Any other moms in the trades or a physical job

luckeygurl

I am a first time mom working as a cabinet maker. My job intails lots of heavy lifting and carrying awkward cabinets and sheets of plywood alone. I'm on my feet the whole day on power tools like table saws and other specialized equipment. I dont know what to expect and how long I can expect to work before the pregnancy starts to effect my work. 

babymakes9

I'm a farmer. I've already had to slow down some at 20 weeks.  I can still do everything,  but slower,  or for not as long.  Like i can move hay bales, but i can't throw them.  I can feed pigs,  but i have to split the feed into buckets and not carry whole 50# bags.  Listen to your body,  and you should be fine. 

syssa-o

I work in a gym. There is a lot of heavy lifting involved, specifically when I am working alone because I can't ask someone else to do it. My manager is a great guy and knows about our loss, and that I'm having twins so he is adamant that I don't lift anything compromising, but I have to constantly remind myself. It wouldn't be so bad if d-bags weren't leabing 85 lb dumbbells laying everywhere... but usually when they see me cleaning up after them (and if they happen to notice the bump) they smarten up a bit.

muggle621

Sorry for the edits I'm having technical difficulties. I'm giving up for the weekend ! 

muggle621

damn I accidentally dirty deleted when I went to add please intro etc. and can't get it back 

Gingermom15

I'm an ICU tech and I spend 12 hour shifts on my feet lifting, rolling and pulling patients. I did this with my last pregnancy up to having him and plan to do the same this time. 
As PP said, listen to your body and your doctor and you will be fine. Don't overdo things, but you can likely continue your normal workload for a little while. 

orbmaker

I'm an ED nurse. I've been bowing out of lifting/"boosting" (incapacitated) patients who weigh more than 200 lbs, just cos I get nervous about either injuring myself or the baby. Who knows tho. You're a rockstar @Gingermom15

Gingermom15

@orbmaker we have fancy beds that we can trendelenburg them back if we need to, plus I always raise the bed and get help. Trying to save my back lol. The 400+ lber's are where I draw my limit unless they have an air mattress then it's super easy. With the right body mechanics and equipment it's not bad, not a piece of cake but doable. Whenever I get floated to the ED it's almost impossible to pull people up or roll them on those cots. Worst days of mylife are when I get floated 

ksmwalters

I'm a massage therapist and I've been wondering the same thing. Even just trying to work around the belly is already stressing me out lol! Planning on working as long as I can, and maybe helping out up front after that. But I know I'm going to have to cut my days or hours at some point.

babybluu

It's not as extremely physical as your jobs, but I'm a server and walk constantly for up to 9 hours a day, and don't usually get to sit down. It's fine now but when/if my SPD comes back it's torture. My coworkers don't let me lift anything heavy or bend down anymore. I'm not fragile, but I appreciate their concern lol 

deleted22152218

Does chasing around a toddler all day count? Just kidding  
My last pregnancy, I worked part time at a fairly easy job, but was on my feet during my shifts. That alone KILLED my back. So I just wanted to pop in and say props to you mamas who take on such physically demanding jobs. It can't be easy!  Lord knows I couldn't handle it. 

Gingermom15

Also, any of us who work on our feet a lot or in physically demanding jobs need to invest in some support hose. They can be pricey for a good support with a comfy fit, but they are so worth every penny. My feet got extremely swollen last pregnancy and they were a life saver. 

pregobeth

My husband and I have an airplane maintenance business, and I used to do a lot of the work in the hangar in the heat (Texas). But now I've scaled back to doing parts acquisitions and book work. I have to be really careful now because we work with a lot of chemicals. We finally found a couple of good workers, so we don't have to do everything all alone now.