Decorating while pregnant

[desperatelyseekingmaya]

I'm in the very early stages of pregnancy (6 weeks) and we are currently in the process of having our house decorated.

I've read up on painting and scared myself to death. The walls are emulsion but the woodwork is going to be satin wood. Obviously, I'm making sure all rooms are well ventilated but is it genuinely a risk especially as we have a decorator doing the work and I'm not touching it? Or am I right to panic? I'm in such a tizz I don't know what to do.

For the emulsion, I personally wouldn't worry, I just redecorated my living room. For gloss, my OH DID send me away for 2 days but that was mainly because it was the Hall stairs and landing and it has no windows so is hard to ventilate.

No-one will say 'definitely ok to paint' but in this day and age, the paints have MUCH lower VOC than the past, so I doubt there being a detrimental effect but I have no qualifications to say that. Can you avoid the rooms being painted?

At six weeks your biggest issue is likely to be that the smell will make you vom and be really uncomfortable for you to be around the areas painted with gloss.

We redecorated our new house when I was 37 weeks pg! I keep clear of gloss paint, it's very fumey, but otherwise you should be just fine. Just don't overdo it!

I have been single-handedly renovating our house for the past 3 months and I'm now 25 weeks pregnant! Emulsion, gloss, varnish, sanding, carpet laying, you name it, I've been doing it. Just ventilate the rooms well and don't panic, it'll be totally fine.

Watching with interest. I am 27 wks and have basically a whole house to repaint over the next month or so!

In the nicest way possible, I think you can worry too much.

This is my fifth pregnancy and so far i've been up a ladder wallpapering and painting 3 rooms, sanded, glossed and painted 60m of garden fencing. I'm now nearly 20 weeks with no adverse side effects. Just open the windows!

31wks with twins and just finished decorating the nursery by myself - up ladders, painting ceilings, walls, gloss on window sills and step edges. I didn't realise it was even a potential issue if you felt up to it, my midwife certainly never mentioned anything when I told her what I was up to.

Sure I've also seen adverts by paint companies on tv with pregnant women decorating??

33 weeks pregnant and i've done a lot of painting myself the only thing i won't do is the glossing I just find it way too strong. Left that to my OH and dad.

If you are worried, just make sure your paint has 'minimal' voc's. That's what I have done and there have been no nasty paint fumes.

im currently 32 weeks and decorating. Ive mentioned this at my last midwifes appointment ans she said i was fine to carry on provided the room is well ventilated and i stop when i need to.

(I then went and told everyone who told me i should be sitting down and resting to let me get on with it!)