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How to Move If You’re Pregnant

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When you’re expecting, there’s already more than enough to worry about. Nobody wants to throw a big move into the mix, but sometimes, life leaves us no choice. But don’t panic if one more big change like a local, long-distance, or even international move is coming your way. Moving while pregnant doesn’t have to equal added stress or increased safety issues. That’s why it’s important to choose a professional moving company like Roadway Moving to help you with your relocation. Though every pregnancy and move is different, check out our favorite tips for planning to move if you’re pregnant.

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Table of Contents

Talk to Your Doctor About How to Move if You’re Pregnant

When it comes to your new arrival—and yourself—nothing is more important than the utmost in safety and security. The number one way to ensure you’re taking every measure possible for a safe move and a healthy baby is to talk to your doctor first. No two pregnancies are alike. Just because your sister brags of successfully moving her entire home alone while nine months along doesn’t mean you should. Only a trusted doctor knows your health history and potential risk factors. Get their advice first, and then start planning the move. If they recommend sitting out any part of the move—listen. It’s never worth risks like pre-term labor caused by lifting or other potential injuries to yourself or your baby. That’s why it might be best to consider paying for white glove moving NYC if you have the budget for it.

a parked moving truck
If you are moving during pregnancy, it’s crucial that you talk to your doctor before you do anything else.

Give Yourself Extra Time

Preparing for a new arrival alone is beyond time-consuming! In addition, the physical effects of pregnancy itself are prone to slow down anyone. This means you’ll have to anticipate that every part of the move will take longer than usual. However, the amount of additional time can vary depending on the individual, how much help you have, and how far along you are. Don’t rush the process. Keeping yourself and the baby safe is of utmost importance.

a woman in an orange shirt
The best way to help with the move if you’re pregnant is to do the tasks that require planning and researching instead of physical activities.

You can use this extra time to conduct research. Relax and enjoy choosing a beautiful interior design for your new home or take the time to create a DIY moving survival kit. Think about how you will decorate each room of your dream home. Sites like Instagram and Pinterest have a ton of interesting ideas you can use for inspiration. Think about what plants you will put inside the house and what toys will the baby room have. Decorating a home is a fun way to spend the time after the move, and it’s best to decide on the decoration styles in advance.

Get To Know Your Future Neighborhood

If your doctor advised you to take it easy with the moving preparations due to pregnancy, there are many useful ways you can help. You don’t have to lift heavy boxes alongside your small apartment movers in order to help with the relocation process. An easy way to help with the move is to get to know your future neighborhood. And you don’t even have to get up from your comfy sofa for this. There’s nothing like technology, right? You can get to know your neighborhood by sitting with a laptop on your lap. Use Google Maps street view and explore. You can even look for nearby grocery stores and supermarkets.

a purple moving truck
Getting to know your neighborhood before the move is a great way to help with the moving preparations.

It might not be a bad idea to go a little deeper with your research. Luckily, almost anything can be found on the internet today. Why not use your time to find a nearby doctor’s office, dentist’s, a place to buy your necessities, and other useful things you can think of. You can even search for good nurseries and pre-school facilities.  Since you are definitely going to need them, it’s best to find them as soon as possible.

Plan your moving budget

Knowing how much money you can spent certainly is one of the crucial factors when it comes to planning a move if you’re pregnant. It might be a good idea to consult with your accountant on this. By knowing what funds you have available you can plan out the costs even before you have the moving date and hire the movers. It will certainly be a lot easier to know whether you will be able to afford additional services or will you have to pack yourself. Knowing your moving budget can also help you when it comes to choosing the movers. Of course, the more money you have, the better service you can afford.

documents in a person's lap
Consulting your accountant when planning your moving budget is a great way of knowing what moving services you will be able to afford.

