Marjorie Greenfield—

I just did such a fun interview about pregnancy and work for a writer for the Schenectady (NY) Daily Gazette. For those who live in that area, it will come out Sunday July 6. Joann McFadden, the writer, asked me open-ended questions, so I got to talk about all my favorite topics–timely too because I have to prepare a short talk on this subject for my book signing at Joseph Beth Booksellers this Thursday.

So what are the issues related to pregnancy and work? These are the topics that people keep asking me about–

• Pregnancy symptoms in the workplace
• When to tell work that you are pregnant
• How to tell your boss, and what to expect
• Occupational risks and toxic exposures
• Maternity leave laws and policies
• Returning to work after maternity leave
• Breastfeeding and working
• That balancing thing

Over the next few weeks I hope to write a little about each of these topics.

Today let’s talk about pregnancy symptoms.  In researching The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book, some moms told me that it was harder to work in the first trimester than it was when they were in their ninth month. Early pregnancy fatigue and (for the unlucky 70% of women who experience this) nausea and/or vomiting can make working quite a challenge–particularly if you don’t want to tell everyone yet that you are pregnant.

Here are some suggestions that I got through my interviews and published in my book:

For fatigue

• Take a power nap at your desk for 15 minutes when you get tired
• Take a brisk walk when you get sleepy
• Bring a power bar or other healthy snack to eat as you start to fade
• If your job is flexible, consider going home for a nap in the afternoon and working at home in the evening

For relief of (or at least less consipicuous) nausea and vomiting

• Bring snacks like crackers or dry cereal or whatever works for you to settle your stomach
• Combine bathroom trips with other expected activities, like going to the copy machine or mail room
• Sit near the door at meetings so your coming and going isn’t so conspicuous
• Consider telling one close coworker so you can get some support
• Some moms told me that they had to tell work earlier than they planned because it was just too obvious that they were pregnant, or because their performance was so affected by their pregnancy symptoms
• Take a vacation or medical leave for a few weeks if necessary
• Check out the early pregnancy relief kit on page 74 of The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book for more ideas

I don’t want to sound like pregnancy is always awful! Many moms-to-be feel pretty good, and function just fine on the job for the whole nine months. These suggestions won’t be needed by everyone. But planning ahead for how to manage (and knowing that lots of moms have survived this before you) can be helpful if you are having a hard time. I’d love to hear what you would add to these lists!

In my next post I’ll tell you what I have learned about “when to tell the boss” and invite you to tell me your stories.

Marjorie Greenfield, M.D., is a practicing, board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and associate professor of reproductive biology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Dr. Greenfield has written hundreds of articles for the Web and currently blogs about pregnancy for Yahoo.com.

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