# Barn chores while pregnant



## annanicole72 (Feb 13, 2018)

I’m currently 28 weeks pregnant, and have 12 horses I care for. 7 of them are out 24/7, 1 is on stall rest, and 4 are on a 12/12 schedule. The doctors have said I can keep doing what I can, but does anyone have any tips that could make everything easier both while I’m pregnant and after I give birth? I have someone lined up to help me at the barn when I can’t do much, but I hope to be out there to check on everything anyways. How long did it take you to recover enough to start doing barn chores again after birth? Any tips for setting the barn up for someone else to handle for a bit?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Your biggest threat is doing what is not customary, you are used to and from a kick or very hard jostling.
_Protect yourself._

After I had my child I was restricted for 4 weeks to do any serious lifting of anything heavier than my baby...
No grocery shopping, no house cleaning...nothing but heal my innards and take care of the baby, period.
To be honest, that was more than enough at first to accomplish for me.
I was healthy, rode up till I was near 8 months pregnant and did not go into maternity pants till then either.
I was extremely fit with muscle tight abdominals I hardly showed my pregnancy.
Normal delivery, no complications but I was physically beat and needed that time to recover me...
After having the baby, my priorities changes somewhat as I had a little one relying on me...
I worked, did all my former tasks but no longer took chances dealing with issues like before.
My baby changed me and my priorities...
For you or anyone else, it is a personal thing and one only you shall live with those choices.
But do plan on not working and resuming for at least 6 weeks possibly much longer if you have a c-section and that may not be planned but emergent when in labor for the babies well-being.
Make those plans now though and you probably are going to be to uncomfortable to really do much past 8 months.
When your sense of balance is "off", you "walk like a duck" with a belly in front of you not accustomed to being in the way...it becomes a issue.
When my belly started to affect my riding ability and balance we scaled way back to just a easy walk/trot on a very dependable mount just so I could get my riding fix...that didn't last long either and I delegated myself to on-the-ground only for everyones safety.
My last 2 weeks were "interesting" doing much of anything..
I learned to pet noses instead of being astride... 

All the best becoming a mom.
Congratulations!!
:runninghorse2:...


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I think it was toward the end of my first pregnancy that I learned how to use my legs better and engage my core more effectively when lifting. I also used a sled for carrying things ( 3' of snow).

I had a tractor to use so placed square bales closer to where they were needed. And stacked them lower because climbing was awkward.

And, yeah... I thought harder and took less chances. Like not climbing up in slick boots to change a light bulb in the barn. Or not moving cows to another pen alone. Letting someone know if I had to go away from the buildings alone, where I was headed, and about how long I'd be. Not riding the green, but super athletic young horses.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I agree with HLG. I was doing chores until that day I delivered though I was more of a beached whale in proportion. We were raising drafts at the time. No saddle horses. Riding was done on a safe mount of a friend's and close to the end I was relegated to ground work and petting noses as well. As for after I was put on three months bed rest. Didn't last but what I did was far less than what I was doing and feel the same as HLG on your priorities changing.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I’m the person that went into the Labor Ward in Welles and dirty track suit bottoms.

The weeks after the birth are when you need to be more careful and for longer where any heavy lifting is concerned because the muscles that hold everything where it should be need time to recover.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I fed horses and a few steers right up to the birth of both of my kids. Chores took about an hour or maybe a little less. I was fine up until birth physically and gave birth both times to very large babies (first one was slightly over 10lbs and was 24 inches long, the second was induced early and was 9lbs 13oz and 22 inches long) I felt great after both births and resumed chores as usual. But I would tote the babies out to the barn with me and chore times varies so the kids would be asleep or cozy while I was outside. 

The trainer at the barn my hubby takes lessons at has a heated tack room and took her infant to the heated tack room and kept a baby monitor with her at all times - as he grew he spent time in a pack and play and she tended to him when he fussed. This was her 4th child so she was not a helicopter parent and the baby learned to self calm and be pretty adjusted and he got a lot of attention from boarders and lesson students when they came to ride etc. 

I think how you pick up really depends on your physical and mental state -Physically you may find that you feel good in short bursts and can do chores a little at a time in those short bursts, mentally you may find it hard to leave your baby to attend to the horses. I have done chores with a baby strapped to my front and under my jacket - carrying buckets of corn to steers - not ideal what but it worked.


