How to avoid carrying toddler during pregnancy

‘I can’t carry you’
‘You can carry just a little bit, mummy’

One of my regular topics of conversation with 2.5-year-old Baby Girl has become carrying and lifting. So far she’s insisted I can carry ‘just a little bit’ despite being pregnant. And the way she’s said it has made me giggle, so I’ve played along most of the time for ‘just a little bit’.

But after she had a meltdown last Friday I ended up carrying her for longer than I was comfortable with, and when I had to go to hospital to get hernia-related pain checked out the next day I felt it could have been related to the situation the day before.

I was now advised not to carry or lift any heavy items at all, which of course was no trouble at all during the first pregnancy, but has proved challenging this time around.

I went straight home to have a chat with Baby Girl and explain that I really can’t carry ‘just a little bit’ anymore. And so far it’s worked, as she’s old enough to understand.

To deal with the everyday challenges, here’s what we’ve done:

1. Daddy T has stayed home a bit longer in the mornings than usual and lifted Baby Girl out of her cot bed for me

2. To get up on the chair Baby Girl wants to sit on by the table she has understood she needs to get her BabyBjorn step stool and use that to be able to climb up on the chair

3. To get into her car seat she’s been happy to be taught where to place her feet to climb in and out on her own while supporting herself on my arm

4. At night time she’s managed to climb up on a toddler chair and then from there into her cot bed while I hold her, but avoid lifting her

I’m not sure why I didn’t do this earlier. Perhaps I should have pretended to go to hospital many weeks ago to get the message across!

Tags: Carrying during pregnancy, Hernia, Lifting during pregnancy, Second pregnancy, Second trimester, Toddler