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The Pros & Cons Of Moving Home While Pregnant

Story Highlights
  • Is your health up to it?
  • Perfecting your baby’s nursery
  • Consider your location

Homes in South Africa are getting smaller, according to an analysis from Business Tech. Meanwhile, the number of women giving birth is increasing, with a reported 2% rise between 2017 and 2018.

Both of these factors mean that if you’re planning on adding to your brood, then you’ll need to upsize your home, too.

But, is moving home while you’re pregnant worth the hassle, or should you wait until after your bundle of joy arrives?

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Is your health up to it?

60% of people say that moving home is the most stressful life event.

What’s more, it’s also both physically and mentally demanding, so you need to ensure that your body and mind are capable of dealing with house hunting, packing, and moving to somewhere new.

Some of the most common health complaints experienced by pregnant women that can hinder a house move include cramping, dizziness, varicose veins, back pain, and sciatica.

Conditions including gestational diabetes, which is caused by excess sugar consumption during pregnancy, may also occur. When you have this condition, you need to really focus on your health as it can lead to premature birth. You should eat healthily, engage in regular exercise, and get plenty of rest.

As a house move typically consumes all of an individual’s time, it may be best to wait until after your baby has been born before moving home.

Perfecting your baby’s nursery

Every parent wants their child to have their dream nursery, painted in soft pastel colours and finished off with new furniture and soft toys.

Many parents-to-be use their pregnancy to complete their impending arrival’s new room. However, there’s no need to rush into a house move to achieve this.

Multiple organisations worldwide recommend that infants sleep in their parents’ bedroom until they are at least six months old to reduce the likelihood of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDs).

If you opt to follow this recommendation, then you’ll give yourself plenty of time to source a new home and do up your tot’s new nursery before moving him or her into it.

On the other hand, your baby will take up a considerable amount of your time, despite him or her needing to sleep for 14 to 17 hours per day, so moving into your new home and completing their nursery before you give birth can also be beneficial.

Consider your location

If you’re planning on moving town or city, then it might be worth moving home while you’re pregnant.

By doing this, it will give you time to get to know your new area, new doctor and midwife, and you’ll get to make new mum friends at your prenatal classes. This is beneficial for your mental health and for your baby’s development as research shows that the infants of mothers who have a good support network do better on cognitive tests.

However, if you’re not planning on moving far from your current abode, then you may benefit from less stress by staying put and moving home after you’ve given birth.

All-in-all, moving home while you’re pregnant has its pros and cons. Besides making sure you are healthy enough to cope with a move, you should also consider whether building up your support network in your new area before birth will benefit you in the long-run, too.

ImmoAfrica.net

South Africa's fastest-growing, independent property portal, offering affordable solutions for real estate professionals. A hub of info covering topics for #homebuyers, #homesellers, #renters and #lifestyle enthusiasts!

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