Once you’ve got over the excitement of being pregnant, it’s time to decide on your approach to work. Most women can continue working during pregnancy and many women work successfully for the majority or their pregnancy. Being pregnant does, however, present challenges at the workplace and the demands of working while pregnant can really tire you out.
These days there are plenty of laws to make things easier for you when you’re pregnant at work, but whilst laws protects you on paper, the reality of your employment situation and the physical demands of daily work can take their toll. Here are a few simple ways you can make your working day easier and some of the issues that you may need to consider concerning your work.
1 Know Your Work Rights
Telling your boss, requesting flexible hours, maternity leave and pay can all seem a little daunting, but rest assured you have a number of rights when it comes to being pregnant and working. First and foremost, you’ll need to tell your employer. The sooner you tell your boss that you’re pregnant, the better, as it will give them more time to plan ahead. However, if you do want to keep it quiet for a while, you must tell your employer at least 15 weeks before the beginning of the week your baby’s due.
When you do tell your boss, organise a proper meeting and go fully prepared with baby’s due date and when you want to start your maternity leave. You can always change those dates as long as you give 28 days’ notice. Also be prepared for questions your employer might ask. Can you help find a replacement? Will you be able to finish that project? Make it clear that you’ll be flexible when taking time off for antenatal checkups, and that you will stay in touch during your leave.
Every pregnant woman is entitled to take a certain number of weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML), plus an extra quota of Additional Maternity Leave (AML). Check your local maternity leave entitlements so you know where you stand. You can start your maternity leave any time from 11 weeks before the beginning of the week when your baby’s due. Or you can keep working right up until when you give birth!
2 Is You Work Suitable For Pregnancy?
If your work involves being in a safe environment where you’re not exposed to anything hazardous, and your pregnancy is normal and straightforward, then there’s no reason why you can’t continue to work.
However, if the nature of your work is dangerous and poses risks all the time, for example if you work with chemicals, dangerous materials or work extremely long shifts, you may need to consider whether or not it’s the right place for you to be whilst pregnant.
3 Dealing With Pregnancy-Related Symptoms
In the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, morning sickness can hit the hardest. Although this feeling of nausea (whether accompanied by vomiting or not) is usually completely gone by 16 weeks, it’s in those first weeks of pregnancy that you’re usually trying to be discreet about your pregnancy with your colleagues and employers! Small snacks can help, but try small amounts of different things before you find what suits you.
As you progress through the trimesters you may also suffer other symptoms, such as feeling tired, getting backache, finding it hard work being on your feet for too long and even absent-mindedness.
4 Traveling To & From Work
It’s not always easy to change your route to work, but if you’re always stuck on a busy train with no seat, think about adjusting your own timetable and/or route to work to grab yourself more breathing space on that unavoidable commute. Remember that once your employer knows your condition, you can ask for a reasonable adjustment to your timings if it’s feasible within your job. You may find shifting your hours a little earlier or later will help.
5 Make Your Workspace Comfortable
Workspace comfort has recently become more of priority for many employers and companies now use ergonomic seats and teach correct posture at your desk and compute. That said, it still doesn’t stop me slouching or sitting badly! Now that you are pregnant, hormones are affecting the way your ligaments and muscles support your changing shape so it is especially vital that you make sure you have good posture and that you have good support for your feet.
Make sure you can stretch and get up to move around regularly, and that you have a footrest (whether this is a proper rest or books or a box chosen to suit your level) that will keep your legs comfortable. If you don’t you’ll find that you are more likely to get sciatica, back pain or swollen ankles. Sitting for long periods at your desk is also a “no-no”. Get up, stretch yourself out, and make a virtue of toilet breaks!
6 Keep Fueled Up
Pregnancy is not a time to diet! I start feeling faint when I don’t eat between breakfast and lunch so making sure you eat the full meals during the day and keeping a supply of handy little snacks by your desk is a good idea. If you’re going into a long meeting, think about how you can take something discreet to eat with you (or take a break to go and have a quick snack).
7 Water Supply
Make sure you have a bottle of water at your desk and it’s even a good idea to carry a bottle of water with you on the journey to and from work. This doesn’t have to be mineral water but keeping a filled up bottle with you is handier than occasionally remembering to get a cup of water.
8 Handling Fatigue
You may feel tired as your body works overtime to support your pregnancy — and resting during the workday can be tough. It may help to eat foods rich in iron and protein. Fatigue can be a symptom of iron deficiency anemia, but adjusting your diet can help. Choose foods such as red meat, poultry, seafood, leafy green vegetables, whole-grain cereal and pasta, beans, nuts, and seeds. Also take short, frequent breaks. Getting up and moving around for a few minutes can reinvigorate you. Spending a few minutes with the lights off, your eyes closed and your feet up also can help you recharge.
Think about scaling back some activities when your workday ends (if you can). Consider doing your shopping online and making sure your partner helps out at home. Although this may sound counter-intuitive, physical activity does actually help boost your energy level — especially if you sit at a desk all day. Take a walk after work or join a prenatal fitness class.
And finally, go to bed early. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Apparently, resting on your left side will improve blood flow to your baby and help prevent swelling. Placing pillows between your legs and under your belly may also increase your comfort.
9 Keeping stress under control
Stress on the job can inspire you to push hard, but it can also sap the energy you need to care for yourself and your baby. To minimize workplace stress make sure you take control. Make daily to-do lists and prioritize your tasks. Consider what you can delegate to someone else — or eliminate overly stressful projects. Share frustrations and challenges with a supportive co-worker, friend or loved one and practice relaxation techniques, such as breathing slowly or imagining yourself in a calm place.
10. Feel confident about your time off work
There’s no need to feel concerned about taking time off work. Keep your employer informed of dates and times when you’ll need to attend check-ups and scans, and think about how much time you’ll need or want off for maternity leave.
Finally
Many women find themselves juggling pregnancy and work at some point in their life. For some, especially those who do not suffer from pregnancy sickness and whose jobs are important to them, work is a welcome way to wait out the nine months. Other women may need a month or more to prepare their nest and focus on the life they have growing inside them. At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong way to go about working when pregnant. Whatever your pregnancy situation and your job, think through what is best for your situation and enjoy the experience (as much as you can).
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