when pregnant how heavy is 'too heavy' ?????

[rockyroadahead]

hello
I am only just preg and asked the Dr about lifting heavy objects as i have a 2 yr old and i am worried about picking him up and lifting things at work (without having to tell them i am pregnant).. , the Dr said that you dont need to worry about lifting heavy things up there is no risk there it is only direct blows to the fromt of your stomache eg martial arts etc that will cause harm ... i am not entirely convinced by this surely its just common knowledge that you are supposed to be careful what you are lifting while pregnant i wondered if anyone else has asked the same question and got the same or a different answer ? and what sort of weight would you consider 'too Heavy'

Well I have a very tall, very heavy two year old and I am carrying him over quite big distances at 33 weeks pregnant.

But I would say that earlier on in my pregnancy (maybe 20-28 weeks) it did give me very bad lower back pain to carry him. Not that it was dangerous for the baby but it did hurt my back as my ligaments had all stretched.

So I wouldn't worry that it would hurt your baby to carry a toddler (I'm sure no second children would ever be born if that was the case) but it might hurt your back!

Like above posters have said the risk is to yourself, not the baby. Lifting in the wrong way you can injure your back (but that is also true when not pregnant! just more so when pregnant). So make sure you bend through your knees before lifting. Lift from sitting if possible (in the case of the toddler, get DC to climb onto your lap and then stand up). When you are carrying something heavy, make sure you're carrying it comfortably and close to your body (the further away from your body you carry something, the more strain it puts on you).