Is this a mad plan?

[AyeAyeFishyPie]

We are expecting our first baby at the start of September. I am a teacher and will have 7 weeks off before the birth (this makes me very lucky, I know).
Our house is a a 3-floor Victorian job and we want the landings and stairs redecorated including painting currently bare spindles. The estimate we have had is huge because of the time the spindles will take. They will need the odd bit of filler, a sand, a coat of primer then 2 top coats. There are 80 spindles.
Would I be mad to do it over the summer? I could obviously take it slowly and do each stage gently. They are all pretty accessible, there wouldn't be any balancing and anything tricky I could leave to my DH for a weekend.
Good way of using the time or stupid and I will be bringing the baby home to a half down hallway?!

Yes! Pregancy is unpredictable. You might have the baby early, you might start getting really bad SPD, you might just be fat and knackered and boiling (I’ve had 2 September babies. Being heavily pregnant when it’s hot is hard) and if you can’t finish it wouldn’t that be really annoying? Also I’d worry about the fumes from the paint.

I'd say use low fume paint sure it has a technical name and crack on.

We took the roof of our house 2 weeks before our first was born. I Iived on a building site and was climbing ladders, managing the project. I only cried once

As I said to people who were a bit People live on rubbish dumps and walk carrying their families water on their head every day somewhere in the world. I'm fine.

If you starting the project results in a heatwave, we'll all be grateful

Dontcallme knowing my bloody luck that is precisely what will happen!!!

So split opinion thus far it seems!

Totally doable - my first pregnancy I was up ladders painting the bedrooms in the last 4 weeks - HOWEVER there is not a cat in hells chance I could do that in this pregnancy as have spd and am completely exhausted.

Can you wait and see how you feel nearer the time and if you don't feel up to it pay someone?

Either way it's best you get it done before baby arrives as jobs like that will just end up being left as other priorities take over.

Are you planning on using a water base or oil based paint? That would be my question? If oil based I wouldn’t do at all! The fumes are very harmful. Also if your house is Victorian please be care sanding back the old paint as the Victorians used to use lead based paint which is also harmful to baby and you. I’m an artist/prop and model maker and I have been nowhere near any solvent based paint so far. I’m normally really bad on health and safety so if I’m saying this it’s serious.
Get your husband or a professional painter to do this job....please!

I’m 8 months pregnant and diy is in full swing here. Hallway has just been replastered, dh has just replumbed and redone electrics, there is still new flooring, painting, skirting and architrave to be done.
Plus babys room still needs doing.
You don’t know how your going to be but you could be absolutely fine. I just take it easy. Spent the whole day in the garden and it looks fab!

Go for it!! I am 7 months pregnant and today I built bunkbeds. Just do a few each day. They'll be done in no time. X

aetw thanks - no only water based paint, and the spindles are currently bare (and not original) so the sanding would be just a light go-over.

elmo yes that's what I'm thinking regarding time - if it doesn't happen BB (Before Baby!) it never will. I'm thinking maybe just sanding over weekends so by the time the summer comes I'm only on the priming and the top coats, and if i have in excess of 40 days off as long as I get 2 done a day I'll be Ok...

I hate DIY with a passion, but provided you're not using harmful chemicals I don't see the problem? I'd have a plan b in case you are struggling but that doesn't seem too unrealistic. I get that some people do have difficult pregnancies but most people just carry on as normal don't they?

Girl that's what I'm hoping, but I thought I would pose the question on here in case everyone told me I was mad. Given this is my first pregnancy I have no idea what to expect come the summer! I like boring repetitive tasks so am oddly looking forward to it...

Totally depends on your pregnancy I’d say! I’m 32 weeks, sickly and nauseous again, finding going upstairs and showering hard work! There’s no way I could do any decorating. You’ll just have to wait and see how you are I think.

Ok, cool. I had visions of you with a heat gun taking off 90 year old paint and passing out. Remember to wear gloves even with the water based stuff. Sorry for nagging. X

I'm currently 32 weeks with DC2 and wouldn't think twice about doing something like this apart from the sanding if using an electrical sander (tried using one a few weeks ago to sand a beam and DC2 did not appreciate the vibrations). The only other thing that would stop me would that I would be limited to DC1s nap times.

I finished at 34 weeks with DC1, moved house, painted and put together a cot completely by myself etc. Every pregnancy is different though, but I suspect that if you are the kind of person that would crack on and do this type of DIY when not pregnant then you are probably also capable of doing it whilst pregnant too.

everyone is different and we all cope completely differently with pg. if you think you can manage safely to do the job, do it. Many, many women work right up until their due dates and although it isn’t recommended, they still manage.
Take it easy with the job and don’t rush to complete it, do a bit each day, I’m sure it will be fine. But remember baby might not have checked the diary and be early, so make sure you are comfortable with a half done job before you start.

Or could you start, doing a couple at the weekends now, so there is less to do in August?

aetw Thank you for checking! No the idea oaf a heat gun scares me! There is a bit that is painted, I don't know how long it has been there for, but we are getting the professional to deal with that!

Also you will be sitting down to do it, so that makes it less strenuous.

Oh, and it will be a million times harder to get it done once the baby arrives. DC1 is 14 months old and I'm only now starting to get stuck into doing DIY that we didn't get done in time before she arrived.

It’s definitely true that each pregnancy is different. I finished work at 37 weeks for my first and was so bored and at 31 weeks with my second and wished I’d gone earlier (I kept collapsing and ending up in hospital). Even if you’re feeling fine though a half finished job would really piss me off if I had the baby early.

I have just spent today cutting in all around our new loft conversion- I’m 37+1. Just do what you think you can- and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I had ideas of painting the whole thing and decorating the babies room. We have now decided to get professionals in as there’s just too much to do in 3 weeks!!! If the loft had been done earlier I probably would have done more in the Easter holidays.

I'm 35 weeks and spent this weekend building a wardrobe and cot! Then again I'm the type of person who won't stop or admit defeat (even though I'm secretly knackered!). I say go for it but make sure you have a fan or breeze of some sort, you'll be very warm!!

Go for it I say! Being bent forward or in and hands and knees position is a great way to get baby in the right position for labour, if you feel well enough then do it, just make sure it's at your own pace.

I’m only 28 weeks and my mother is already nagging that I’m doing too much! So maybe keep it on the down low to avoid nagging parents 😉 and crack on with it 🙊

I painted all the skirting boards in our new house between 6 - 8 months. I used water based paint and was absolutely fine. That said, the day after we moved house I felt intensely ill. I had been unpacking boxes etc & knew I was doing too much. Listen to your body & pace yourself (which it sounds like you will). I can’t describe how i felt but baby slowed right down. I definitely pushed it too far.