we moved with a newborn a lot of things stayed in boxes for months.

TonOfLead · 13/01/2020 10:31

Are you planning to use a packing service? Because that will make life considerably easier whatever the timing.

I moved with a pre-schooler and an 8 month old. I wouldn't have managed it without that help.

rosieposies · 13/01/2020 10:31

I moved house 6 days after having a c section and it is genuinely one of the worst experiences I've ever been through 😂 she was 10 days early, and I totally expected to go over my due date so hadn't even factored the possibility of moving with a newborn into it, so the shock was part of it. Just awful. Worth it though to buy our first home.

butterwithtoast · 13/01/2020 10:41

Pregnant. You won't be able to do much lifting, and I'd definitely recommend getting movers to pack everything. But although not ideal, it would defintiely be easier than moving whilst recovering from giving birth and getting to grips with your new baby!

OhMsBeliever · 13/01/2020 10:41

I've moved 2 days before giving birth, then again when he was 6 months old. Then years later when I had a 3 month old.

None of them were great! Moving house is stressful at the best of times. But small babies meant that I had to keep stopping what I was doing to sort out nappy changes, feeding, general snuggling etc. Very distracting!

BendingSpoons · 13/01/2020 10:44

Move whilst pregnant and pay for a packing service.

Original poster

LassoOfTruth · 13/01/2020 11:04

Thanks folks! Moving while pregnant was my preference too. I will be lobbying hard for a packing service - great idea! Even just trying to pack stuff with our toddler around and both working full time will be a big stress I know.

OP posts:

AnnoyedByAlfieBear · 13/01/2020 11:06

I moved with a 2 year old and a 3 month old (BF) baby. We sent toddler to nursery in the morning and I looked after baby and gave instructions while everything went on around me.

I don't remember it being stressful at all although being BF helped a lot I imagine. And it was 5 years ago now so maybe I'm looking through rose tinted glasses.

Peskyelephant · 13/01/2020 11:21

I moved with a 7 week old, it was fine he was a second baby and was EBF so just stayed in a sling with me. We had a packing service and also sent the nearly 4yo to the grandparents for a couple of nights which helped.
Had hoped to live while pregnant bit house selling being what it is, got delayed by the sellers.

ArtichokeAardvark · 13/01/2020 11:30

I'm 38 weeks and we moved house just before Christmas specifically because we didn't want to move with a newborn. It was hard enough work with a toddler in tow, adding a newborn to the mix would have been a nightmare!

It's definitely doable, but I would pay the removals guys to pack for you if you can afford it. Ditto get decorators in. We didn't and I have never been so exhausted in my life - I'm also a bit worried all the stress and exertion has had a negative impact on the baby as she's measuring very small on scans whereas my son was a 93rd centile heffalump.

ALadyofLetters · 13/01/2020 11:34

I was meant to move heavily pregnant but dd2 came 7 weeks early instead so we moved with a premature newborn and a toddler. It wasn’t that bad as we got the movers to pack and everyone was lovely to me as I had a tiny baby.

PiggyPlumPie · 13/01/2020 11:39

I came out of hospital with DD1 on the Friday and we moved house on the Saturday.

It was local so I walked down with the baby and sat on my arse all day directing operations. Worked for me!

MustardScreams · 13/01/2020 11:44

Definitely get the packing service. It’s a breeze then.

I moved when 38 weeks pregnant and then again when dd was 3 months. Easy peasy with a packing service.

1300cakes · 13/01/2020 11:46

I would think newborn. How are you going to bend over and pack everything? Getting up and down from the floor 100 times while packing? Carrying boxes with a massive gut and a sore body? No way. I'd rather have a newborn, I'd just put them down, have toddler babysat/at nursery and get on with it.

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 13/01/2020 11:47

I moved when ds was 7 weeks

Was on my own it was really really hard due to move months earlier but paperwork got held up

So I would say before unless you are doing very little of the moving

Damntheman · 13/01/2020 13:07

Move while pregnant! I was 36 weeks pregnant when we moved house last. I would vastly prefer that to moving while sleep deprived with a newborn to handle (on top of however many older children you have).

Good luck!

Urkiddingright · 13/01/2020 14:29

Our sale was finalised when I was seven months pregnant so we moved in when I was around 32 weeks. It was honestly fine. I didn’t have to do any heavy lifting which was a win . The biggest stress was getting the internet sorted (the previous and only owner was elderly so had never had an internet connection- nightmare).

I would hate to move with a newborn.

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