Nursing assistant and pregnant

owlyouneed

I am a nurse's aide and the job requires a lot of lifting, pushing, heaving, pulling, etc. I just found out recently that I'm pregnant (almost six weeks!) and am worried to death about hurting the baby. I've already told my boss about the pregnancy.

How much lifting is too much?
When do I need to start worrying about lifting and other heavy duty things at work (because I've already started worrying)?

I'm a full time student as well as worker, so going down to part time / light duty really isn't an option, unless absolutely necessary due to complications or what-have-you.

Any advice would be appreciated and welcomed! I'm a first time mommy and very nervous and overwhelmed (though becoming increasingly excited). 

charmschool

My doctor told me not to lift more than 20 pounds at a time. 

kmr8904

Hey!

I'm an RN and lift, pull, push, squat, run, skip...etc.. and my doctor had no restrictions to offer.

Your body is used to what you're doing, physically for the most part so you really shouldn't have to change - I mean, unless your doctor wants you to.

 What type of nursing do you work in?

DinabethL

I used to be a Nurse's assistant. I hurt my back, so I was unable to continue. Anyway - my plan was to work until about 5-6 months, and figured after that I wouldn't want to push myself. I also know a friend of mine who worked all the way to her delivery. It goes along with "if you were doing it before you were pregnant, you are probably fine". You get good muscle strength and tone when you do lifting all the time, so you should have the support you need in your body to continue working. I would ask your doctor though. BTW - I LOVED being a nurse's asst. I miss it so much! Take care of your back, ok?

kmr8904

I bet once you start showing and people start finding out, they'll not let you do heavy boosts or lifting people off the floor...etc. The things you probably shouldn't be doing anyways, but you do. haha Been there, done that!

owlyouneed

Thank you for the advice! I was so worried when I found out that I was pregnant that continuing to work would hurt the baby. I will talk to my doctor to make sure during my first appointment!

 I'm in geriatrics; I'm an NA in a nursing home. I like it a lot more than I thought I would and hey, I'm all learned up in wiping butt and cleaning puke, pee, poo, and blood. :-)

owlyouneed

kmr8904:

I bet once you start showing and people start finding out, they'll not let you do heavy boosts or lifting people off the floor...etc. The things you probably shouldn't be doing anyways, but you do. haha Been there, done that!

 My boss already knows, at least. She was one of the first people I told. I will probably ask for more help with transferring people and lifting when I get further along.

 

Thanks for all the replies and advice so far, everyone. I really appreciate it!

kmr8904

Funny story. 

We had DD before I became a CNA and even thought about nursing school, so wiping babe toosh, flinging up her legs, wiping and slapping a diaper on was a cinch.

The first time i had to put a Depends on someone I just stood there thinking, How am I going to cross this persons leg and haul their bum off the bed, wipe and stick this "diaper" on them. Holy panic (and I was 27! duh!) hahaha

I have since come a long way - obviously.

hehe

Angel0423

I'm a PT in a skilled nursing facility and I worked right up until my due date- transferring patients got difficult because my belly got in the way, but my doc gave me no restrictions.  I started passing anyone who was max assist to my assistant around 8 months because I was having some pretty bad pelvic pain by the end of the day.  I thought working would put me into labor... nope! I was 2 weeks late!

kris_kelsey

I am an RN and do not restrict myself and I have no restrictions from the doc.  Like the other post said, your body is used to doing what it does.  When the belly gets really huge your co-workers will probably help you a bit.

Stellar1

My DD is about 30 lbs and I lifted her the entire time I was pregnant with my DS and everything is all good. He is now 12 weeks old :-) I am a teacher and worked the entire time both times I was pregnant up until the very end. If you are concerned about anything, ask your OB.

lunurse2007

I'm a nurse in the ICU where we do a lot of turning/lifting/pulling etc... and I just try to always have someone help me so I don't have to do all the lifting by myself.  My OB pretty much said that if you're used to it then it shouldn't be a problem... most people say not to lift more than 20-25 lbs, but I carry around my 25lb toddler all the time and it hasn't bothered me and the OB was okay with that so it just depends on what you're used to!