Pregnancy and office work: how to combine with minimal damage to health? Work during pregnancy: how to facilitate the labor process? How to work without compromising your mental and physical health

Contrary to popular belief, pregnancy and work are not mutually exclusive. Of course, your condition leaves a serious imprint on your well-being, but this is not at all a reason to quit and sit at home, suffering from lack of fulfillment, lack of confidence in the future and simple communication in a collective. Of course, night shifts, overtime and heavy physical work will have to be abandoned. The most important thing now is to properly organize your professional activity so that it doesn't hurt the baby. How to combine pregnancy and work? Read further in the article.

Work during pregnancy: how to facilitate the labor process?

If you have made a firm decision to combine pregnancy and work, but a special situation is increasingly reminding you of itself with nausea, irritability, fatigue and other symptoms, use the following tips. They will help you make the work process more comfortable:

  1. If your activity is connected with a long stay on your feet, take breaks every 1-2 hours. Having taken a sitting position, try to put your feet on a raised platform in order to prevent swelling. To unload the spine, alternately put your feet on a box or a low stool;
  2. If you have to lift weights, walk up stairs, or bend over at work, talk to your doctor. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to talk with your superiors about changing your duties for this period, since large loads are contraindicated at any gestation period;
  3. If you are an office worker with typical sedentary work, walk more often to stretch your legs and improve blood circulation, and sit them on a raised platform; put a pillow under your back. It will be useful next exercise to stretch the limbs: stretching the leg forward, bend the foot. Repeat these steps several times an hour;
  4. If, due to your health, it is difficult for you to combine pregnancy and work, to travel to the office and stay there all day, you can discuss with management the possibility of working from home. Not all organizations can afford such indulgences, but you will agree that many tasks (with the exception of active communication with clients) can be implemented anywhere. Mobile phone, mail programs, instant messengers and other modern means of communication greatly simplify this process;
  5. Some believe that prolonged work in front of a computer monitor increases the risk of miscarriage. This is a misconception, however, every two hours you need to take a 15-minute break to stretch your muscles and improve blood circulation;
  6. If you have to come into contact with radiation or harmful chemicals, you should talk with your doctor about the possibility of combining pregnancy and work at the planning stage. If you are not going to leave the enterprise, discuss with your superiors the possibility of a temporary transfer to another position or take maternity leave earlier;
  7. Refrain from long trips. If your activity requires frequent business trips, try to reduce their number in the third trimester of pregnancy. In anticipation of the expected date of birth, do not go far from home. If you are suffering varicose veins veins, and during the trip you have to sit a lot, get up and move every hour to improve blood flow to the limbs. When traveling by car, do not forget about the seat belt, but at the same time remember that it Bottom part should pass under the stomach and not pinch it;
  8. Always keep calm. Avoid during the day stressful situations. Hard work and pregnancy the best combination. During non-working hours, try to provide yourself good rest. Reduce mental and physical exercise, and if you are tired - take time off to go home early;
  9. wear comfortable shoes on the flat sole supporting bandage and special stockings. It is advisable to dress in “layers” for work: body temperature often rises during pregnancy, so you should be able to remove some of your clothes during the day to avoid overheating. If your organization has a specific dress code that goes against the above advice, ask your boss to make an enforced exception for you;
  10. Avoid smoky areas. Tobacco smoke is not only harmful to the unborn child, but can also increase your fatigue.

If you had to leave your job...

It happens that due to certain reasons from work during pregnancy have to refuse. This may be due to both the working conditions that we talked about earlier, as well as pregnancy complications or personal circumstances. But regardless of the factors that contributed to this decision, there are many ways to spend the time remaining before childbirth for the benefit of your professional growth, and sometimes family budget. Remember, that:

  • Pregnancy is a good time to study. If you have got free time in connection with the dismissal, spend it to good use. Remember what you wanted to learn? What will help you improve your professional skills? Or maybe it's time to learn a new specialty? Blind typing, accounting programs, graphic editors, language courses, massage, manicure, different kinds needlework - this list is endless;
  • Pregnancy and work can be combined at home. If you had to give up your main activity, remember long-forgotten skills and start tutoring with schoolchildren / students. You can organize cooking classes or open a sewing workshop. Another option is to work on the Internet (freelance) in the field of advertising, programming, design, translation, etc. The advantage of such work will be the absence of a rigid schedule and the need to visit the office. In addition, such activities do not involve serious loads, so you can cope with your duties even on later dates.

