Lifting during Pregnancy

Nurses General Nursing

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How much weight is it considered safe to lift during pregnancy? Did you still continue to scoot patients up in bed and turn them when pregnant?

Specializes in Cardiology.

Hmm, sounds like discrimination to me if the employer is unwilling to accomodate you while you're pregnant. Your baby's safety (and your own) come first. I'm sure you can find some coworkers who will help you out. I know I would help any pregnant woman out. Please be careful, and to h#ll with your employer if they want to be that way. Good luck!

...Jennifer...

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Hmm, sounds like discrimination to me if the employer is unwilling to accomodate you while you're pregnant. Your baby's safety (and your own) come first. I'm sure you can find some coworkers who will help you out. I know I would help any pregnant woman out. Please be careful, and to h#ll with your employer if they want to be that way. Good luck!

...Jennifer...

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.

That's amazing to me! I can't believe that a hospital or actually, any job for that matter, would not in some way accommodate or have another temporary position you could work while pregnant. Pregnancy is considered a temporary "disability" because you can't meet the weight lifting standard. It does not mean that you are incapacitated. My job moved me into another temporary position when I could not meet the minimum weight standard - I was allowed to work in my position until my 3rd month. I'm a firefighter/ paramedic and I thought the whole thing was going to be very difficult with my dept. There must be some sort of policy regarding pregnant employees.

What have other previously pregnant co-workers done in the past?

Good Luck to you and congratulations on your pregnancy!! :)

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.

That's amazing to me! I can't believe that a hospital or actually, any job for that matter, would not in some way accommodate or have another temporary position you could work while pregnant. Pregnancy is considered a temporary "disability" because you can't meet the weight lifting standard. It does not mean that you are incapacitated. My job moved me into another temporary position when I could not meet the minimum weight standard - I was allowed to work in my position until my 3rd month. I'm a firefighter/ paramedic and I thought the whole thing was going to be very difficult with my dept. There must be some sort of policy regarding pregnant employees.

What have other previously pregnant co-workers done in the past?

Good Luck to you and congratulations on your pregnancy!! :)

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I was fired for not being able to lift more than 20 lbs while pregnant. Other than that I am completely capable of doing my job.

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

I worked night shift med/surg right up until delivery. I never asked for special treatment, however my co-workers were wonderful to me. I still lifted heavy patients, but not alone. It got to be very uncomfortable lifting the last few weeks, but then that is my problem, not my employers or co-workers. I work in a rural hospital where there is usually only one other nurse, sometimes no other nurse. I was lucky to not have to work alone towards the end. My co-workers were great about giving me the patients closest to the nurses station so I wasn't running up and down the hall. They voluntarily took the contagious patients. They took all of the C-diff patients since they knew I was always vomiting from yucky smells. I was very lucky to have such caring co-workers. I never asked for this treatment or hinted that I wanted it. I probably shouldn't have lifted as much as I did looking back. I delivered a couple weeks early and had a low birthweight infant. (I had adequate weight gain, but tons of fluid retention) I don't know if lifting or night shift had anything to do with it but I am not going to go through that again. I will go on leave after my second trimester.

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GooeyRN

You know when I worked night shift every single nurse I worked with delivered early and had a low birth weight infant. Who knows if there is a correlation. My weight limit was imposed by my doctor, who stated that I could work but not lift more than 20 lbs. The way that the law is written, an employer must make accomodations for a pregnant employee that they would make for an employee with a work related injury.

Also, I had a friend in nursing school who worked in the ICU while pregnant. She lifted a heavy patient during her second trimester and miscarried. She also suffered permanent ligament damage. This pregnancy she did not even turn a patient, her employer accomodated her.

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU, Med/Surg, Ob/Gyn Onc.

We have several nurses pregnant on our med/surg floor and one of them brought in a note from her OB doc stating she can't lift over 25 pounds. She was flatout told that the lifting requirements are over 50 pounds as stated in the job description. Too bad so sad. Either comply or find another job elsewhere.

I gladly pick up the slack as do the other nurses, but it still made me mad. If a tech injures herself on the floor due to repetitive poor lifting habits they get light duty with full pay (workman's comp), but the hospital can not, or rather will not, accommodate a nurse with problems during pregnancy?

That stinks!

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I was allowed to lift 50 lbs

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Ask your ob/gyn. Simple as that. Get a note for your supervisor and that should be that.

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