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September 24, 2007
Renovations while pregnant
Hello, we just started demolition/renovations on our recently purchased home and perfect timing, I just found out I'm pregnant! How have any of you handled this situation? How much did you take on yourself and how much did you have to back off from? How did you protect yourself from lead dust, etc? I'm worried because we bought this house with the budget that would only allow us to do most of the work ourselves. I appreciate any advice from my friends at brownstoner!
Comments
Hello, you should have used better protection!
But seriously, you should have your place tested for lead and other carcinogens and mold, immediately.
I won't go into how you shouldn't buy a house you can't afford to renovate, but what I will say is that you should put your child first, don't worry about the house. Get the important things done first, take out a loan to do it all more quickly, whatever you have to do. Don't let your kid grown up with a disease and things...just to save a buck.
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 8:39 PM
What an idiot. Ignore that last poster. My wife and I found ourselves in a similar position. We had a friends place we could crash at (spare room) so if we ever had issues with fumes from paint or poly we had somewhere to go to at short notice. With some planning with the contractor we only had to leave a few times. Once because we could not take the mess any more and my wife was so stressed out we just had to walk away for a night.
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 9:05 PM
9:05 - I think you missed the point, they are not using the contractor, doing everything themselves. They will be exposed to whatever dust,debris,particles, etc. that get kicked up throughout the whole process.
Totally not worth it imho.
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 10:05 PM
I would be very careful of lead dust particularly. If you have an old house, you probably have lead paint. Obviously don't breathe solvents, new paint fumes etc - easy to avoid - but the lead issue is one that can result in long term brain damage / lowered iq among other problems. Don't do something you will regret. Lead is insidious. Renovation dust is very hard to limit. That said, you have to ingest it for it to be a problem. You need to do your research. Get your place tested. If you have lead, see if you can create an isolated living space (this is hard - lead dust will be airborne). Wash everything, keep your place clean (wet cloths, dont use dusters). Get a hepa vacuum cleaner. Shower & chg clothes when you come home. Don't work in the house until it is lead safe. Don't get OCD but be careful... Be even more careful when your baby is born especially when they are crawling, chewing etc. Don't trust lead ababement industry people - the industry is rife with crooks and fear merchants. Talk to your doctor & perhaps get a lead blood test occasionally to monitor. Good luck.
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 10:18 PM
if you're pregnant, you should stay out of the house while it's being renovated. Any renovation will stir up lead dust which you will absorb and then pass on to your fetus. Even a HEPA vacuum during renovations will not clean all the dust. Lead dust affects developing brains permanently. If your husband is going to work on renovations, he should keep all of his work clothes outside of the house/apt. you will be living in. You can never be too careful when it comes to lead dust. Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan has a pediatric environmental posioning (or something) department and you could try to consult with a pediatrician who specializes in lead poisoning.
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 10:54 PM
OK i am not saying that you want to try and be around lead paint... but i will tell you that my parents renovated their house almost completely by themselves while my mother was pregnant with me and while i was a young child and i didnt turn out that bad ..... now granted this was 30 years ago and there was less information about the dangers of lead paint etc.... but I would say get everything tested and look into a very good mask (like the ones they use in hospitals for airborne disease) and speak to your doctor about what is off limits.. ... I think it all depends on what kind of renovations you are going to be doing
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 12:44 AM
OP and 9:05...how do you "find" yourself in that position? I've been having sex for a long time and whenever I've "found" myself in that position it was because I had..uh..unprotected sex or planned to have a child. Take responsibility. I agree with 12:44...chill out. You've already demonstrated that you're either 1) irresponsible or 2) totally fine with letting things play out as fate determines...so why the sudden panic? How about this: just wait and see where you "find" yourself next.
Sounds like the husban/partner will be shouldering this reno.
Man--wait till the baby comes and you're doing this on 3 hours sleep...
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 8:10 AM
First off congratulations!
I tend to agree with some of the earlier posters in saying you should not be doing any renovations yourself during this time because of the exposure to lead dust and other harmful chemicals.
Could you expose yourself to the renovation and be totally fine? Of course. Many of our mothers and grandmothers smoked and drank for the full nine months and most of us are fine - but we dont do that now because we know the risks. The same holds true for renovation. And no matter how well you think you are protecting yourself, you are never fully insulated if working in a house being renovated. And you'll never know what the effects are until its too late. Its just not worth it.
If you can't afford a contractor, then I think its time to put your husband to work while you stay with a friend or family member. You can still participate by making calls, ordering supplies, getting permits, picking out finishes, etc.. There is a lot of "outside the house" tasks involved in renovation so even if your husband is doing the brut labor, you're still contributing.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at September 25, 2007 8:24 AM
My advice...don't take any advice from anyone on this forum. You are going to drive yourself crazy with all of the various opinions found here.
Go talk to your doctor about this situation and gather some medical facts...not opinions from brownstone enthusiasts.
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 9:19 AM
This happened to me too. Difference is our's was a country house. I would really prioritize what NEEDS to be done and what can you get done in 9 months. Make sure you do all the demo ASAP because of course that's what kicks up the most dust. Usually you can get that done pretty quickly. After that, you're fine because modern materials don't have all that toxic stuff. There is new "green" paint etc that is absolutely fine for babies. When I was preggers I did lots of painting and other work. Biggest problem is the stress of renovation which is not good of course - I know for a fact that my frustration with our contractor drove me back into early labor after briefly quelling the contrations!! Once you have the baby is the most frustrating because you can't really do anything. That's what drove me crazy - tendiing to a baby while my husband got to have all the fun!
