How To Juggle Work With Pregnancy
So you find out you are pregnant and you feel on top of the world because your prayers have finally been answered. All of a sudden, the reality struck…
For the working woman generally you become bothered if
⦁ you would be able to work optimally anymore
⦁ meet deadlines
⦁ function at your peak
This applies to both the ‘8 to 5 woman‘ and the ‘work from home woman’. Furthermore, if you have bosses, you fear you may lose your job if the above becomes obvious or if you have to miss work often because of fatigue and ante natal visits.
Talking of ante natal visits, I had the worse experience ever, I think this is synonymous to most government hospitals in Nigeria. Ante natal appointments were always rowdy and we experienced a lot of unnecessary delays from the nurses to the doctors. It was just terrible and to think that I had to rush back to work after each visit.
What should you do to avoid a stressful pregnancy experience when you are working?
⦁ If you have a boss, notifying him/her first is best. I wish I did this early enough and saved myself a lot of stress.
⦁ Find ways to handle the symptoms. From vomiting, to frequent salivation, fatigue and ‘pregnant brain’ find what works best for you. (We would do a blog post on this)
⦁ REST! DO NOT OVERWORK YOURSELF! and eat healthily too. This is so crucial. If you work in an office, use part of your lunch hour to nap and find time to take a walk . Also, discuss with your employer about days you might have to work from home or come in later than usual. My boss allowed me to adjust my resumption time to 9am instead of the usual 8am daily.
⦁ Plan For your ante natal visit. Don’t be scared to ask for time off to visit your doctor. Arrange for a suitable backup while you are away and inform your boss ahead of time about your schedule.
⦁ Plan your maternity leave if you work in an office. Nearly all countries provide nationally mandated paid parental leave, however meet with your HR to get information on the maternity leave policy of your company and the arrangement that would best suit you. I would make a post on planning your maternity leave soon.
⦁ Surround yourself with QUALITY SUPPORT SYSTEM. This is very very important. From your partner to your family members to your maid to even your colleague. This people can be the big difference for you to enjoy your pregnancy. I had a colleague that helped fill in for me on days I could not work, another made sure he was at my beck and call whenever I needed help with errands or driving home.
All in all, your faith in God, pro-activity and a quality support system is what you need to invest in as you start this journey, it would also help greatly after the baby arrives.. I hope this has been helpful, pls add more suggestions if you feel I missed anything.
What is/was your experience like? I would love to hear 🙂