The woman who is in interesting position”, should get tired as little as possible. Her working day is simply obliged to begin with pleasant sensations.

Having learned about your pregnancy, you should immediately abandon everything that can irritate and spoil your mood. You can start every morning with a pleasant and favorite music ringtone. Let it be he who will open a new day, and not an annoying screaming and squeaking alarm clock.

Instead of music, you can use a night light, which at a certain moment turns on by gradually increasing the brightness of the light. Light breakfast, warm shower and soft home bathrobe is a guarantee positive mood and have a good day at work.

The time of the working day should decrease in direct proportion to the duration of pregnancy, work should not lead to overwork of the body. during pregnancy, it should also bring joy and be a pleasure. if you have a hard job antenatal clinic you can get a transfer certificate on light labor and don't overwork.

Are you expecting a baby? Immediately refuse to work at the computer, because the PC is a source of radiation! It was these words that could be heard from our doctors some ten years ago. But not today.

Modern computer technology does not threaten a pregnant woman. Its skillful use will not harm either the expectant mother or her child. The main thing is that the workplace is as comfortable as possible. Of course, it is desirable to reduce the time spent on the computer during pregnancy, especially if it tires you.

Set the display slightly below eye level to reduce eye fatigue. Remember to take breaks from work every 30-40 minutes. A light and short charge will perfectly relieve stress and eliminate dry eye syndrome. Charging is extremely simple: first look at distant objects, and then at those that are close to you. Circle your eyes in the air big circle, then look at what is happening outside the window, several times spend your eyes on passers-by hurrying along the street or birds flying in the sky.

If the desktop computer is not fraught with evil, then it is better to refrain from working on certain types of office equipment. For example, on copiers. It contains cartridges with coloring toner, particles of which fall into the air during printing on a copier or laser printer. If your place of work is near one of these devices, try to swap places with someone or ask your boss to move it away from you altogether.

And now about how to sit correctly. Forget about the fact that you can cross your legs and bend your back into the letter "C", lowering your shoulders. So you will only earn varicose veins and joint pain, because as a result of this, the outflow of blood, blood circulation in the small pelvis slows down. Now you need to sit up straight, while your legs should be bent at about a right angle and stand on a flat and firm base. As soon as lunch hour comes, be sure to go outside to get some fresh air and take a walk so that you are not constantly in a forced position.

Snack as often as possible during work, but only wholesome food in the form of vegetables, fruits or nuts. Don't forget about light charging. Right in the office, you can do a few bends or stretch your back. Being by nature a workaholic, with the onset of pregnancy, you will have to give up such an addiction. It should be remembered that everything is good in moderation. Now you need to clearly separate rest and work, not sitting up in the office after six in the evening. And never work at night!

Other related information


  • Pool and baths during pregnancy

  • Paternity test: how is it carried out and what is the reliability of the result?

  • How to get pregnant the first time or lessons in successful planning
  • Why You Shouldn't Quit Your Job
  • Maternity leave is not a sentence
  • Common misconceptions
  • Rational Decision

Pregnancy is a crucial period for a woman, which leaves a certain imprint on physical activity in terms of the intensity of the load and its duration. A girl, a woman must protect herself from overstrain, both physical and emotional. But this does not mean that you need to fall into a state of hibernation, suspended animation, you must remember that bearing a baby is not a disease, but natural state and business or career is not a contraindication here. In this article, we will talk about how to combine pregnancy and work.

