Rate this article:
Average rating:
Total votes: 3
With the joys of pregnancy come inevitable and sometimes arduous changes. From the first trimester onward, your baby is making himself felt in your energy level, your eating and sleeping habits, your waistline and, at times, your job performance. Your body and mind are preparing you for the baby, and those needs may or may not coincide with your preparations for the morning's big meeting.
So how do you balance fluctuating hormones with your job's demands? Here are some tips from women in the trenches about how to maintain a healthy pregnancy and professional life.
Make a Plan
"I think it's important to educate yourself and learn as much as you can about what's coming, so you can come up with a plan that's reality-based rather than based on wishful thinking," says Nancy Peske, coauthor of Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Integration Issues and mother of Dante, now 5. "Talk to your doctor, read books and learn about how you're going to feel, and then ask yourself some honest questions. Can you deal with morning sickness or lack of sleep and still maintain your full load at work? Then make a plan that reflects your answers, and don't be afraid to be flexible and make adjustments as you go along.
Consider Your Options
Your new lifestyle must accommodate the needs of a new baby in the house long-term. Ask yourself: Do you want to spend more time at home once the baby is born? Can you afford to go without income for 12 weeks or more? What about options like flextime, job sharing, compression time or telecommuting? Or do you want to return full-time to the office as soon as possible?
Many women say that finding a way to work at home, at least part of the workweek, makes pregnancy, parenting and job performance easier to negotiate.
"With my type of job, I truly believe you can have it all," says Angela Donaldson, an investigator for the Department of Defense in St. Louis and mother of two. "I worked all the way up until the day before I had both babies and did not have any problems. Of course, I was very lucky and had no complications with either of my pregnancies."
"But my boss didn't have any problem, as I was able to meet all of my deadlines," she adds. "With the new family laws, I was able to take 12 weeks maternity leave with full pay. If the kids were sick, I could take sick leave. I have a very flexible schedule, and as the kids have gotten older, I am able to be home in the mornings to put them on the bus and be home by the time that the kids [are]."
A freelance lifestyle could be a better choice. "I could work around things like feeling the need to nap late in the afternoon during the first trimester or having to go to my doctor's appointments," says Peske. "People were very respectful of my pregnancy. About a week before my due date, I had a meeting that was supposed to be held about an hour out of town, and five people came into Manhattan so that they could meet with me in the city. One of my clients was so happy that I'd worked four 12-hour days during my last trimester to make an impossible deadline that she gave me a gift certificate to a day spa that specializes in massage for pregnant women."
Know Your Rights
While the Pregnancy Discrimination Act guards against termination for pregnancy, you can be fired for performance. And some jobs may actually be hazardous to you and your baby's health. You should also read up on the Family and Medical Leave Act.
"Prepare yourself before you inform your boss about your pregnancy," says Dana Bilboa, a Los Angeles-based production accountant for "Judging Amy" and mother of two. "I had a boss who didn't renew my contract, because I was too close to my delivery date and would have been out for a portion of production. That's legitimate. But I've definitely encountered the feeling out there that a pregnant woman is an inconvenience in the workplace. So it's important to know what your rights are."
Put Yourself and Your Baby First
"I worked up until a week before my due date," says Carra Richling-Knox, a nutritionist and lifestyle coach managing her own business, A Comprehensive Approach to Life Management (CALM) in Boulder, and mother of Jacob, 15 months. "My priority was taking care of myself and my baby. I ate what my body and my baby needed most, and I gave the nurturing to myself that my baby and I needed most."
Additional Articles in This Feature
• Leading Women
• Battle the Stereotypes
• What If There Are No Women Leaders?
• Don't Hesitate to Self-Promote
• Do Men Have a Monopoly on the Top Jobs?
