Pregnancy and work

When a friend of mine found out that she was pregnant, she wanted to tell everyone –friends, family, even strangers on the street. But despite all her excitement, she decided to wait a little while before sharing the news at work.

She knew that her co-workers would certainly be happy for her, but she also worried about the effects of pregnancy on her stamina, taking maternity leave and talking to her boss about her pregnancy.

In this article from DiversityInc., writer Lizz Carroll interviewed several women about this issue and came up a list of do’s and don’ts.

• Wait until past your first trimester. When you break the news to your boss, be prepared by bringing a plan that includes a timeline, a list of upcoming projects and how co-workers will manage while you are on maternity leave.
  
• Remind your co-workers that you are still committed to your job. “A lot of people immediately jump to, ‘Oh she’s pregnant, now we’re going to have to pick up the brunt of her work.’” Jennifer Williamson, vice president of internal communications for Sodexo told DiversityInc. “I think it’s important that you realize that you need to continue to be responsible for your commitments, your deadlines.”
• Plan to take more leave time than you think you’ll need. It’s easier to come back early than to stay away longer.
• After maternity leave, come back to work in the middle of the week. Also, prepare for the day by doing a dry run.
• Figure out whether or not your workplace has a lactation room. If not, make arrangements to have a private room to express milk several times a day.

This piece of advice wasn’t in the article but I think it’s very important: Find childcare now while you’re still pregnant. Don’t wait until the baby is born or even later when you’re heading back to work. Visit as many places as you can and educate yourself about the kind of care you want and can afford.

I also found it really helpful to slowly ease back into work. When my eldest was born six years ago, my employer at the time was very flexible. After a six-month leave, I returned to work only two days a week. I did that for about six weeks and then added two more days for the next few months. I waited until my son was about a year old before I started working full-time again. This arrangement was such a blessing to my family – it helped with the transition, our family’s new schedule as well as with breastfeeding.

What advice do you have for women who are pregnant at work or returning to work after maternity leave?