“WORKING WHILE PREGNANT
The news that we were expecting our first child brought tons of excitement along with lots of questions, thoughts, and concerns on everything from comfort and schedules to projects and clients. At times, pregnancy can feel like a full-time job. My professional goals have been to remain productive and be as personally connected to my clients and team as possible.
How I’ve Been Working While Pregnant:
• Learn as much as possible about working while pregnant and know your workplace rights. There is so much information and it can be overwhelming. Familiarize yourself with your employee handbook and research state and federal laws. Your Human Resources Department may be an excellent resource and you should be in contact with them.
• Share your pregnancy news with your boss. With a positive attitude, let them know you’re expecting and your estimated due date. I then scheduled an initial meeting with HR and continue to keep them up-to-date with my doctor’s recommendations and plans. In my personal experience, they’ve been great.
• Manage symptoms as best as possible. In the first trimester, I had major fatigue. To help, I altered my sleep schedule to maximize rest and would move around my home office. Although I didn’t experience full morning sickness, I was nauseous and sometimes dizzy. To help, I drank lots of water along with pregnancy-safe tea, put as much comfort into my work station including lighting and room temperature at the most comfortable levels as possible. To not miss a detail and to track my work, I took more notes than usual.
• Schedule appointments wisely. I make every effort to schedule every doctor appointment outside of work hours or within my lunch break. Waiting is bound to happen so I make sure to have time-sensitive tasks completed and have access to my work phone.
• Before the leave of absence, confirm all the details and complete as many tasks as necessary that require your personal attention, send reminders to your team and, provide any personal contact details, and set your away messages for clients.
Pregnant and find this helpful? When you were pregnant, what did you do that helped you while at work?”
Instagram: @ashleechu
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