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## WildestDandelion (Apr 4, 2019)

I have no tips for right now but as far as recovery - it can be brutal. You will want to only be up and moving around in short spurts for 6-8 weeks, or your body will not heal. I always over did it, and took twice as long to heal (i.e. stop bleeding and being in pain) as I should have. Of course, this also depends on the type of birth you have. A c-section recovery will leave you even less mobile. Just something to prepare for


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

All I know is a dear friend was late in going into labour. The Drs told her that if nothing happened for a week they would induce her. 

She came to the stables to see me and when I returned from exercise she had emptied the wheelbarrow and was squaring up the muck heap. 
She went into labour that night!


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

3 pregnancies and I didnt slow down one bit for any of them....obviously I wasnt able to do barn chores the day I delivered and the 2 days I was stuck in the hospital, but I was back to doing regular chores right after I got home from the hospital...dont get me wrong, I was a bit slower right before I had my kids and a bit slower for a few days after but didnt take long 

Granted I was lucky enough to have 3 smooth and easy deliveries, Im sure that played a part in it as well! Best of luck on your delivery!


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

My first pregnancy, I was quite fit & accustomed to riding every day. I rode till I was about 8mo - started struggling mounting & dismounting a bit & felt sorry for my mare, so I stopped! Ended up having a c-section, so I think I wasn't allowed to do much for at least 6 weeks. 

Then - because no one bothered to tell the doctor :evil: though I expressly asked if they could ask him to do a '2 in 1' & remove an ovarian cyst I had, so when he discovered it during the c-sect he wasn't prepared to deal with it... I had to go back 3 months later for another op to remove it! And that was another 6 weeks of 'light duties'. So when my baby was a year old & I was pregnant again, I wasn't half so fit. Also had a young, green horse, no older trusted steed, and yes, suddenly very different priorities & mindset... so I didn't ride much at all during the second time round.


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## therhondamarie (Sep 18, 2019)

I did everything right up until my son was born. I did have a more difficult recovery as there were some complications after his birth and I had excessive blood loss. They kept me in the hospital a little longer, but within a week or so after coming home I was doing light stuff in the barn. I couldn't lift anything heavy, but I needed to be around the horses. I rode a bit during pregnancy, but not on my horse as she could be unpredictable. I rode my younger sisters steady eddy until my grandfather saw me one day and got soooo mad. I had never seen him so mad, and then I stopped riding. 

I think it's worse if you stop doing anything. Just listen to your body.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Just be careful not to get injured in the barn, but then again, I walked into the corner of a wall today and split my forehead open... but I digress. My point is that there's nothing wrong with physical work. You can fall down the stairs in your house and get hurt worse. Still, be extra cautious around the horses because one wrong kick could be catastrophic. Try to make sure they are turned out when you clean stalls, put out hay, etc. 

I also wanted to add that while everyone will tell you to take it easy after pregnancy -- and you SHOULD! -- some recover faster than others. Everyone is an individual. I bounced back very quickly even though I had two c-sections in less than two years. And my first was brutal. 36 hour labor ending in an emergency C-section and I lost so much blood I needed a transfusion. But the next morning, I got up and had a shower by myself (the nurse was supposed to help me but she was too busy so I just went), and I was back to normal pretty much immediately. The nurses kept insisting I take pain meds, but they were making me hallucinate, so I refused, and was perfectly fine. Of course I didn't lift anything very heavy, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as people had told me. After my second c-section, I was told not to pick up my then 1 year old. That lasted a whole week. One day he threw a tantrum and I just picked him up. I was fine, I still healed up just fine and had no adverse effects. Again, I am NOT suggesting you do this, but I want you to hear from someone who didn't find childbirth very hard on her body at all. Now looking after a baby, that's another story altogether!!!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

The bottom line annanicole is you must live with your decision and what may or may not occur because of it.
The person who you should be putting this question to is your trusted doctor who works hard to safeguard your unborn babies life and health along with the mothers now while pregnant and will strive to keep you from causing yourself harm by doing to much to soon after birth occurs.
You trusted them enough to choose them, for their care given and attitude of what is permitted, what is risky and what is downright dangerous.
It really is them who should be asked and listened to for guidance pre/post labor, delivery and recovery from a major life changing body event.

None of us are doctors, we can only relate what we did...with and without blessings from our doctors and family.
Things are different today in how women receive care and hospitalization for childbirth and what is expected of them shortly after having a baby than it was years ago.
_*Your doctor should be your guide...*_
:runninghorse2:...
_No more from me...I'm done. 
__Wishing you well with your decisions. _


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