A pregnant woman’s priority is the baby in their tummy, but that doesn’t mean they have to sit out the rest of the family celebrations. You might have another of your kid’s birthdays coming up, or maybe a family friend needs some help with party favor preparations.
So, can pregnant women blow up balloons safely?
Generally speaking, it’s pretty safe for pregnant women to blow up balloons. If you’re doing it the old-fashioned way, you just need to pace yourself and recognize your limits. Maximize your endurance by maintaining good posture and remember to take deep breaths.
It’s worth noting that a woman’s lung capacity drops while pregnant, so if their prior conditioning wasn’t stellar it may not be wise to have them blow balloons up. They might also be allergic to the balloon’s materials – specifically latex – but that’s rarely an issue.
If you’re using air pumps instead, it’ll be much easier! You still need to pay a little attention to your body here, as the repetitive motions can tire you out. This is usually a concern that only crops up when you’re blowing up a lot of balloons, though.
Pregnant women can blow balloons up safely, but you don’t want to get caught out of breath. Avoiding this is as easy as remembering to pace yourself, and we’ll cover how to do just that.
Pregnant Women Blowing Balloons (What to Consider)
Lung Capacity
Blowing balloons up is safe for pregnant women to do, but note that lung capacity does go down while pregnant – this is a physiological change and is especially pronounced in the last trimester of pregnancy. If you feel a little winded recently, avoid blowing balloons this way.
Outside of those circumstances, a pregnant woman can blow up balloons just fine. Just remember to pace yourself while doing it – this is especially important for moms who didn’t get much exercise before or during their early pregnancy.
Keep your back straight while blowing balloons, as good posture plays a pretty big part in maintaining your lung capacity. Take long, deep breaths, and work to maintain a rhythm.
Don’t be ashamed to take breaks as needed, as shortness of breath doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy – it means that your body needs more oxygen, so listen and give it what it needs.
Light exercise can also go a long way to improving your lung capacity. It won’t help you blow up balloons any better in the short term, but we’d still recommend you pick up the habit – it’ll be a great start to bolster your general health.
Manual or Electric Pumps
Blowing up balloons is generally considered safe for pregnant women, though doing it the old-fashioned way can take a lot out of mothers. Much of the risk is alleviated using other methods, though – using a hand pump means you just have to pace yourself, and electric pumps will straight up do all the work for you!
Using these options also minimizes your direct contact with the balloon, which might be a better idea in the long run. Some people are allergic to latex, and intense reactions can even leave afflicted individuals struggling to breathe due to anaphylactic shock.
Manual balloon pumps are easy to come by – and they’re usually pretty cheap to boot. If you have any balloon-inflating devices at your disposal, we’d strongly recommend you use them.
Final Thoughts
A pregnant woman can safely blow balloons with their mouth, but that task might get them a little out of breath. Manual pumps or automatic balloon inflators are risk-free and generally preferred for large-scale event preparations.
Sometimes you may want to blow balloons the old-fashioned way, so we’re here to remind you that doing so would be perfectly safe. Just make sure that you don’t have any pre-existing conditions and that you’re only blowing up a reasonable number of balloons (2-3) that way.
The moment you feel even a little lightheaded though, take a break from the task – stop altogether if the feeling doesn’t go away. Don’t push it, as your wellness is your baby’s wellness too!
