During pregnancy, your body takes on a new job. The formation of another human being is happening inside your womb. Your body is working to sustain and nurture this new, tiny person. That is full-time work!
Did you know that a single human cell is more complex than even the most sophisticated, modern-day computers? Your body is making a person! While that is an incredible blessing, it means that your body is now working extra hard.
As a result, many women report feelings of extra fatigue, illness, or hormonal changes. If you are also balancing a career, you should strategize a game plan for pacing your activities and taking care of yourself during this time.
Four tips for navigating pregnancy during a career:
1. Permit Yourself to Slow Down
Many women resist the idea of slowing down during their pregnancy. You may feel physically great so far, or if you enjoy a career, slowing down can feel like a significant disruption. It is wise to plan on some potential changes to workload, however.
Especially if you work a job that requires strenuous activity, long hours on your feet, or any heavy lifting. At some point, you will need to modify your workday to alleviate stress, preserve your energy, and promote a safe and healthy pregnancy.
It’s ok to relax your workload for the sake of your baby. Your workday modifications will only be temporary and won’t last forever. Knowing and accepting that fact ahead of time can help you prepare for the coming changes.
2. Talk to Your Boss
Once you feel comfortable, talk to your boss or supervisor and tell them you are pregnant. That way, you’ll feel more confident about modifying your activities, and that alone can help bring some balance to your work life. Alerting your boss about your pregnancy will give you more freedom to take care of your body while working, make workday modifications, and schedule doctor’s visits as needed.
3. Build Rest and Relaxation Into Your Day
Pregnancy can be draining both physically and emotionally, so it’s essential that you build rest into your day. Once you leave work, focus on activities promoting balanced stress levels and improving your overall well-being. Don’t bring your work home; instead, spend your non-working hours resting and relaxing.
Take a walk to promote cardiovascular health, do things you love, and eat a healthy diet. Make sure you get plenty of sleep to allow your body to recover so you can maintain a sense of balance the next day.
4. Ask for Help
Find support at a crisis pregnancy center if you don’t already have a built-in support system at home. The caring staff will help you walk through this journey and give you emotional support and resources to make it through your pregnancy while also balancing your career.
You can also attend classes to help you learn more about how to enjoy a healthy and balanced pregnancy and prepare you for motherhood and beyond.
At Choices Pregnancy Centers, we know that it’s hard to balance a career when you’re not pregnant, so doing so when you’re pregnant can feel even more complicated, especially when your body is changing. Our goal is to ensure that you never feel alone and that you have what you need to enjoy a safe and healthy pregnancy. Contact us today at one of our Choices Pregnancy Centers to learn more about our pregnancy services, classes, and resources.
