A drawer crammed with snacks; herbal tea; or scaling back duties. There are ways to cope at work with looming motherhood, says Colleen Simpson.
So you have discovered you are pregnant and now that the initial elation, fear or surprise is waning, the reality of juggling a busy life with nausea, hunger, fatigue and other symptoms is setting in. While pregnancy is a natural condition, a lot about it can feel anything but normal.
To some extent, today's mothers-to-be can be thankful to even be allowed to work - it wasn't far in our past that it was not considered acceptable to be expecting and employed simultaneously.
The reality today is that many expectant women work until close to their due date or even right up to it for reasons varying from financial necessity, heavy workload or a reluctance to leave the workforce even temporarily.
That said, coping with even a normal pregnancy can sometimes mean mustering strength you didn't know you possessed. One of the most common, and dreaded, conditions experienced during the early months is nausea. Some statistics suggest that 50-88 per cent of women experience nausea to the point where it disrupts their life. Severe nausea and vomiting can make keeping your good news secret very difficult and there is no single cure that works for everyone. Some expectant mums swear by dry crackers, explaining that constant nibbling keeps the nausea at bay. Others suggest ginger beer or peppermint tea as a way to settle that seasick feeling.
One professional worker, pregnant with her second child, says secrecy has been at the top of her agenda because - being relatively new to the firm - she has concerns about how her news will be received. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, has gone to considerable lengths. She says, "I hide food around my desk and try to eat quietly without anyone noticing the binge going on. I pick up my gym bag, head out the door and then go hide in the library for an hour to get some rest."
Midwifery support adviser Lesley Dixon says it is difficult to make sweeping generalisations about the difficulty of working when pregnant as pregnancies vary not just from woman to woman but also each time for the same mother.
"There are so many variables, including employer, employee, role, workmates and how the pregnant woman is feeling," she says. "But part-time workers tend to find working during pregnancy easier. Another factor is how much financial pressure the woman is under."
Primary school teacher Caroline Harper faced some physical difficulties at work during her two pregnancies. First time around, she found it tough to be on her feet all day and the exhaustion - coupled with concerns about being knocked by boisterous children - led her to take maternity leave earlier than she had expected.
"During my most recent pregnancy, I was teaching part-time so I was able to work much further into my third trimester," she says. "This resulted in different problems, that being my rather large tummy which kept sweeping children's pencil cases and drink bottles off their desks."
Ms Dixon says there is a shift among employers who value their staff to show more understanding towards expectant workers. "It depends on the quality of the employer," she says. "However, we have seen increased awareness of responsibility and a realisation of the cost of recruitment and retention of skills and knowledge."
COPING TACTICS
- Try for flexible working hours or reduced hours.
- Make sure your working environment is ergonomically correct.
- Stay mobile - walk across the office instead of emailing.
- Write lists and reminders as a guard against forgetfulness.
- Take comfort as well as professionalism into account when dressing.
- Squirrel away a heat bag in case backache strikes.
- Consider support tights to combat swelling, and wear flat shoes.
- Turn to nature for help - remedies such as vitamin B6 help indigestion, as does avoiding coffee, chocolate and spicy or fatty foods.
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