To say something?

[startwig1982]

Thi is a bit of a wwyd but wanted some advice. My head of department is pregnant with her first child. She's less than 12 weeks and nobody but I know. The only reason I know is that she was feeling really faint and sick a while back and I just happened to mention as a joke had she done a pregnancy test.
Anyway, our department has had a refurbishment and we're trying to put furniture and stuff back in the right places. A lot of tables have ended up in the wrong place and she said, "no worries, I'll just move them."
Now, because noone else knows, I couldn't say anything. She's also moved a few filing cabinets!
AIBU in feeling concerned that she's adoring all this heavy lifting and wibu to maybe chat to her quietly and suggest she should let someone else do it/take it a bit more easy?

Not adoring, doing....

Miscarriages are rarely caused by anything the woman does. I would leave her to it , she is an adult capable of making her own decisions.

You can if you want. I hated it when people at work mollycoddled me though. I knew what I was capable of, and hadn't turned into an invalid.

To be fair though, I wasn't moving filing cabinets.

I'm fairly certain in most healthy pregnancies moving a piece of furniture won't do any harm. I wouldn't say anything

She's pregnant, not ill, she knows her own limitations.

There is nothing about pregnancy that means you can't move a few tables. Leave her alone.

Fair enough. Just for clarity, when I say a lot of tables, I mean 64 tables...

I would definitely say something, just kindly say that there is no need to do it, lifting heavy objects is not advisable.

Also, I think that it is in the early days that the lifting is a greater risk to the pregnancy

It is a shame that she is in a position to take risks in order to maintain her secret

Can't she just say she's hurt her back and she isn't to do any heavy lifting?

Lifting is not a risk to pregnancy. Neither is pregnancy a reason to infantilise women.

I'm sure if she feels the need to feign anything she is capable of doing that by herself.

I thought the hormone that made ligaments flexible so lifting becomes a risk doesn't kick in until later in pregnancy? Maybe you should have a look into it.

I don't think lifting is a risk to the baby, it's more that the Mum is more prone to ligament damage.

I think lifting is only a danger to the woman it's no danger to the baby. Maybe just say to her to let you know if she needs a hand.

Really? When I was pregnant with DS I was told (by the antenatal midwives) that it could cause a MC.

When I was preg with DD my employer cancelled my place on an object handling (safe ways of lifting/carrying big heavy things for those who don't know) because of the risk.

Well, heres the thing - i doubt it will cause any harm to the baby and she probably wont thankyou for sticking your beak in! BUT don't you have to have training in "manual handling" to be shifting heavy items at work, H&S would have a fit :)

She's pregnant, not suffering serious spinal injury, at the stage she's at there's no physical difference apart from bigger boobs, morning sickness and a few twinges from the expanding uterus with a tiny blob growing. Mind your own business, she knows her own body and lecturing her as if you know better is patronising and offensive.

I was told by my doctor not to lift anything heavy enough to need two hands in early pregnancy.

Normal lifting that she would be doing when not pregnant shouldn't be a problem. I was transferring unconscious patients at 37 weeks with the only problem being my belly got in the way.

You were told lifting things could cause a MC? They need more training then!

I think you need to accept she is an adult and let her assess what she is capable of! I've got a horse and am now on my third pregnancy, my mother had a fit when she found out I had gone to the stables to muck out when in early labour, she told the midwife expecting to be backed up, but the midwife just said that as I was obviously fit , healthy and well used to doing it that it posed no risk whatsoever.
I'm 17 weeks at the moment and still lifting hay bales on my own, an feed bags, but I draw the line at riding because current horse can be unpredictable to ride, and I avoid handling him in any situation where he might become frightened or upset in case I get trampled or squashed.