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 10:42 AM
While you should be careful and try to minimize your exposure to the dust (which is near impossible if you're going to be living there), any advice from a doctor will be not to do the renovation or live there at the time. Imagine the liability the doctor would open themselves to if they said "no biggie, don't worry about it", or "just wear a mask and you'll be fine". God forbid something happens!
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 11:41 AM
This also happened to us, twice. You can't just plan everything...anyway, the first time, I'd already done the nasty paint stripping stuff. The second time (as we speak), I'm just taking it really slowly and avoiding harsh chemicals as much as possible. A lot more labor intensive (i.e., scraping varnish off the floor vs. methyl chloride). So be it.
Good advice to check with your dr. But I know what he/she will tell you, and I think you do too.
Maybe you can handle all the paperwork, phone calls etc. as another poster suggested. In some ways that might even make things go faster.
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 12:45 PM
I agree. after living through a gut reno, it seems that the harmful dust comes from demo really. Demo everything now- pay some day laborers, get rid of everything you are going to get rid of, clean EVERYTHING REALLY WELL, and then you can just put in the new stuff. That too will be dusty, but if you carve out a living space for you two that is clean, it should be ok. I know of another couple who did the same, and their baby is healthy and lovely! Good luck and congratulations!
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 1:04 PM
Agree with 12:45 - You already know what your doctor is going to tell you. So why take any chance at all, even if the odds are 1 in 1000 that it will affect the baby, how are you going to feel if something goes wrong. Is it really so necessary that you cant wait 9 months or pay extra to have a labor help your husband instead of you?
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 1:18 PM
given that most of us are living on or next to a toxic waste dump...does it matter?
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 1:56 PM
First of all, congratulations! Is this your first? I think you've heard enough about lead paint, etc, so here's my practical advice. My husband and I have been renovating for the past 2 months, and I'm due in 6 weeks. My husband has been doing most of the heavy duty stuff, while I'm in charge of cabinet assembly, filling holes & other household stuff. I'm not sure how far along you are, but take it easy during 1st trimester. You will be tired & sleepy from morning sickness, plus everything smells 10 times stronger. Try doing everything sitting down if you can, and avoid unstable or slippery surface where you could fall. Keep good air circulation in the room where you're working and drink plenty of water. Stop and rest whenver you get tired. Mop the floor more often to keep the dust level down. If you can, try to finish as much as you can during 2nd trimester. Once you're in 3rd, it gets really hard. You'll be having back pain from just being pregnant. You wouldn't want to do anything extra to worsen it. And I second that you should prioritize your work. List up things that you will NOT be able to do once your baby comes, such as painting & drilling, sanding. Finish those first. You can still lay tiles or install small fixers even when a baby is around. Again, listen to your body. Don't push yourself too hard. It will get frustrating from time to time, but try to enjoy it. Good luck!!
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 2:30 PM
Hi, OP here, and first, thanks to everyone who's been in my situation and has offered their understanding and patient advice. Much much appreciated. To the judgy ones, while we did use birth control, obviously, it was not failsafe. We are both thrilled, but not with the risks/timing. I am meeting with my doctor tomorrow and will go over all these issues, but posted here because I knew that many of you brownstoners live in older homes such as ours (late 1800s) and also have mentioned raising families (yes, this is our first!). We already have been using respirators and other safety protection and attempting to limit dust into our living area, and of course, now will be more careful than ever. I spoke with my doctor and will be seeing my GP to do the blood tests for lead levels. Thanks again, keep the advice coming!
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 5:14 PM
well there is negative & positive comments on this posting.first of all if your pregnant you should not be dealing with this.
second of all my next comment is to the person who said not to trust lead abatement companies.well you must of been burned badly by bad people.and i will apologize on there
behalf but i am offended by your comment because being a lead abatement supervisor i have always been honest & fair.and always done the right thing.and these are some rules set by the e.p.a.
feel free to ask me any questions considering lead paint .
and also REMEMBER it is illegal to have anyone aside from a certified ,e.p.a. company to do this work.
ur are putting yourself in great dangers.by not doing so .
1.any building built pre 1960 is considered
to have lead.unless otherwise proven by testing.
2.methylene chloride is iilegal and is reported to promote cancer big time NO GOOD.
3.DRY SCRAPING is also illegal because of the dust.
4.the key is to always minimize the dust and keep it contained.
if anyboody has any questions for me just post up on forum i normally check daily.
Posted by: johnrodriguez at September 25, 2007 6:07 PM
Happened to me, altho I was really hoping and trying.
I moved out of state (okay, to CT) while demo was done and floors were sanded and stained. That's when a lot of the dust and fumes happen and it's also something that you can do with relatively short order with cheap labor. We did the demo and floors in entire house in 8 days (husband took vacation days to get it done with hired help).
Also, we decided some things on our wish list didn't need to get done afterall. We were planning on stripping a lot of woodwork and instead we just painted it -- and in the end, I prefer it.
Otherwise, I was there during electric work, plumbing work, kitchen rehab, bathrooms put in.
Also, no matter how careful you are, test the baby early and often for lead.
(and I don't think the respirator is ideal -- it can actually get in thru the skin too)
Posted by: guest at September 26, 2007 11:53 AM
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