Once you see the little pink line, your life becomes a calamity of choices that encompass everything from your personal life to your professional. So many women, building lucrative careers are trying to balance their desires for children with the maintenance of professional opportunity. More than one of these women feels that pregnancy can disrupt years worth of work. It isn’t a secret that quite often, pregnant woman are discriminated in the work place. They are commonly passed over for promotions and suddenly seen as ‘less than serious’ about their professional careers just because they are carrying a child. Even while laws protect you, there is still the silent and nudging looks of others, sideward comments and situations that can make working while you are a pregnant difficult. Sadly, woman are often forced to ‘prove themselves’ while they are pregnant, maintaining long hours and putting in as much work as possible just for fear of losing their professional integrity.
Realize, that if your pregnancy goes without a hitch, you should have no problems working while you are pregnant. Sure, in the beginning you may have some queasiness or lack of energy that might may things more difficult. However, during the zany first few weeks and months of pregnancy, there is a good chance that no one at the office needs or will know unless you tell them. If you have some sick time built up, don’t be afraid to take an hour or so here and there to compensate for your rest. While your job may be important to you, your baby to be is also depending on you to be healthy and rested. Chances are if you have been a diligent employee, few will think anything of your sudden ‘illness.’
The word illness, brings up another point about working while you are pregnant. Pregnancy is not an illness and while many employers may treat it as such, you have legal rights to your job security. Certainly, there may come a time when bed rest is imminent or you have a medical condition with your pregnancy which requires you to take some time off of work. Your employer although disappointed, has to realize that there is nothing you can do about the situation. Legally, they cannot hire someone else for your position or discount years of your hard work because you have a complicated pregnancy. If they do, contacting an attorney or activist group may get you the answers and solutions that you need.
There are other things to consider if you are working while you are pregnant as well. Obviously, you need to maintain a schedule that allows you to eat at regular intervals. This may mean taking an extra break here and there so you are keeping up with your caloric intake. Depending on your job, you also have to consider environmental concerns. If you are in a position where you are standing all day long without break, you may be jeopardizing your own health. The best thing is to talk with your employer and see if there are other lateral options or whether you can be accommodated differently. While you may feel it is important to keep you job, you have to be certain that you are being provided with a safe and healthy environment as well. Women who work in careers such as law enforcement or where lifting is part of the job description may encounter a time when they cannot provide the scope of their job due to pregnancy. Your employer truly is bound to help you find an amicable position.
While working, you should also begin to look into things like the family medical leave act and other temporary disability insurance that may be offered by your company. By understanding what is available to you, you will be able to relax and maintain a sense of job security. One consideration is to take in how your boss must be feeling. If they have relied upon you for years, they may question whether or not you are going to leave them high and dry upon delivery or whether you will return to work. Millions of moms with the full intention of returning to work are drawn by the call of motherhood that they place their careers on hold for a while. Talk to your employer as honestly as possible about the future and what your intentions at the moment are. You may also find that being honest and forthcoming may provide ample time for your boss to come up with telecommuting options that will resolve any conflicts you encounter while working.
The majority of moms with a healthy pregnancy choose to work right up to the point of the baby being born. This way they have plenty of time afterwards and maternity leave to spend 2-3 months home with their baby. Consider another fact that you may have been too busy to realize. This could very well be the last time you have alone with your spouse before a child is born. Taking just a little time at the end of pregnancy, to breathe in the realization of motherhood can be a healthy way for you to de-stress before the baby is born. This will also give you time to prepare the nursery and leave your handprint on things before the whirlwind of birth and delivery arise. If you plan to return to work, this can be the perfect time to check out daycares and other options for your baby’s care as well.
Working while you are pregnant is something that millions of women do without a problem. When you learn to overcome the often insensitive and annoying comments, looks and glares of the people around you – you will be given the chance to prove that pregnancy is just a small ‘break’ in a woman’s life. Today’s mom is able to work while pregnant and afterwards and there are plenty of successful women who beautifully balance career and motherhood without compromise! There is no reason you can’t be one of them.
