Balancing work and pregnancy obviously has its challenges. Being pregnant is a full-time job itself: symptoms, prepping, researching, discomfort, appointments… there’s always something!
Despite it all, pregnancy isn’t a ticket to slack at work, nor at anything else. Life keeps going and there are tons of tips and tricks we can apply to be able to juggle it all.
The first trimester was physically terribly challenging. Every pregnancy is different, but we can all agree that our bodies immediately change, inside and out.
Here are my tips for balancing being pregnant at work during the early stages, when we tend to keep pregnancy a secret, and keeping noticeable symptoms quiet at work may be one of the hardest things to deal with:
1. To help me get through, I brought healthy snacks into the office, to avoid nausea from getting unbearable, things like nuts, yogurt, hummus, fruit, cheese bars, olives, mixed trail, edamame… and drank tons of water!
2. I would also sit near a door during meetings, where I could quickly make an exit if I was feeling severely nauseous, taking a breather, coming back refreshed.
3. Another big challenge in the first few weeks/months, was fighting fatigue. Personally, there were days where I simply couldn’t deal with it, but I had to. Aside from going to bed as early as I could, I also tried to to take walks in between the day. Keeping my body moving and getting fresh air to awake me, mint gum instantly refreshed me as well!
4. Balancing appointments can also interrupt your work routine, I’ve always scheduled them first thing in the morning or midday, along my lunch break. These are the best times to interfere the least with your routine, as well as hide it from colleagues, if you need to. Just keep in mind to completely avoid days where you have big meetings or work appointments, as some doctor visits may take longer than others, this will also avoid additional stress.
5. Once you are in the save-zone and comfortable announcing your pregnancy you should tell your boss and/or clients! Talking about it will also release tension, making it easier to deal with your pregnancy at work, as you can then easily be honest about how you are feeling. And remember, it is completely OK to have weaker days, just work extra hard on days you are feeling better, everyone around you will appreciate your efforts.
6. Start prepping for your third and fourth trimester, also crucial to be able to continue managing my business at the end of my pregnancy as well as with a newborn, when it gets harder again. Anticipating what is to come is as important. How am I prepping? I researched and did a list of all the essential newborn products I’ll be needing, I already started the nursery room project, I am delegating more tasks at work, I stopped accepting new long-term clients…
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