Combining Pregnancy and Work!

How can you combine pregnancy with work? Advice and recommendations for a serene pregnancy at work.

Morning sickness has begun and you are already wondering how you can combine your pregnancy with work?

Here is some advice that may be useful in helping you to get through this often tricky period.

The objective is for your pregnancy to be serene, and if you have decided to pursue your career within the same company, to lay the foundations for a peaceful return to the office a few months later.

Your health must remain your priority: being pregnant is not an illness as long as you respect some basic and sensible rules.

Reduce your travel times if they are long, and ask your employer about the possibility of working from home a couple of days per week, if this is compatible with your job.

Ask about changing positions quickly if yours involves any physical aspects that are incompatible with your pregnancy: it is better to talk about how to bring this change in early. Demonstrate that you know how to anticipate, and that this will allow you to combine your pregnancy with your work while staying healthy.

Know how to recognise stressful situations: they are not good for you or for your baby. We are often more emotional when pregnant, and finding yourself in tears in front of the boss for no good reason is never good for scoring points…. So stay cool, and take a break when the pressure rises. Try to make important appointments for the times of day when you feel the best.

I will skip over the chapter about support stockings, drinking water and eating apples (champion against feeling sick!), etc. It is important that you adapt your routine, because during pregnancy your lifestyle becomes primordial. However, be careful not to bore your colleagues with your new habits: keep it light… on every level! Pregnancy can be a sensitive subject for some people.

In a few months you will be back in the ring… So plan ahead:

Don’t hesitate to tackle the subject of your replacement in a proactive manner: it can sometimes be complicated for your employer to replace you, especially if you work in a small company.

Facilitate handing over projects: file and sort every day with the same thoroughness as if you were leaving tomorrow. This will simplify things when the time comes for you to leave, when you may be feeling less energetic. And your replacement or your boss will find things more easily should you have to leave earlier than expected. Whatever the circumstances, you will leave with an easy mind.

Spontaneously offer to train your replacement: this is professional on your part and you will come back to a position that has been better handled. Combining pregnancy with work is above all about planning ahead!

Finally, maternity leave is also the opportunity to think about what you want to do when you go back to work: if you have been dreaming about changing department for a while, then now is the time! In any case, you are leaving your position, which makes it easier to push the decision forward internally.

You may also decide to spend a few extra months with your baby: you can of course inform your employer after you leave, but talking to him or her calmly prior to your departure will undoubtedly facilitate the organisation of your absence as well as that of your return.

So now you know – keeping your health safe and communicating properly while remaining professional are the keys to combining your pregnancy with work. So go on, make an appointment with your boss because it’s time that you told him how you see what’s ahead….