When you are pregnant, you might feel compelled to renovate your home, which could include painting your nursery. This leads to the question of whether or not it is safe to have your house painted. There are chemicals in paint, and the effects on an unborn child are unknown. However, if you inhale too many paint fumes, it can cause health problems whether you are pregnant or not. There are three different types of paint, including latex, oil, and enamel. Continue reading to learn if it is safe to have your house painted when you are pregnant. 

Painting the Nursery

Nearly every pregnant woman wants to have the nursery painted at some point during her pregnancy. There aren’t any studies that have measured the effect of using household paint, but it is thought that latex paint has very low levels of exposure to toxic chemicals. 

It is important to avoid using oil-based paints, anything with lead, and mercury. Lead-based paint was banned in the 70s, so you won’t find it in household paints. However, you should make sure that you avoid removing any paint that is old enough that it could contain lead. This would be harmful to you and your unborn child. 

How to Take Precautions When You Choose to Paint

There are several precautions you can take to ensure your safety when you are painting. First of all, you should protect your skin by wearing protective clothing. You should wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and gloves. This will ensure that you don’t get the paint on your skin where chemicals can seep into your bloodstream. 

You should also make sure that you open the windows and turn your fans on to blow fumes outdoors. The room you are painting should be well ventilated. Don’t spend too much time in the room; you can take breaks and get some fresh air so that you don’t spend too much time in the room with the fresh paint. Another precaution you should take is to make sure that you leave drinks and food outside of the room to make sure that you don’t get chemicals or solvents in them. 

If you are painting more than one room, you will want to break the paint job up into smaller projects. It is ideal if you hire a painter and stay out of the room being painted for at least 48 hours. This is a good precaution to take so that you are certain that you do not inhale paint fumes. 

Finally, you should always discuss this with your healthcare provider. Your doctor may have specific recommendations and advise you concerning this project. 

Final Words

If you want to paint your house when you are pregnant, you should follow certain precautions. If your healthcare provider says that it is okay to move forward, make sure that you do what is necessary to protect yourself. Keep the windows open, turn a fan on, and wear protective clothing. It is ideal if you can hire a painter and stay out of any room you have painted for 48 hours.