Why You Shouldn't Quit Your Job

The vast majority of sources on the Internet claim that combining work and pregnancy is detrimental to the health of a woman and an unborn child. In fact, rejection active image life will cause many problems. Here it is necessary to combine optimal physical activity with rest. To do this effectively, you do not need to hide the pregnancy from your superiors and colleagues at work. At the same time, you should not be afraid to lose your place, and even more so, to defend your rights, because motherhood is protected by law and it should be remembered that pregnant women do not have the right to:

  1. Forced to work night shifts.
  2. Send on business trips.
  3. Dismiss. Pregnant women need to keep their jobs.

Self-confidence and calmness, these are the qualities that will help you combine motherhood and career. Pregnancy has little effect on professional quality women and professionals high class remains so, because experience, knowledge and skill do not go anywhere.

Another question is that business is a tough field of activity and the owners of companies, firms, enterprises do not want to mess with women in position, since they need to keep their jobs and pay maternity leave. Here the only option is to defend their interests. Unfortunately, the reality is that in most cases it is impossible to combine the joy of motherhood and the workplace.

Maternity leave is not a sentence

But what to do if it was not possible to save the place and the work is now viewed as an indefinite, distant, foggy prospect. At the same time, the option of an unambiguous demotion or even a change of profession is being considered. Such a prospect frightens only the first time, upon closer examination, positive aspects can be found in this.

May be of interest: Instructions for writing a resume for employment


This is due to the fact that returning to work after a long break requires adaptation, and a lower position here is the best option, as it will allow you to restore skills and get acquainted with new methods of work. In addition, its volume will not be so large, and operations must be performed more simple. In general, you should not give up on yourself as a specialist, pregnancy and motherhood are not an obstacle to a successful professional career in the future.

Common misconceptions

A huge number of resources on the network, as well as numerous articles in supposedly authoritative publications, argue that it is quite possible to combine pregnancy and business. In fact, this is a utopia and here's why:

  • Business requires maximum effort, especially if it is organized from scratch;
  • After giving birth, a woman is unlikely to be able to combine child care and business management. To do this, you will need to hire a nanny, which is associated with impressive costs, because qualified specialist will not work for a penny, and trusting a baby to just anyone is very dangerous;
  • Starting to organize a business during pregnancy is simply absurd.

Another misconception is that the internet is always ready to help girls and women in position to make a lot of money. This is a lie and only amateurs can claim this, since the Internet is not charitable organization For work in this area to become profitable, you need to do it for more than one year for several hours a day. The more time it takes, the better. In addition, to receive money from the gold-bearing veins of the Internet, you must have certain skills:

  • writing texts;
  • programming;
  • website creation;
  • advertising and sale of goods and services;
  • 3D modeling.

And the presence of the above skills does not guarantee the successful combination of preparation for motherhood and work, since they still need to be promoted, implemented, and monetized. For 9 months, this is unlikely to be done, due to high level competition. First you have to sell your skills for a penny or even work for free. About, how to make a girl on maternity leave, we told in the corresponding article.

May be of interest: Stages of preparing for an interview

A business in the form of organizing a website is all the more a dubious idea, as it takes time to promote. The only option to speed up this process is to attract specialists, which will require significant financial outlays. Even in this case, the site will subsequently require development, and, accordingly, time and effort.


One of the good options to combine work and pregnancy is to sell handmade products through groups and communities in in social networks. Various crafts and homemade souvenirs are popular today, and you can learn how to make them relatively quickly. In addition, affordable, simple, cheap materials are used for handmade. Such work will allow you to combine pleasure with income. But even here you should not expect an impressive replenishment of the budget. In general, you should not consider the Internet as an alternative to working in real life. It will not be possible to achieve an acceptable level of income here quickly. However, if you are interested in the option with needlework, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the information on how to make money with handmade toys.

Rational Decision

Combining work and pregnancy is possible, but you should not rush to extremes and frantically look for the best options and follow dubious advice. Here it would be appropriate to say that everything has its time. It should be remembered that it is impossible to do several things well at the same time.

Pregnancy, childbirth and childcare is a stage in a woman's life that requires maximum concentration attention and strength. Work naturally during this period fades into the background, which should not be afraid. Subsequently, if desired, you can make a career, become a highly qualified specialist, take high position Or even start your own business.

