What I Learned Moving at the End of My Second Trimester

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Moving while pregnant is an adventure! When my husband and I found out the exciting news that we were expecting a baby, our first thoughts were obviously to be beyond thrilled and extremely grateful. Can you tell?

However, soon after the initial news that we were having a precious baby boy, we discovered a house for sale in our dream neighborhood, which then immediately prompted us to put our current house on the market. The sellers of our dream house accepted our offer and within 48 hours, we also accepted an offer on our current home, which we had lived in and loved for the past five years.

All while we had planned to do nothing other than being pregnant!

This series of somewhat unexpected developments was a complete whirlwind and still has us looking at one another thinking, “Oh boy! What just happened?!” That was quickly followed by, “How are we going to do this?”

Luckily, we managed to do it all. Yep, I accomplished moving while I was pregnant.

Overwhelmed by the thought of moving while pregnant? I was too.

Baby on the way—check!

New house in our dream neighborhood—check!

Moving while pregnant … eek! 

I didn’t exactly see that coming. And I was a bit overwhelmed at the thought of tackling a move with a baby on the way. For the record, I was in my second trimester when I began planning for my move, heading rapidly towards my third trimester.

Spending the final months leading up to our first child packing, moving, unpacking, and renovating was overwhelming to me. But life happens and I had no choice but to make the best of it. And I’m here to report that I survived! I learned a lot along the way.

I turned out not to be completely useless while helping.

My biggest fear when I found out we were moving while I was pregnant was that I wouldn’t be able to help with anything! For context, I’m a “Type A” personality who enjoys being busy. A surprising source of stress? The thought of leaving my husband with our entire to-do list while I sat back and watched was extremely stressful!

But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was far from useless during this time.

My husband and I worked out a system where he would build the boxes, I would organize, pack and label the boxes, then he would stack them all up. Packing was a total team effort, which made me feel productive and my husband was genuinely grateful for my help.

Yes, I made sure to take care of my body, take it slow and avoid lifting heavy boxes during the process, but honestly, I was fully capable of just about everything else. If you find you might be moving while pregnant, one solid teammate might be the only thing you need.

Me on moving day.

Moving day was also a stressor for me because again, I felt like I was going to be totally in the way. I’m happy to report ladies that once again, I was wrong! We opted for a Hybrid Move, which is hiring movers and renting a truck separately to save a lot of money. I was fully capable of picking up the U-Haul and driving it all day. So although I couldn’t lift heavy boxes, I absolutely was contributing in a big way by driving the truck.

I was also able to help oversee the move by organizing which boxes and furniture ended up where. It turned out that it was really helpful having one point-person that wasn’t carrying boxes, but rather solely focused on making sure everything ended up in the spot we had planned.

Plus, getting each box into the correct room was super helpful towards keeping me involved in the unpacking process. I highly recommend this point-person/direction technique, pregnant or not! I didn’t have to bring a certain box to a specific room for unpacking, which meant the boxes were already there, which made getting set up in our new house a lot more efficient!

Hiring movers ended up being necessary.

Although I felt like I contributed a lot before, during and after moving day, I don’t want to give anyone an unrealistic expectation that you’ll be able to do everything on your own, given how intense moving a home truly is. I can honestly say that hiring Helpers as a part of our Hybrid Move was the best investment we could have ever made, pregnant or not. We needed them that day and appreciated their help more than we could have ever anticipated.

Having them to do all of the heavy lifting took the responsibility off of my husband, but it also kept me from feeling bad about not being able to help him with the big stuff. Our Helpers were able to pick up all of our stuff from the old house and bring it to our new house in less than three hours!

My husband and I weren’t stressed at all, which made the process a lot more enjoyable and probably kept the baby healthier. I would definitely recommend hiring help, regardless of whether you’re pregnant or not. But if you are expecting a little one, I have firsthand experience that this is money well spent.

Leaving my old home was harder than I thought it was going to be.

Okay, I blame this part on my pregnancy a little. But in all actuality, the emotional roller coaster that came with leaving our old house will probably be the case for many of you even if you aren’t pregnant. Leaving our old house for the last time was a lot harder than I ever expected.

My husband and I bought this house when we got married and I guess I always pictured we’d someday bring our baby home here. But we were already outgrowing this 1,000 square foot house well before we got the exciting baby news.

Cue all the tears here!

I guess the baby was the excuse we needed to finally make the move. But that still didn’t make leaving this house any easier, and whatever your own circumstances are, it might not be easy for you either. The good news is that the sadness didn’t last too long because there were exciting things ahead.

Starting fresh was amazing.

