Congratulations on having a baby on the way. Your life is about to change with this tremendous blessing. Pregnancy is part of what a woman goes through in her journey to motherhood. But even when this phase is not smooth-sailing, and sometimes difficult for the mother, they are only offered maternity leaves after delivery. Women are still required to report to work even in their first to third trimesters to ensure a good life for their babies.
It is the right of pregnant women to be given comfort and flexibility whether they are employed by a company or working as a freelancer.
Mothers receive maternity leave, but sadly, most employers don’t pay them during this time. During their pregnancy when they have to report to work, they have had to deal with physical changes while doing their best to finish their tasks at work. It is much more difficult for a pregnant woman to sit for long hours and work on a desk job than someone who is not carrying another human being in her belly. But even with these challenges, work can still be fun and fulfilling for the pregnant mom. Below, we recommended some ways on how you could enjoy work during pregnancy:
Arrange Items In Your Workspace for Accessibility
When you are pregnant, you would be moving less because of bodily discomfort. Because of this, the smart way to remain efficient at work is to put all your essentials on your desk and arrange them in a way that the things you need at the moment are within arm’s reach. The items that you don’t use as much must be tucked away properly in storage and must only be taken out when you need them. Remember the goal is for you not to exhaust your muscles so you shouldn’t be stooping over to reach drawers or straining your neck to use your phone.
One arrangement looks like a workspace divided into three areas: one for paperwork, one for computer use, and one for meetings. The layout really depends on the nature of your work and the environment where your work area is situated.
Shift Between Sitting and Standing Positions Frequently
You might forget that you can’t sit for long hours because this is bad for your health. Set an alarm if you have to remember that you need a break to shift from a sitting to a standing position and vice versa. You don’t want to be developing muscle problems at this point. At the same time, you don’t want to be standing for too long because your legs and feet might get sore and swollen and even give you back pain. So you need to have a balance between sitting and standing at work. Be mindful when you are hunching your back because this is an indication of bad posture. A good measure is to alternately sit and stand for every elapsed hour of work.
Use a Comfortable and Ergonomic Chair
This is already helpful for nonpregnant employees, what more for pregnant women. Your body composition will change and that includes your abdomen area. The baby in your tummy will put a strain on your musculoskeletal system that may eventually lead to back pain. It’s definitely a good and worthy investment to have an office chair that you could adjust to meet your needs. An ergonomic one will be designed to help alleviate back pain, neck strain, and muscle aches.
Position Your Chair in the Most Comfortable Way
It’s not enough that you have a comfortable chair; you must know how to maximize its features to benefit from having one. How do you adjust an adjustable chair right for you?
1. Check the lumbar support and push it forward until your shoulders are in a relaxed, neutral position.
2. Ideally, your feet must be flat on the floor so adjust the seat height and depth accordingly. If you are working at home or in a chill workplace, feel free to work barefoot.
3. You would want to have a neutral posture throughout the day so to do this, adjust the back tilt of your chair. If you draw an imaginary line, it should be straight from the hips to the shoulders to the neck to the ears.
4. When you become pregnant, it’s natural that the adjustments would change so that you are able to maintain proper posture.
Put Your Legs at a Height with a Box or a Stool
During pregnancy, it can’t be avoided that your legs and feet may swell up and cause you pain. For momentary relief, you might want to elevate your legs by having a box or a stool underneath.
The best option is to elevate them above your waist, which would look like propping your feet up on your desk. If possible, you could also lower your keyboard and lean your chair back to around a 135-degree angle.
Stretch to Avoid Soreness
For most pregnant women, working out is the last thing on their minds. But it can actually benefit your pregnancy and labor so even though it might seem difficult to move, try your hand on exercises and stretches that will relieve muscle aches and back pain. These also help when you’re experiencing headaches and swollen legs. Start rolling your shoulders up, back, down, and forward while seated to make a circle as large as possible. This simple exercise will relieve neck pain and stretch your shoulder and neck muscles.
Load an area of your desk with Healthy Snacks
Pregnant women will have the most intense cravings every now and then. First-time moms or even the veteran ones are always surprised with their capacity to eat, even though they are just munching food all the time. Relax; you are feeding two people. But since you are taking care of another person’s health, make sure that the food you eat is healthy and good for them. When you have a supply of healthy snacks within your reach, this is easier to commit to and would also help to not let hunger pangs disrupt your work.
Dress up in layers.
You will be going through hot and cold flashes because of the multiple chemicals that flood your system. The weather, season, and room temperature are immaterial to how uncomfortable you will be with your clothes. To solve this problem, dress in layers. In this circumstance, dress up in layers so that you could simply remove or add one item of clothing, depending on your body heat.
Add an Anti-Fatigue Mat to Your Workspace
Standing can also make your legs and feet sore and swollen. Adding an anti-fatigue mat would help solve this predicament. A firm floor can cause problems on your bones so it’s still recommendable to stand on a floor mat for a stress-free work time while standing. You may check out the Standing Desk Anti-Fatigue Mat MT1 of FlexiSpot.
Invest in a Standing Desk
Standing desks will benefit pregnant women a surmountable amount. In terms of mobility and calorie expenditure, you will be at a significant advantage if you stand up for 10 minutes after every hour of focused work. It’s easier to commit to standing regularly during work when you have a standing desk. It will give you comfort even while you’re standing and will promote good blood circulation.
Conclusion
You are a blooming, baby mama who is about to welcome the biggest blessing of your life. We hope that we get rid of your worries so that you can radiate positivity. Many of the best workplace tips that pregnant women receive only have to do with good ergonomics in place.