Decide on the belongings you will bring with you to your new home

One of the most important stages of moving preparations is deciding which items you are going to bring with you to your new home. Even if you wanted to, you simply can’t bring all of your possessions with you. You wouldn’t want to have a cluttered new house when the baby arrives, would you? So, the logical thing to do would be to declutter your home and get rid of the things you no longer need. This is something that can be done in a number of ways. First of all, you can research how storage can help declutter your home. Storage can help you in many ways if you don’t want to get rid of any of your items or if you’re not sure whether you want to keep them or not.

cardboard box and a painting
Decluttering your home before the move might help you greatly to prepare for the relocation process.

But if you find many unwanted items when decluttering, there are a few ways to get rid of them. For starters, you may want to throw out anything that can no longer be of any use or if it’s damaged beyond repair. On the other hand, if there is something that can still be of some use, but you don’t want it or need it, you can have a yard sale. It’s not a difficult task to handle when pregnant and it’s a fun way to declutter. That way, you can even make some money you can use to hire one of the residential moving companies. And if that’s not your cup of tea, you can consider donating your belongings to the Red Cross or any other type of charity available near you.

Stay Organized & Plan Ahead

Planning out a move is always important, but the need to plan skyrockets when you’re pregnant. Create a detailed calendar marking out every part of your upcoming move. Always take into account where in your pregnancy you’ll be during each part of the moving process. You might feel great right now, but that could change drastically in a month or two. Realistically prepare for any possible additional assistance and make adjustments to the schedule if necessary. Also, pregnancy brain is no lie. Make a thorough inventory list of everything you’ve packed and label each box. Making an inventory list can be as simple as taking out your phone and snapping some pictures.

Taking photos of what’s inside is also a great way to record every box’s contents so you’ll find them while unpacking at your new home. And it can also be very helpful in case your belongings get damaged during transportation. The photos will serve as evidence of the condition your possessions were in before commercial movers NYC transported them and before the damage occurred. It’s the best way to help you when it comes to claiming insurance.

Ask for A Little (or a Lot of) Help

Is there a better reason to ask for extra TLC than when you’re literally making another person? We don’t think so. Even if you thrive on self-sufficiency, try to put that to the side this time. If you’re trying to save money prior to your little one’s arrival, ask friends and family for an extra favor. Throwing in free pizza and adult refreshments will always sweeten the deal. Can’t lure in your own people to help? Worry not. There are countless moving and packing services available allowing you to sit back, relax and soak up that extra rest—while you still can.

professional packers packing
Hiring moving and packing services is a perfect way not to get tired while preparing for the move if you’re pregnant.

Searching For Moving Companies

One of the key elements in any moving preparation is to find one of the most trustworthy and professional long distance moving companies to help you with your relocation. Moving can be especially stressful when you are pregnant, that’s why this task needs to be taken seriously. You’ll want to find the best movers money can afford, and we have some advice on how to do so. Make sure you follow every step when searching for a company that will help you with your relocation since it can make the move much more stress-free.

two moving trucks in motion
Finding a good and reliable moving company is essential when you plan to move if you’re pregnant.

When you are looking online for available moving companies, it’s best to select a few and not hire the first one you come across. Why? Because the prices of moving services can vary significantly from company to company. We recommend selecting at least three potential moving companies before making your choice. By doing so, you will also eliminate the possibility that the movers are fraudulent and just want to take your money. It’s best to take your time when searching for professional moving companies. It would be best to read the customer reviews since nothing can tell you more about a business than satisfied or unsatisfied customers.

How To Choose The Best Moving Company To Help You Move if You’re Pregnant

Once you select the moving companies that seem the most trustworthy to you, we recommend getting a moving estimate. Moving companies usually provide estimates for free. If they ask you to pay for this, it’s a good reason to get suspicious. This moving company might not be legit. Next, you’ll want to ask a company for additional moving services. Aside from the regular moving services of loading, transporting, and unloading your belongings, many moving companies of today offer additional moving services. Those services are usually:

  • Packing service – paying for a professional packing service might be the best option that can help you move if you’re pregnant.
  • Storage service – it’s a good idea to store any belonging that you don’t know whether you will need at your new home
  • Unpacking services – if you’re pregnant, this is a great service that will ensure you don’t tire yourself out after moving to your new home.
  • Assembly services – you can certainly assemble furniture on your own, but that might not be the best idea during pregnancy.
a moving company to help you move if you're pregnant
When choosing a professional moving company, make sure you ask for additional services since it’s one of the best ways to see if they are legit.

