Working During Pregnancy: Do's and Don'ts

Growing a human can be difficult and exhausting, and doing a job during pregnancy can add to exhaustion. Even though it is difficult, women all across the globe still manage to continue their job while pregnant.

Working while pregnant is safe, but all you need to do during this time is ensure that you take good care of yourself as a baby. To do that, you need to understand when to stop working and how to manage pregnancy symptoms during your job. If you are not aware of such details, then read out our blog to help you balance work and pregnancy:

Do's and don'ts during pregnancy:

 Do's:     

Morning Sickness:

You may experience nausea or vomiting at some point in your pregnancy. Most women experience it for the first time, and morning sickness may hit them at work. So what can one do to ease up the nausea?

• First, avoid your nausea triggers, which means avoiding any kind of food smell or odour that can trigger your nausea.
• One important thing you need to do is take vitamin B-6, considered safe during pregnancy and known to be helpful in quilling nausea. Taking the medicine at night is best as it may cause you to sleep during the day.
• Apart from that, also ensure you have your snaking options nearby to help you avoid nausea.
• Lastly, make sure you have your antenna medication prescribed by the doctor so that you feel like vomiting, you can take those medicines.

Say no to stress:

We know that work and stress get along all the time, but work, please stress should be minimized when you are pregnant. Some of the changes you can make in your workplace are to take control of every small task and eliminate the task that is not required to be completed. If someone else can do that work, pass it on to someone.

If you feel frustrated due to work, share your frustrations with your friends, loved ones, and co-workers. Even while working, don't forget to practice relaxation techniques such as breathing and calming exercises. This will help you in keeping stress at bay.

Make pregnancy care comfortable:

Often it is the small things that matter when it comes to pregnancy. And now that you are pregnant, you must understand that your pregnancy progress depends on everyday activities. Sitting and standing comfortably is one of them.

• It is best for you to move around a bed every few minutes or hour to help prevent fluid buildup in your legs and feet and ease the muscle tension.
• While sitting in a chair, make sure that your chair is adjustable as per the support you need so that you can change the posture and also place a question to get the extra support you need.
• While standing, make sure that you are not standing for long periods. If you are standing for a little bit longer, switch weight and take frequent breaks. Always ensure you wear comfortable shoes, or you can even wear a support or compression hose.
• While bending, make sure that you bend your knees, not the waist while doing, so that you can keep the lord close to the body, lifting with the legs, not with the help of the back. Following this can prevent your body from twisting while lifting or bending.

Fatigue: Ways you can handle it:

As you know, now your body is working for yourself and to support pregnancy, which can cause you fatigue. It is not easy to get rest during the workday, so here are a few things that you can do:

• Often pregnant women suffer from iron deficiency anaemia that results in fatigue. However, with a proper diet, you can manage it. Add iron and protein-rich food such as NushkaKitchen's Nari Kalyaan Paak, Shankhpushpi Brahmi Herbmix, etc. and also don't forget to sip water throughout the day at work.
• One of the most important parts of caring for yourself during pregnancy is getting good sleep or eating hours every night. It is best to sleep or rest on the left or right side to keep the blood flowing well to your baby and ease the swelling. If you feel uncomfortable, you can also place it below or between your legs or under the valley.

 Don't's:     

Don't overstrain yourself:

It is good that you are working during pregnancy, but it is when you need to ensure that you get enough breaks and rest during the whole day. If you have a desk job, it is best to get up every few minutes and move around a bit. Also, try to rest by closing your eyes for a while. Avoid doing non-work related activities so you don't get exhausted while working. Avoid non-work activities and take a rest in between.

However, you should know that physical activity helps boost energy levels, and when you have a desk job, you must ensure that your prenatal fitness is optimum. To maintain that, you can also take advice from your healthcare provider and join prenatal yoga classes.

Precautions that you need to take:

During your pregnancy, you must be cautious about not doing things that can lead to complications. Some of these things that you need to avoid are:

• Doing any kind of heavy lifting or climbing.
• Avoid carrying anything and also avoid standing for prolonged periods.
• Avoid extreme temperatures and extreme noise.
• Avoid exposure to any harmful substance.

Read also: Exercise Mistakes to Avoid During Pregnancy

Conclusion:

Pregnancy can be stressful, and balancing your job while pregnant makes it more stressful. But don't worry; you can balance out both by following the do's and don'ts and ways to manage work life during pregnancy mentioned here. Remember that this is a special time of your life. If people want to help you, then take help. Once in a while, even if you come late after a doctor's appointment, don't feel guilty. Don't be hard on yourself and your baby. Why? Because you and your baby come first than any other work. Ensure to enjoy this special time of your life!