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Pregnancy and Surviving Work
Pregnancy and work!... There is no denying that being pregnant and holding down a job is difficult. And with around 60% of all pregnant women working in full time positions, and many others filling part time positions during their pregnancy. Working and being pregnant is a harsh reality for most modern women.
When you take into account the fact that women who hold down full time jobs usually travel up to ten hours a week, as well as undertaking 15 to 20 hours of housework each week, and you will conclude that most women are trying to deal with a 14 hour day every day. Not an easy feat when you are pregnant, tired and feeling unwell.
When you take into account the fact that women who hold down full time jobs usually travel up to ten hours a week, as well as undertaking 15 to 20 hours of housework each week, and you will conclude that most women are trying to deal with a 14 hour day every day. Not an easy feat when you are pregnant, tired and feeling unwell.
Whilst some women will breeze through their pregnancy without morning sickness, back ache, and other aches and pains, the reality is that most of us will get our fair share of pregnancy ailments to accompany the inevitable tiredness. And when you combine all of this with work, home, travel and the dreaded ‘preggie brain’, you are going to start to see cracks.
With most women expected to work up until 6 weeks before the due date of their baby, you will end up juggling work and a pregnancy for around 7 months. So you need to be prepared.
Whilst the morning sickness may pass after the first few months, the remainder of your ‘tour of duty’ will be plagued with back ache, tiredness, kicks to the bladder
With most women expected to work up until 6 weeks before the due date of their baby, you will end up juggling work and a pregnancy for around 7 months. So you need to be prepared.
Whilst the morning sickness may pass after the first few months, the remainder of your ‘tour of duty’ will be plagued with back ache, tiredness, kicks to the bladder
I had planned to work up until a few weeks before the birth, and when I told this to the other mums at work, they would just smile and nod, and say “oh really’. But as I reached the sixth month, I finally understood those knowing smiles.
Now I don’t want to scare you off and have you believe that you can’t work and be pregnant at the same time, but I do want you to know that for many of us, it is a difficult and exhausting road. If you do have to work whilst pregnant there are a few things that you can do to help you along the way, and a few things to be aware of. So let’s have a look.
Pregnancy and Work
Things that you will come up against whilst working are the excessive tiredness, the difficulties with public transport, the lack of mobility and concentration and having to continuously ask your boss for more time off to attend yet another Doctors appointment.
Public Transport when Pregnant
Now whilst people are legally obliged to offer a pregnant woman a seat on public transport and many buses and trains have seats set aside for pregnant women, most people like to ignore this fact. Usually they hide behind their paper, or pretend they don’t see you. I was actually quite shocked at how little support and how little consideration you receive from the general public when you are pregnant.
I had to catch two buses to and from work each day and even when I was huge and it was the middle of summer, I only had a seat offered to me twice. If I felt unwell or needed to sit down, I actually had to ask someone, which was rarely received graciously and always made me feel uncomfortable.
It’s not that you expect special treatment, but as you grow and your feet swell you find that you just can’t stand for an hour on a bus or train. And if you don’t have something strong to hold onto you will find yourself at risk of falling over, which will only leave you worried about your bump. I remember one trip to work where I almost fainted, and it was only that a lovely gentleman noticed and caught me in time that I wasn’t seriously injured. He managed to talk someone into giving me a seat, but again someone had to be asked.
Whilst this is an awful story, I could tell you a dozen more about days where I was knocked, pushed and treated with absolutely no courtesy what so ever. What I found the most surprising though, was that other women were the worst offenders. So much for the sympathy from the sisterhood.
If I thought it was only me, it only took reading an article in my local Brisbane News to realise that all pregnant women were suffering when it came to public transport. All of the women interviewed for this article complained about the same treatment. Many had to finish their jobs earlier than expected, as they could no longer cope with public transport, and the complete lack of support.
And it isn’t just Aussie women being deliberately ignored. A recent UK Study revealed that 4 out of 5 pregnant women were forced to stand on public transport and complained of bumps and rude behaviour.
Check it out at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-396382/Four-pregnant-women-forced-stand.html
http://community.babycentre.co.uk/journal/lisag73/403845/baby_on_board_-_the_joys_of_pregnancy_and_public_transport
Now I don’t want to scare you off and have you believe that you can’t work and be pregnant at the same time, but I do want you to know that for many of us, it is a difficult and exhausting road. If you do have to work whilst pregnant there are a few things that you can do to help you along the way, and a few things to be aware of. So let’s have a look.
Pregnancy and Work
Things that you will come up against whilst working are the excessive tiredness, the difficulties with public transport, the lack of mobility and concentration and having to continuously ask your boss for more time off to attend yet another Doctors appointment.
Public Transport when Pregnant
Now whilst people are legally obliged to offer a pregnant woman a seat on public transport and many buses and trains have seats set aside for pregnant women, most people like to ignore this fact. Usually they hide behind their paper, or pretend they don’t see you. I was actually quite shocked at how little support and how little consideration you receive from the general public when you are pregnant.