For the move itself, find a moving company that’ll literally do it all for you. Don’t be shy to inform them of your pregnancy to ensure they take the utmost care in taking care of you. Once the boxes are packed, their employees will move everything into the van and carefully transport everything to your new home. Usually, for an additional fee, they can even assist with unpacking.

Packing Services

Packing up a house or apartment is both time-consuming a labor-intensive. Give yourself a well-deserved break and hire a reputable packing service. From carefully wrapping up your belongings to securely boxing them up and moving them into the truck or van, know with confidence that your belongings are in good hands. For extra fragile and valuable items, explore the option of white glove packing and moving services. Though reliable movers will always take the utmost care of your property, white glove movers have additional training and expertise when it comes to antiques, artwork, pianos, and other fragile items.

a cardboard box
Choosing to pay for a packing service might be a good idea if you are moving during pregnancy.

Packing by Yourself for The Move if You’re Pregnant

If by any chance your moving budget doesn’t allow you to pay for packing services, you will have to take care of this task on your own. And if you’re pregnant, you will need to be extra careful. Ask for help anywhere you can get it. It would be best if you could find someone to do the lifting for you while you give the orders.

packing for the move if you're pregnant
Remember to take it easy if you are packing for the move by yourself during pregnancy. It’s best to find someone who can help you.

You may want to start by sorting your belongings by room or by category. You can label the boxes with ‘kitchen’, ‘bedroom’ etc. Or you can label them by category such as ‘books’, ‘electronics’ etc. Whichever way you choose, make sure you don’t forget to write down on the box what’s inside. That will certainly help you to unpack faster once you get to your new home. And if you have items that are breakable, valuable, or both, don’t forget to put FRAGILE on that cardboard box. It will ensure that your movers handle those boxes extra carefully.

Packing Supplies

Of course, when packing on your own, you will need to think about moving supplies. When packing it’s best to stick to the essential supplies. Those would be the cardboard boxes, packing paper, and bubble wrap. However, keep in mind that you don’t have to buy everything even if that’s the easiest way. Go to your local supermarket or retail store and ask if they can spare some cardboard boxes. The more boxes you get – the better. Other essentials such as scissors, duct tape, and markers you probably already have lying around somewhere in the house.

Another thing you need to remember is that different items need to be packed differently. If you have belongings that are more fragile or valuable than others, you may want to take into consideration getting specialized cases for them. After all, those are the items you want to protect the most. It would be best to keep them in their original packaging, but if that’s not possible, make sure you do everything you can to prevent damage or breakage.

What to do on moving day

While the moving day is approaching you may feel more overwhelmed and stressed. This is a normal feeling, but if you are moving during pregnancy, it could be more stressful than usual. The important thing is to know how to handle this. In order to minimize the stress on moving day, we advise that you pack an overnight bag with all your essentials. You don’t want to rummage through your packed boxes in order to find the thing you need. Another important tip that is easily forgotten is – don’t forget to eat! Since moving is overwhelming, you may forget to do so, but for your baby’s sake, make sure you have a healthy and nutritious meal before the relocation.

Before you leave your old house, make a final run-through to make sure you didn’t forget anything. You certainly don’t want to have to turn back to pick up something you forgot. After that, confirm the details with your movers. Make sure they have the right contact information, especially the address of your new home and your phone number. And once you arrive at your new place, check to see whether there are any damages. If there are none, proceed to clean the areas which will be difficult to reach once you fill the place up with furniture.

Closing thoughts

You might be a Mama Bear that wants to do it all but avoid the temptation to bite off more than you can chew. Moving is an already draining process both physically and mentally. Pregnancy only adds to this—but now you have two people to think about. If at any point you feel over your head or have concerns about your or your baby’s health, it’s time to press pause and reevaluate how to best tackle the move if you’re pregnant. With countless resources and services available, every mother should look forward to a safe move—and safe pregnancy.

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