What is the danger in lifting

I was at work today and asked to do a task that required repeattative lifting of I would say 20 to 30lb boxes, but not carrying them anywhere.  My immediate boss seemed to not care that this involved lifting and I didn't want to be a baby so I did it for a while.  I ended up going home early (which is fine, we are slow, that's why a data entry specialist was messing with boxes in the first place) because I started to get a bit crampy and was worried.  Better safe then sorry.  So why are we not supposed to lift?  What danger is it to the baby?  Pulled muscles, or something serious like miscarriage.  I don't think it was all that serious, but I wasn't gonna play games with my little miracle!

I assume it depends on your situation and if you have any risks invloved. We live on a large ranch,and i have no choice really. I lift 40, and 50 pound bags of feed several times weekly,......feed cows, horses, ride the 4 wheeler to feed... etc......I have always been this active before pregnancy and have felt just fine during this pregnancy. If i had any other concerns or issues i would hire a hand here.

The risk is placental abruption, where the placenta rips away from the uterine wall.  VERY not good.

Yep! What Andrea said, Please be careful!

Amanda, I'm no doctor, but do recall asking my OBGYN years ago a similar question.  The response I received back was pretty simple - if you've been doing this type of physical activity all along, it should be relatively safe for you.  However, don't start doing any type of new physical activity once pregnant (because of risk of detaching placenta).   That is why people who have always lifted weights can continue with light weights while pregnant.  However, if you're not accustomed to lifting 20-30 lbs. (and most women aren't) then I would be very concerned about the risks.

To me - better safe than sorry and I would have to decline for health reasons.   Best course of action, would be to talk with your doctor and if you felt 'crampy' afterwards, I would be concerned about repeating this again.  Just one small way our bodies tell us they're unhappy with our choices.

Take care of you both!

With my one pregnancy, I worked in a Harley Davidson Manufacturing plant. I hoisted frames and motors onto the assembly line. Heavy and repetitive work.

I ended up with placenta previa. Then could not push/pull/lift at all. Not at all easy to follow. So be careful to begin with.