“Pregnancy and working?”
Is heavy lifting working 10 hours on your feet straight okay? I'm working 60 hours a week.
Female | 19 years old
1 Answer
Dr. Victoria Mondloch
OB-GYN (Obstetrician-Gynecologist) | Gynecology
Your young age and healthy pelvic muscles will do you well, especially if this is your 1st pregnancy. However, 60hr/wk is hard on anyone’s body and you will benefit from having your doctor write a lifting restriction for you of no >25 or whatever number the 2 of you decide is safe. You will also need to take protective measures for your back as it will be under additional strain being pregnant as your body’s center of gravity shifts and you tend to sway your back when back muscles are under stress which actually makes it worse, not better. So invest in a pregnancy support belt that is Velcro adjusted so it grows with your pregnancy and helps support your low back and your low abdomen/pelvis. I would also invest in some sort of foot support like Dr. Scholl’s insert for your boots/shoes and I DEFINITELY recommend wearing support knee-high or even panty-hose support stockings or you will have significant varicose veins much earlier than you would ever want.
Pregnancy increases your blood supply by 50% by the time you reach term or 40wks; that 50% extra blood supply is still put through your same heart and your same blood vessels so they are under a lot of stress. Arteries have muscles in their walls to push blood through but veins rely on the muscles that surround them to help the blood back to your heart so they are affected faster than most people think. Your insurance should cover these support stockings as ‘medically necessary’; make certain that you are not paying out of pocket for these stockings. There are 2 medical-grade stockings: Jobst and L&R; the L&R is a better value and you can get them in black or beige so they look just like regular knee-high stockings. Lastly, watch for a mucousy vaginal discharge; that may be a prolonged ‘mucous plug’ which may signal that you at risk for a premature labor situation. Talk often with your doctor as premature delivery carries a lot of respiratory risk for your baby, even 6 weeks early is too early; your baby would have to stay in the hospital while you are sent home so be informed and keep your doctor informed.
Pregnancy increases your blood supply by 50% by the time you reach term or 40wks; that 50% extra blood supply is still put through your same heart and your same blood vessels so they are under a lot of stress. Arteries have muscles in their walls to push blood through but veins rely on the muscles that surround them to help the blood back to your heart so they are affected faster than most people think. Your insurance should cover these support stockings as ‘medically necessary’; make certain that you are not paying out of pocket for these stockings. There are 2 medical-grade stockings: Jobst and L&R; the L&R is a better value and you can get them in black or beige so they look just like regular knee-high stockings. Lastly, watch for a mucousy vaginal discharge; that may be a prolonged ‘mucous plug’ which may signal that you at risk for a premature labor situation. Talk often with your doctor as premature delivery carries a lot of respiratory risk for your baby, even 6 weeks early is too early; your baby would have to stay in the hospital while you are sent home so be informed and keep your doctor informed.