I had to catch two buses to and from work each day and even when I was huge and it was the middle of summer, I only had a seat offered to me twice. If I felt unwell or needed to sit down, I actually had to ask someone, which was rarely received graciously and always made me feel uncomfortable.
It’s not that you expect special treatment, but as you grow and your feet swell you find that you just can’t stand for an hour on a bus or train. And if you don’t have something strong to hold onto you will find yourself at risk of falling over, which will only leave you worried about your bump. I remember one trip to work where I almost fainted, and it was only that a lovely gentleman noticed and caught me in time that I wasn’t seriously injured. He managed to talk someone into giving me a seat, but again someone had to be asked.
Whilst this is an awful story, I could tell you a dozen more about days where I was knocked, pushed and treated with absolutely no courtesy what so ever. What I found the most surprising though, was that other women were the worst offenders. So much for the sympathy from the sisterhood.
If I thought it was only me, it only took reading an article in my local Brisbane News to realise that all pregnant women were suffering when it came to public transport. All of the women interviewed for this article complained about the same treatment. Many had to finish their jobs earlier than expected, as they could no longer cope with public transport, and the complete lack of support.
And it isn’t just Aussie women being deliberately ignored. A recent UK Study revealed that 4 out of 5 pregnant women were forced to stand on public transport and complained of bumps and rude behaviour.
Check it out at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-
http://community.babycentre.co.uk/journal/lisag73/403845/baby_on_board_-
More advice and tips for surviving work whilst pregnant....
Whilst it can be demanding working and being pregnant there are a few things you can do to make your life a little easier. Read on for some great tried and tested advice and tips.
When you are thinking about having a baby, it is a good idea to save up as much annual and sick leave as you can. You will need the extra days
Whilst it can be demanding working and being pregnant there are a few things you can do to make your life a little easier. Read on for some great tried and tested advice and tips.
When you are thinking about having a baby, it is a good idea to save up as much annual and sick leave as you can. You will need the extra days
off for specialist appointments, morning sickness or simply for when you are just too sore and tired toget out of bed. Your leave also comes in handy if you need to finish work for the year earlier than expected due to complications...............
Try to rest as much as you can before and after work and on the weekends. A busy weekend will only make your work week that much harder.
Try to dress in really comfortable clothes and wear flat shoes.
Take a good supply of water and snacks to keep your energy up during the day. Try taking some mixed dry fruit and nuts for an afternoon pick me up, as you will have huge sugar cravings come 3pm.
Purchase sea sickness wrist bands from the chemist. They are designed to utilise acupuncture pressure points on your wrists and help to reduce nausea. At a cost of around $10 they are worth a try.
Take ginger tablets with a glass of milk upon rising. Ginger has been proven to help nausea.
Take a couple of dry biscuits or a piece of toast with you to nibble on the bus. A small something in your stomach whilst travelling does help. Also make sure you always have water with you when travelling.
If you can, try to start a little earlier or later, so to miss peak hour when travelling either by public transport or by car.
Make sure you try to avoid standing or sitting near sick people on the bus and keep a hand sanitiser gel in your handbag. 80% off flu and other germs are passed on by hand.
Ask your company if they have special parking for pregnant women. Some large organisations will give you a free car space close to the office.
Make good use of the company sick room. This was one of the things that really helped me get through the day. I was lucky that we had a little room with an old couch in it. At lunch time I would go and have a lie down, set my mobile alarm and close my eyes and have a rest. Most of the time I would sleep for around 30 minutes which really helped me get through the afternoons. If you don’t have a sick room try to find an empty chair in the conference room or a park bench, set your mobile alarm, put your feet up if you can, and simply just close your eyes and relax. You may be surprised that will actually doze off for a few minutes and it will help get you through.
Another thing that helped was to keep a face spritzer on my desk. When I was feeling hot or sleepy I would spray some on my face, neck and wrists. It really does help to give you a bit of a pick me up.
If you have a desk job, it is really important to use a foot stool if you don’t have a foot stool then stack up some phone books. Try to obtain a special pregnancy or orthopaedic chair, or at the least take in a pillow to put behind your back.
Make sure you get up, have a walk around and stretch at least every hour. And try to have a break from the computer screen every hour too.
As soon as you are pregnant start looking into your company’s policy on maternity leave, as well as the conditions for returning to work. Many companies allow you to work part time towards the end of the pregnancy and up until the baby’s second birthday upon your return. Do your research and see what is out there to help you.
Take any help or support offered to you, this is not the time to let your stupid pride get in the way.
Try and rest as much as you can. If you find an opportunity to put your feet up or have a 5 minute nap, take it whenever you can.
When should you finish work?
