Does anybody know what the risks of lifting in early pregnancy are

[bigfatmom]

Hi
I have posted this on health but thought maybe its best to put it here as well.

I am ttc my 2nd dc but I work in a nursing home where the work is quite heavy requiring alot of bending, and stretching, manual handling etc.

Would this work be a risk to me if pregnant but I had not discovered it yet.

Please be careful, I knocked a fire place out and removed the bricks when I was pregnant (14 weeks but unbeknown to me) I ended up having a show.

Hmmm bigfatmom, i think as with all lifting pregnant or not you should be careful.
My daughter worked in a care home and had some bleeding in early preg. I went with her for a scan to check and i asked if it was due to work. Was told it was very unlikely and got lectured how she had worked lifting patients right through all her pregnancies with no problems so long as you take the right precautions etc and my daughters smoking was far more likely to have caused the bleed.
I'm not advocating lifting during pregnancy, but i suppose logically your at more risk of hurting yourself because the pregnancy hormone relaxes your ligaments making it easier to strain yourself.
It's something you need to discuss with your boss and make it clear what your not willing to do or cant do.

I think that the law says you & your employer need to carry out a risk assessment and perhaps change your working pattern if there are tasks you do currently which would affect a pregnancy - and this should also be the case if you're actively ttc. Talk with your employer - I hope it doesn't cause any difficulty with your job though, but employment law should back you up?
Not an expert but do you have a personnel/HR person where you work?
There should also be proper local guidelines on lifting anyway - to save peoples' backs, and this goes double if you're pregnant. I imagine the risk is to you first of all? Your GP might be a useful source of info.
Take care of yourself & lots of luck xx

Hiya
You should be doubling up with another carer for rolling, hoisting etc - everyone should really, not just pg people. I'm a community carer and will probably be doing double-ups until my maternity leave.
If you haven't done a manual handling course for a while, you could request the home send you (and other staff) on one. I've heard carehomes aren't always as careful about staff safety as they should be so it would be good to get yourself up-to-date. I went on the manual handling course in October and there were experienced carers there who were astonished at what they learned in it!

i work as a carer and all our residents are heavy. i did the same as everyone else while ttc but the second i got my BFP i refused to do any lifting or pulling, i wouldnt even rearrange anyone in bed. I still had a MC anyway but at least i know that it wasnt because of me pulling something. Your work has to do a risk assessment by law and you do NOT have to carry on as normal.

Good luck

i was acarer and you should inform them early on that you are pregnant as health and safety risk form need sto be filled in and othewr staff need to be made aware of what you can and cant do

as for lifting as a carer you shouldnt be lifting residents anyway and for using hoist you can assist but not pull hoist

you can do assisting for people providing you use correct manual handling techniques such as rolling people in bed just no twisting and pulling

i was senior care in home and had to manage pregnant people also

your role will be made more assisting but everyone needs to be asware of why as its such hard work and people may think your not doing fair share etc

i was fine i did most of what i did before but no hoisting no assisting the people who couldnt weight bear properly for standing etc