Those exciting things? Starting a new journey by preparing the new house for your new family! The nesting phase is no joke and may come at the perfect time if you’re pregnant and moving, like me.

I’ve been able to get so much done in the new house because of the baby deadline that is coming closer. Sure, setting up a new house is a ton – especially while pregnant –  but I’m feeling a constant fire under me to get as much done as possible so we’re settled in before the baby arrives.

Of course, I still need to be conscious of my body’s limits, and you should be too. I’m working hard to stay busy throughout my second and now third trimester. Thanks to all that hard work, I survived moving while being pregnant and now I am so thankful we were able to get the move out of the way before the baby comes. Now I can’t wait to invite our new baby into our new home!

How I Managed to Move While I Was 6 Months Pregnant

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Yes, it’s true: I was living with my husband in a one-bedroom walk up when my pregnancy test came back positive. We were both thrilled, but any excitement I felt about the baby’s arrival was dimmed by the depressing prospect of bringing a newborn home to such a small apartment. Despite the inevitable trouble that comes with moving while pregnant, I ultimately preferred those issues over sharing our already cramped space with a screaming baby.

And that’s how I wound up moving while six months pregnant.

The bad news is that pregnancy complicates an already exhausting process. The good news is that I survived—and you can too. Below is how I managed to move into my new place in an organized fashion.

Plan to Work During Your Second Trimester

Moving While Pregnant Tip - Plan on Working

The famous real estate mantra is location, location, location, but a positive moving experience (especially while pregnant) also depends on timing.

That’s why you should capitalize on your second trimester.

Most women feel a surge of new energy after the initial morning sickness dissipates. Even if you can’t move into the new house yet, use that valuable energy in productive ways—for example, box up items you won’t need until after the move (like books or holiday decor), research paint options, or just use that time to reserve the moving truck.

Always Prepare for How You Will Feel Later, Not Just Now

Your body and your overall mental state change rapidly during pregnancy. What you feel comfortable with one day, you may dread just a few days later. Welcome to the moving while pregnant rollercoaster.

Early in the packing process, I filled probably a dozen cardboard boxes with books. Even at the time that I packed these boxes, they seemed heavy, but I was largely unconcerned. Weeks later, I was experiencing major back pain—and after having others move the boxes into the house, I couldn’t even manage to push them along the floor to where I wanted them. I had to leave the books scattered in inconvenient locations for days. Anticipate your body’s changes better than I did!

Care for Your Body, Because Someone Depends on It

Moving While Pregnant - Plan for Rest

Your sleep, diet and other health choices impact not just you, but your child too. Even if you feel you are coping well with the strain of moving while pregnant, don’t neglect your physical well-being.

Set an alarm to eat (seriously)

There were days when we spent hours packing or painting or somehow preparing for the move without any consideration for food. With my already decreased appetite, I sometimes forgot about entire meals. But not eating will only make you feel sicker. Before you start a long project, designate a specific time to stop and eat, then mark it with an alarm on your phone.

Prioritize sleep

That includes everything from taking frequent naps to making sure that you have a bed situation sorted for the first few nights in the house. We didn’t leave enough time to assemble our Ikea bed on move-in day, so we wound up on the floor in the living room—not ideal for a pregnant woman!

You CAN Help Moving While Pregnant—Just Not at Your Own Expense

Remember that you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to friends and family even if you’re already enlisting a moving company (which I recommend, because honestly.) On moving day, more is always merrier.

Don’t be ashamed to ask for help wherever possible

Some may welcome the excuse (or rather, extremely valid reason) to kick back and watch other people work, but if you’re anything like me, you might actually struggle not to jump in and contribute when you see your friends sweating and straining.

Don't be afraid to ask for help when moving while pregnant

Find alternative ways to contribute

I guarantee no one will think you are lazy for not moving boxes—there is plenty to do that doesn’t involve heavy lifting. You can do a deep clean of each room, direct other people about where to put boxes, run out to grab food for everyone helping, etc.

Whatever you do, if you’re moving while pregnant, you will likely grow tired quickly like I did, so remember to take frequent breaks.

Overall, the key to survival when moving while pregnant is to embrace the positive aspects of the situation rather than dwelling on the complications. When you’re at your most stressed, just remember that the final outcome will be a home for your baby, where you can create sweet new memories as a family.


The four most important things in Kelsey Down’s life are her coffee, her cat, her dog and her kid. As a first-time homeowner and a working mom, Kelsey loves to tackle topics like home improvement, family life and wellness while finding balance in a chaotic life. She has been published on sites like TODAY.com, Mommyish & KSL. Follow her on Twitter @kladown23.
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