Pregnant and can't lift?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm wondering when you really are not supposed to lift when pregnant? I'm sure I was quite careful with my first, but the reality of hauling a toddler around while pregnant with the second made me realize we are NOT made of glass ;)

Anyway, we have a new nurse who announced her pregnancy at about five weeks and won't lift anything heavier than a chart. No boosts, etc. Now, I don't want to ask her to do anything she really shouldn't, but she is healthy, young, has not been told by her doctor to avoid any type of lifting, so....? We happen to be insanely short-handed so finding someone to move her patients or whatever can be problematic. I imagine as time goes on she'll be even less "able". The charge nurse is dealing with it by not dealing with it just yet.

Anyone have any ideas about this?

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

Our docs tell them no more than 15 pounds. THis is standard for all normal and healthy pregnancies.

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

Whenever I have been on lift restrictions (surgery or pregnancy), I sure as heck did my best to find ways to take the strain off my coworkers in other ways (such as med passes, Iv starts, restocking/cleaning, discharge teaching, bed linen changes, new admissions, patient assessments, etc) ...anything that worked within my restrictions, I did cause fair is fair.

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When I was pregnant with my first child, there was a code on the unit. I can't remember how far along I was, probably 2-3 months. I jumped on to the bed and was doing chest compressions. Our nurse manager walked into the room and ORDERED me off the patient's chest. I probably looked at her like she was crazy. She said 'someone else get up there, that girl is PREGNANT !!! :lol2: She was an older lady and this being an ortho floor, there was a lot of lifting. However, once you let it slip you were pregnant, you were strictly off limits for lifting patients or doing anything she deemed 'strenuous'. The look on her face still cracks me up. Oh, and some young RT did fill in for me immediately.

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

When I was about 40wks pregnant with my last child there was a code at work and I was on the floor doing chest compressions. I didnt even think about it , I just did it. Afterwards I could not get off the floor . I had been bent over for too long and i just could not get up so the paramedics helped me off the floor.. They told me that I was about to earn myself a ambulance ride...lol

When I was pregnant with my first child, there was a code on the unit. I can't remember how far along I was, probably 2-3 months. I jumped on to the bed and was doing chest compressions. Our nurse manager walked into the room and ORDERED me off the patient's chest. I probably looked at her like she was crazy. She said 'someone else get up there, that girl is PREGNANT !!! :lol2: She was an older lady and this being an ortho floor, there was a lot of lifting. However, once you let it slip you were pregnant, you were strictly off limits for lifting patients or doing anything she deemed 'strenuous'. The look on her face still cracks me up. Oh, and some young RT did fill in for me immediately.
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Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).

I've seen female co-workers, including nurses and unlicensed, take advantage of a pregnancy to avoid hard work. I've seen a few who were told by doctors to avoid heavy lifting and other physical stress. And I've seen some who probably were more physically capable than they realize, but were new to being pregnant and just plain scared of messing up.

Luckily for me, I'm such a manly man that I've never minded picking up a little of the slack. Gosh, but it's great to be me, sometimes! But, seriously, maybe it's just that I'm getting older, but I really want to look on every birth as a blessing, and if that's a little more work for me, I'm fine with it.

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Specializes in LTAC, Telemetry, Thoracic Surgery, ED.

S.Blue Eyes also made a good point to (in addition to the dr note comments) that if there is someone there preggo that needed help, swap some tasks that are not "lift" related....help with meds/tx/feed etc while you help lift/turn the heavy patient

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I had one miscarriage. During my second pregnancy I was working stock in a department store, and I started spotting. (I wasn't even lifting anything heavy. I was just on my feet a lot and lifting clothes.) My doctor told me not to lift anything and believe me, after the first miscarriage, I was too scared to. I was then moved to the cash register.

I also had a doctors note.

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.
I work with four, yes four, pregnant nurses, and it's business as usual for all four them. (I'm dreading the time when all four are out on maternaty leave during our busy season, but that's another thread).

I work in an 88 bed LTC center. We have, count 'em, 15 pregnant CNAs, a pregnant nurse, and a pregnant DON. I work in hormone hell.

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Why should this nurse risk the health of her unborn child when someone else could easily lift for her. I'm assuming that her child is more important than her job:uhoh3: .

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Why should this nurse risk the health of her unborn child when someone else could easily lift for her. I'm assuming that her child is more important than her job:uhoh3: .

Because she was not risking her fetus' health in the least. She was only 5 weeks pregnant, remember, and NOT high risk (when asked directly she said no, her doctor hadn't said anything like that). And no, someone else could not "easily lift for her"; we were working with a skeleton crew, and every nurse was a body assigned to the unit for all the tasks required. It's not as if we had people whose job it is to just lift; we all have the same job to do. Keep in mind, that we're talking about ASSISTING with a boost, not asking her to dead-lift someone off the floor! Just being the second or third person to help slide someone around as needed. Hardly Herculean efforts. If this nurse had a medical reason to NOT lift, then staffing would be alerted, and we'd be getting an extra aide for that purpose, or something. But allowing her to keep an assignment as though she were pulling her full load (and then NOT) wasn't fair to the rest of us who had to manage without the help. We're not the kind of unit that doesn't require lots of boosts and turns.

I'd never ever ask anyone to risk their pregnancy (imagine!) but there was no risk here. She just got "delicate" suddenly.

Update for the rest of the posters on this thread: she stayed with us for another few weeks, then decided to go to another facility (known for short staffing and poor conditions, but I guess not to her) because it would be "easier". ROFL!

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Why should this nurse risk the health of her unborn child when someone else could easily lift for her. I'm assuming that her child is more important than her job:uhoh3: .

right, like it's really easy to get someone else to do the work for you, and so fair to your coworkers as well, not to mention the hate & discontent you stir up

if you can't or won't do the work, then stay home

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

I didn't lift the entire time I was pregnant with my son. (With my older daughter, I worked at an office so it wasn't an issue) I had a miscarrage between the two children and wasn't about to do ANYTHING to lose my son. I didn't care who I upset. The thing is, I had such great coworkers THEY never made it an issue. I was able to pass a med for them or start an IV or do SOMETHING while they lifted my patient. Great thing is, when they all started getting pregnant, I jumped right in and said, NOPE, I got this, go pass my med.;)

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