Many pregnant women wonder when they should finish work. Realistically you should only work as long as you are fit and capable of doing so. Most HR Policies allow women to finish work at 34 weeks gestation. If you want to work any longer then this you will need a medical certificate from your Doctor stating you are fit for work.
If you have maternity leave and/or can afford to leave work at 34 weeks, I highly recommend that you do. Particularly as working women have a much higher chance of developing pre-eclampsia. You really do need to rest and get ready, you have a big year ahead.
For me -
Most of us think that we are superwomen and that pregnancy won’t slow us down, but once you get into the third trimester you will find that your body has other ideas. You can’t begin to imagine how hard it is on your body to work full time, travel to and from work as well as coming home and running a household. So be wise, look after you and your little bump and take that leave. This isn’t the time to over-do it.
Try to rest as much as you can before and after work and on the weekends. A busy weekend will only make your work week that much harder.
Try to dress in really comfortable clothes and wear flat shoes.
Take a good supply of water and snacks to keep your energy up during the day. Try taking some mixed dry fruit and nuts for an afternoon pick me up, as you will have huge sugar cravings come 3pm.
Purchase sea sickness wrist bands from the chemist. They are designed to utilise acupuncture pressure points on your wrists and help to reduce nausea. At a cost of around $10 they are worth a try.
Take ginger tablets with a glass of milk upon rising. Ginger has been proven to help nausea.
Take a couple of dry biscuits or a piece of toast with you to nibble on the bus. A small something in your stomach whilst travelling does help. Also make sure you always have water with you when travelling.
If you can, try to start a little earlier or later, so to miss peak hour when travelling either by public transport or by car.
Make sure you try to avoid standing or sitting near sick people on the bus and keep a hand sanitiser gel in your handbag. 80% off flu and other germs are passed on by hand.
Ask your company if they have special parking for pregnant women. Some large organisations will give you a free car space close to the office.
Make good use of the company sick room. This was one of the things that really helped me get through the day. I was lucky that we had a little room with an old couch in it. At lunch time I would go and have a lie down, set my mobile alarm and close my eyes and have a rest. Most of the time I would sleep for around 30 minutes which really helped me get through the afternoons. If you don’t have a sick room try to find an empty chair in the conference room or a park bench, set your mobile alarm, put your feet up if you can, and simply just close your eyes and relax. You may be surprised that will actually doze off for a few minutes and it will help get you through.
Another thing that helped was to keep a face spritzer on my desk. When I was feeling hot or sleepy I would spray some on my face, neck and wrists. It really does help to give you a bit of a pick me up.
If you have a desk job, it is really important to use a foot stool if you don’t have a foot stool then stack up some phone books. Try to obtain a special pregnancy or orthopaedic chair, or at the least take in a pillow to put behind your back.
Make sure you get up, have a walk around and stretch at least every hour. And try to have a break from the computer screen every hour too.
As soon as you are pregnant start looking into your company’s policy on maternity leave, as well as the conditions for returning to work. Many companies allow you to work part time towards the end of the pregnancy and up until the baby’s second birthday upon your return. Do your research and see what is out there to help you.
Take any help or support offered to you, this is not the time to let your stupid pride get in the way.
Try and rest as much as you can. If you find an opportunity to put your feet up or have a 5 minute nap, take it whenever you can.
When should you finish work?
Many pregnant women wonder when they should finish work. Realistically you should only work as long as you are fit and capable of doing so. Most HR Policies allow women to finish work at 34 weeks gestation. If you want to work any longer then this you will need a medical certificate from your Doctor stating you are fit for work.
If you have maternity leave and/or can afford to leave work at 34 weeks, I highly recommend that you do. Particularly as working women have a much higher chance of developing pre-
For me -
Most of us think that we are superwomen and that pregnancy won’t slow us down, but once you get into the third trimester you will find that your body has other ideas. You can’t begin to imagine how hard it is on your body to work full time, travel to and from work as well as coming home and running a household. So be wise, look after you and your little bump and take that leave. This isn’t the time to over-
Got any stories, tips or hints for surviving work and pregnancy?
Then let us know. We would love to hear from you......
Then let us know. We would love to hear from you......
and an array of other nasty surprises. Not to mention the forgetfulness and complete lack of ability to concentrate for more than two minutes.
For me -
For me -
It was really difficult not telling anybody that I felt so sick or why. And it was frustrating knowing that I would be getting loads of help and sympathy had I told my work mates about my pregnancy.
I found every day a real struggle as I was excessively tired all the time, and felt like throwing up every time I moved. It was impossible to concentrate when all I wanted to do was lie down. I found that the days just dragged by at a snail’s pace, as I just basically watched the clock, waiting for the day to end so I could go home and sleep.
Overtime as I grew bigger and heavier and the onslaught of new ailments like backache, sciatic nerve pain and heartburn plagued my day, it became even harder and harder to drag myself off to work. I became less interested in deadlines and KPI’s and more interested in sleep and back rubs.