Conclusion: the combination of pregnancy and career must be carried out after the fact, that is, go to work before due date and dose emotional and physical stress. After going on maternity leave, you can engage in activities that will be more of a hobby, hobby, and will become both a source of pleasure and a small income. We hope we have helped you answer the question of how to combine pregnancy and work for a woman.

  • What is more important - family or career?
  • Handmade jewelry business
  • How to make a man earn more

It's no secret that many women continue to work after pregnancy. There are many reasons - the fear of losing a good job, interest and pleasure, and simply the need to support oneself. We offer you different variants workload that you can use while you are expecting your baby.

Pregnancy and work are by no means mutually exclusive. Of course, your new condition can leave a serious imprint on your professional activities. You will have to give up night shifts, overtime, heavy physical work, severe stress and unfavorable conditions (a seller at a remote trade in the heat or in the cold).

From all sources, information is pouring in on pregnant women that all 9 months should pass in peace and harmony. However, this does not mean at all that you need to quit your job and sit at home, suffering from a lack of communication and lack of fulfillment. Now the most important thing for you is to choose the optimal load that will allow you and your baby to feel confident and calm. And we will try to help you make this choice.

1. Pregnancy is the best time to learn

If with a decrease in your workload you have freed up time (for example, you took maternity leave) that you are ready to devote to something useful, then remember and think about what you would like to learn? What training programs have been offered to you for a long time, but you refused due to lack of time? What can you learn to improve in your profession? What new specialty can you acquire?

It's hard to imagine how huge this list is! You can study both via the Internet and by attending classes in the educational centers of your city.

Blind typing method, manicure , writing, massage, various types of needlework, accounting computer programs, illustrator programs, courses in cutting and sewing, make-up, photography, management in tourism - these are far from full list what you can learn during your pregnancy. In addition, you can start learning a language – after all, many put it off!

You can learn programs to help you when you return to work, or learn the information you need for future promotions. In a word, you know better how you can develop in your field.

Some of these activities do not require very long learning and are easy enough for pregnant women. Therefore, you can immediately make it your additional activity if you have lost your income or just miss doing it.

If you find yourself unemployed (whether voluntarily or not), be sure to research social services that can help you. For example, a job center often offers certain types training for the unemployed. Perhaps they will be able to offer you something suitable for the period of pregnancy.

2. Pregnancy and working from home

If you had to give up your main job, you can always remember long-forgotten skills (if you had any) and take up tutoring, teaching, say, sewing, or even organize your own cooking classes. You can additionally study mathematics / economics / geography with schoolchildren or students. If you just make a wish, then there will definitely be opportunities!

3. Pregnancy and computer/Internet

Spending a lot of time at the computer is harmful not only for pregnant women. However, we know that sometimes without it, nowhere. And now working from home is perhaps the most best option to combine work and pregnancy.

Freelancing - everyone has heard this word. There are many sites where you can find a job / part-time job in the fields of word processing, advertising, programming, design, translation, photography, teaching, consulting, etc. The advantage of this job for you is that you are not tied to a place (office), are not bound by a rigid schedule and can plan your time as you need. Usually this work is not too hard, and even in the later stages you can do it successfully.

4. Pregnancy and institutional work

If for health reasons you find it difficult to travel to the office or stay there full-time, you can ask your boss to move work from home. Or at least let you work from home for a while. Of course, if your work allows you to do this. Many tasks not related to active communication with clients, can be performed anywhere. Modern means communications, such as telephone and instant messengers, simplify this procedure.

Go on maternity leave or stay at work?

How to combine pregnancy and work

This is a tough choice for expectant mothers who striving for success at your job. Of course, there is a fear that someone will take your place, that you will then be forced to leave, that you will not be able to get a promotion or perform your duties normally. If you still decide to stay, watch the tips in our video clip.

How to work without compromising your mental and physical health?

If you work in an office, take work home or reduce your workload, and pregnancy is increasingly manifesting itself in the form of weakness, fatigue, irritability, nausea, read our tips, how to make your work more efficient :

How to combine pregnancy and work

1. Do not hide pregnancy from the team, let them treat you condescendingly rather than burden you extra work, which you will not be able to perform qualitatively due to health.

