Working while pregnant is very challenging especially because of pregnancy symptoms, fatigue, and discomfort. But many women continue their job even though it’s not easy. Some women work till last month of their pregnancy, while some work even till their due date, it all depends upon your health and the way you manage your work and your health during pregnancy. If you want to continue your job or work during pregnancy, you have to be extra careful about your health. Many women have lots of questions regarding work and pregnancy like is it safe to work?, how to cope up with pregnancy symptoms at workplace?, how to manage work during pregnancy?, when to take maternity leave?, and all. Let’s take a look and get the answers of your questions.
WORKING WHEN EXPECTING: SAFE OR NOT?
In general, as long as you are comfortable to work and you have no complications or risks in your pregnancy, it’s ok to do your job when you are pregnant. But there are several factors and the demand of your job, which you need to think about and talk with your doctor before continuing your job which are as follows:
- Carrying heavy loads
- Functioning with chemicals, radiations, and fumes
- Working under loud and noisy environment
- If your work demand bending more than 8-10 times in an hour
- Climbing or standing more often
- Extreme temperatures
- If your work is physically demanding
- If your work demands more than 40 hours per week
- If your work demands night shifts
All these factors can increase your chances of complications during pregnancy and are not safe for you. If your work is demanding any of these things, you need to talk about it with your doctor and then your manager. Don’t worry your company will definitely have some policy for the safety of pregnant women.
HOW TO EASE PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS AND MANAGE WORK DURING PREGNANCY?
Even if you are doing well with your pregnancy, sometimes those pregnancy symptoms may affect the productivity of your work. Let’s just look at the ways which help to ease those pregnancy symptoms:
EASE MORNING SICKNESS: One of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy is morning sickness i.e. feeling nauseous which can strike at anytime. There are some things that can trigger nausea, so try to figure it out and avoid them. Apart from that, have small meals after every 1-2 hours, add bland foods (like crackers, breads, coconut water, applesauce, herbal tea, and ginger tea) to your diet and keep yourself well hydrated. These little things work great to ease morning sickness.
DEAL WITH FATIGUE: Dehydration, over-exertion, sleep deprivation, and nutritional deficiencies are the main causes of fatigue during pregnancy especially during the first and third trimester. So try to keep yourself well hydrated, take proper sleep for at least 8 hours, lighten your work load, and add more iron and protein-rich foods in to your diet to feel more energetic and productive throughout the day.
EASE MUSCLES STIFFNESS: Constant sitting at work may cause muscle stiffness and fluid retention in your legs. Try to take small frequent brakes to stretch and take some steps to ease tension around your muscles. Don’t sit or stand for too long and take care of your posture.
BACK PAIN: As pregnancy proceeds, many women experience back pain because of the growing belly and the loosening of ligaments. If your work is more of standing or moving then sports shoes may help, if your work is more of sitting, then sitting pillows may help to give proper support, and pregnancy support belt also helps in back pain. Do take care of your posture while bending or lifting something.
TRY TO RELAX: It’s very important to stay relaxed and happy during pregnancy. Try to minimize your work load stress by prioritizing your work, share, and take your co-worker’s help, and do practice prenatal yoga and breathing exercises to relax and uplift your mood.
YOUR WORKPLACE RIGHTS
If you are pregnant, it’s good to know your rights at your workplace. For that you can ask your manager or HR about it, as different workplaces have different policies. But some of the general workplace rights are as follows:
- Your manager can’t stop your promotion just because you are pregnant.
- Your boss can’t dismiss you from your job because of your pregnancy.
- If you are working with chemicals, fumes and heavy lifting, then your manager should give alternate work which is safe for you.
- They should make changes to your working schedule and working hours if there is any risk for your health.
- If your company is unable to give you work that is safe for you, then they have to give you paid leave.
- Your manager can’t treat you unequally if you are unable to do your work because of pregnancy complications or childbirth.
- If you are unable to do your work, then you can take maternity leave even before childbirth and your job is safe for about 12 weeks.
- Pregnancy is treated as a temporary disability, so you will get same medical benefits, leave, and temporary disability insurance just like other services provided to disable employees.
ALARMING SYMPTOMS TO STOP WORKING
If you feel any kind of discomfort or complication, then consult your doctor about your health and your job. Your doctor will recommend you what you should do and what you shouldn’t do by looking at your situation. Some of the alarming symptoms when you should stop working are as follows:
- Too many cramps and pain in your pelvis
- If you experience pinkish discharge from your vagina
- If you have severe back pain
- When you have more frequent contractions
- When you experience signs of preterm labor
- When your doctor recommends you complete bedrest
It’s ok if you need to compromise your work at the cost of your and your baby’s health. Always prioritize your health during pregnancy. Do your work whether it’s your job or your household work, as much as you can do it comfortably. During pregnancy don’t over-exert and push yourself too much for the sake of work.