How To Prepare For Pregnancy Whilst Working By Mummy’s Organics

Deciding if you can continue to work during your pregnancy and for how long before you take maternity leave is a very individual decision for every woman. Having a high risk pregnancy can mean that your plans of waiting until a few weeks before your due date, have changed and you now find yourself, taking leave early, working fewer hours or even working from home. 

You will need to let your employer know about your pregnancy at least 15 weeks before your expected due date and for most women, you are already beginning to show and work colleagues may have suspected. Many women don’t want to reveal their pregnancy too early since there is a higher risk of miscarriage during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. There can be benefits with sharing the news of your pregnancy early however, as you may be feeling lots of early pregnancy hormonal side effects during your first 12 weeks. These can include nausea, vomiting, tiredness and spotting and can mean you need to take days off work or have extra midwife appointments or simply struggling to get out of bed.

Your challenge is, keeping healthy and fit during your pregnancy whilst at the same time remaining a valuable and productive member of your employer’s workforce. You have rights to take time off work if you are unwell and also to attend your antenatal appointments and so from your perspective, keeping your employer informed will help them to accommodate any changes to your role or work schedule.Ask your midwife for a MATB1 certificate when you are 20 weeks gestation. This can then be given to your employer as evidence of your due date and to notify them of your pregnancy. Here are some midwife tips to help you manage working while pregnant by midwife and founder of Mummy’s Organics, Odette Abououf. 

Nausea & vomiting:

Most women who suffer from pregnancy nausea will find that it begins to resolve around 12 weeks although for a few, this can continue throughout pregnancy. If you are vomiting and struggling to keep fluids down, you will need an urgent review with your maternity team and may need to start on a course of anti-sickness medications in order to be able to function and continue working. Even if you are not vomiting, you may find that you are regularly nausea and that the foods you eat are limited. 

• Eat little and often. Grazing can help to regulate your blood sugars, helping to alleviate nausea. Take healthy snacks to work that you can snack on throughout the day between meals. These snacks can replace the office hand around of chocolates, sweets and biscuits.
• You may crave carbohydrate high foods (Croissants and bread) but your body is actually craving energy quickly. Try to ensure you have a healthy balance of complex carbohydrates and protein at each meal. 
• Keep hydrated, taking a large bottle of water to work with you can help to keep you rehydrated and will keep your muscles and brain function optimal.
• Avoid trigger foods that make your stomach turn and bring on nausea. Sometimes it can be the smell or very thought of something that makes you nauseous.
• Try ginger tea or wearing a sea band around your wrist that can help with pressure points. 

Physical demands:

You may find early on that your pregnancy causes certain physical demands on your body and this is very variable for each person. Being able to adapt and not pushing your body’s limits is key.

• As your pregnancy progresses, you may find that you are feeling tired more easily or are breathless faster. You may also have waves of exhaustion making you feel like you need a nap mid day. Working from home may be much easier to accommodate this. Your blood volume is increasing and you may become anaemic and so if you have a physical job, you may consider a discussion with your employer to scale back or adjust your role.
• Toilet breaks may be much more frequent as your baby is now pushing on your bladder. Keep your bladder tone healthy by drinking frequently and keeping your bladder empty regularly. Regular pelvic floor exercises can be carried out without anyone knowing, anytime of day, wherever you are.  
• Exercise is an important way of keeping your stamina up and can be worked into a work day by walking to work, using a gym ball at work instead of an office chair (take your own in), regular breaks will prevent you sitting in one spot for too long and improve your circulation, yoga or Pilates on your days off can help you to strengthen both body and mind but don’t push your limits. 

Safety:

• Avoid prolonged standing or sitting
• Avoid heavy lifting or carrying
• Avoid exposure to chemicals or substances
• Ask your employer for a work place risk assessment in order to ensure your work environment is safe
• Long working hours may be something that you can no longer keep up with in order to ensure you are getting at least eight hours sleep overnight. 
• Keep all your antenatal and screening appointments, which you are entitled to have time off to attend.