2. Arrange with the authorities or with one of the employees to replace you while you "break out" to the doctors. Be sure to thank those who helped you and help them out. There are frequent cases when, at first, kind and understanding colleagues begin to envy or reproach you for abusing your position, constantly going somewhere, etc.

3. Talk to your boss right away important points which may cause disputes in the future. Did you have planned long business trip that now falls at the end of your pregnancy? Do you have a strict dress code that you won't be able to fully comply with? Are you not allowed to eat at work?

All this should be discussed not in order to declare yourself, but so that you can calmly continue to fulfill your work duties without worrying about yourself, for the child and for work. And both sides are interested in this.

4. Drink water regularly: Provide yourself with a bottle of water at work. This will make it easier for you to cope with nausea, which often interferes with work.

5. Find yourself a comfortable work chair. It is better if he has armrests, put a pillow under his back.

6. If your work is connected with constant standing on your feet and this cannot be avoided, then alternately let each leg rest, placing it on some kind of hill (step, box, etc.).

7. Adequately assess your capabilities and even in case of urgent need do not grab onto all the work that you are offered. If you can’t do everything because of pregnancy, it will only get worse, and you may even lose your job.

Better make a plan for the day: what you will definitely do without stress. If you still have free time, then ask for more loads. The worker who goes above and beyond is more valued than the one who tries hard to do everything, showing his devotion to the company, and at the same time constantly fails to do something.

8. Avoid the pressure causing stress. Do not try to make decisions right away, always say “I will think about it tomorrow”, thus giving yourself time to make an adequate decision in tune with your condition.

9. Explore different types breathing . Breathe deeply, stretching the length of the inhale and exhale. Breathing like this will help you quickly calm down, collect your thoughts, and get back to work when you are nervous.

10. Don't flaunt your legal rights. If earlier many women simply did not know their rights regarding work during pregnancy and maternity leave, now all this is widely broadcast, and women have confidence that they are protected. But this does not mean that you need to behave from the position of "everyone owes me." Neither bosses nor colleagues like such employees. BUT bad attitude the team will force you sooner or later to abandon the work itself.

As you can see, it is possible to combine pregnancy and work, and many women have proven this. Choose what makes you feel happy and calm - after all, this is the most important thing during pregnancy.

Lyubov SHCHEGOLKOVA

Some pregnant women tend to completely insulate themselves from any work. Others, on the contrary, do not consider their new position as a reason for a temporary pause in their work activity. Which of them does the right thing and is the combination of work and pregnancy justified?

If the doctor, due to a state of health, has recommended rest, from work in without fail should be abandoned for a while. In the absence of risk for normal flow Pregnancy to visit the workplace is not prohibited.

Workplace, equipped modern equipment, Friendly team, warm atmosphere, the opportunity to take breaks for rest and lunch - ideal conditions continue to work in an interesting position. In addition to all this, nice bonus receive financial support in the form of wages. IN this case pregnancy and favorite work are compatible.

If labor activity, working atmosphere, working conditions do not bring positive emotions, and even drive into depression, it is better to take maternity leave.

In any case, for a period of 30 weeks work activity must be terminated using maternity leave(70 days before delivery and 70 days after).

Proper organization of the working day

Having decided to continue working during pregnancy, you should try to avoid stressful situations. When working at a computer, it is allowed to sit at it for no more than 6 hours a day. When working, a pregnant woman is advised to get up from time to time to walk a little, stretch. In addition, the working room should be ventilated from time to time.

Very important for a pregnant woman proper nutrition. It is advisable to give up snacking with sandwiches and give preference to full meals in canteens.

If there is no canteen at the workplace, set meals should be carried from home.

The working clothes of a pregnant woman, first of all, should be comfortable. It is desirable that it be sewn from natural materials and had a loose fit.

Women in position need to observe the regime of work and rest. Mandatory daily walks fresh air. Sleep should be at least 9 hours a day. Important role plays not only physical, but also moral rest. Therefore, on weekends, it is important to forget about working moments, enjoying the rest with your family.

Thus, expectant mothers, if there are no contraindications for health reasons, can combine pregnancy and work. The main thing is to follow the recommendations of experts.