DIY (sanding floors) whilst pregnant - is there a reason why not?

[LearningFast]

Can anyone advise me on how wise / un-wise it would be for me to hire a floor sander and do this myself?

I have a house which I normally let out, and it is currently vacant waiting for me to re-sand the floors in a couple of rooms before I can re-let it. I would REALLY like to get this sorted out in the next couple of weeks, so I don't have to worry about the house being empty in the late stages of pregnancy and in the first few weeks / months after the baby is born when I want to focus on being in our own home and on my family.

I am 29 weeks pregnant, all going well so far (except for the baby still having his / her head under my rib cage, but that's an aside really). I am fit and well - a very active person when not pregnant. I would be careful not to do anything to strain myself, but am really concerned about the effect the noise of the sander might have on the baby.

Many thanks in advance for your advice...

I've done it, (was 26 weeks). Wear a mask, don't overstrain, dont go on for too long at a time and keep the doors and windows open, you'll be fine. Better now than in a month or two.

Oh, and I had a head under my ribcage as well, up to 37 weeks. Little bugger. Babies like white noise, the sander must come under that, surely? Its quite insulated in there so can't imagine its too noisy.

It should be fine as long as you wear a proper mask, not just one of those white paper things, they're useless. And as long as the floor is not made of treated wood, as the dust from treated wood is quite nasty. If they're oak, pine etc, it should be fine.

And stop often to drink plenty of water. Have fun! I love floor sanding .

Thanks for the reply Paschaelina, much appreciated.

That's reassuring on both counts (upside down baby and sanding). I hadn't thought about the white noise actually being appealing to the baby, was worried about it being scary for them.

Oops, cross posted - thanks Tolalola too!

The floor is pine and it does come up very nicely when it's done carefully - know what you mean about loving it as it's very satisfying work.

Yes decent mask essential. I see HSS is offering £15 off if you order online hire.

use ear plugs too - my mum got saw dust in her ears and they needed syringing!

I read somewhere scrubbing the floors was meant to be really good for pregnancy, especially near the end as being on all fours helps the baby get in to the right position - so maybe the same goes for sanding!!

Not sure about the noise, but if you feel up to it I would go for it while you can. I've found the bump and other symptoms in later pregnancy has stopped me doing any DIY (i.e. I'm a liability!) which is very annoying when you're used to being strong, dextrous, basically capable of everything.

I would make sure you have as much air circulating around the room as possible to avoid breathing anything in. DP won't let me or DD near the rooms being sanded at the moment to protect us (lungs I assume). Just don't overdo it!!