Nowadays, women are present in most, if not all, work fields. This means that they spend most of their pre-conception and pregnancy working.

Safety at work

Safety at work has improved considerably in recent years. Companies have been forced to let their employees know about the dangerous substances they may be handling and also provide the necessary safety measures to avoid possible accidents or unsafe situations.

Nevertheless, pregnancy is a very particular situation and conditions which wouldn’t normally affect your physical health can affect your pregnancy, or your chances of conceiving. But by taking certain precautions you can have a safe pregnancy and continue doing your job. On the other hand, remember that you should treat pregnancy as you would any other injury or physical condition that requires special treatment.

 Work conditions

If you work with chemicals, your employer will let you know the effects they will have on your health in the information pages about these products your company has available. There are professions which may involve more health risks than others but, as a rule, you must work in a well-ventilated place if you are handling chemical products or have adequate protective equipment to avoid direct contact.

Working in places where you may be exposed to biological elements is another situation you must take into account. You must be careful not only if you work in the medical profession, but if you are also in contact with a sector of the population that may be more prone to contracting certain illnesses, such as young children in daycare and school, who usually suffer from more illnesses because their immune system is still developing. Also, if you work with animals, you must take the necessary precautions to avoid contact with viruses or bacteria that could affect you.

Lastly, jobs that require great physical effort could put your pregnancy at risk and you must talk to your doctor to know if it’s advisable for you to continue carrying out this job.

Hazardous jobs

If you do any of these jobs, depending on the regulations of your state and the size of your company, your employer may be required to give you a different position which is less hazardous to your pregnancy. Some of these hazardous jobs are:

• Printing presses and photo labs. Arsenic, cadmium, carbon monoxide, DDT, lead, lithium, mercury, toluene, nicotine or vinyl chloride are some examples of products that are dangerous during pregnancy. Find out if your partner works with these products. If so, have him shower and change clothes before coming home.

• Cleaning. The products you use in your house shouldn’t be a problem if you follow the instructions on the labels. Nevertheless, if you work with industrial cleaning chemicals you should determine what their ingredients are and talk to your gynecologist about them.

• Cosmetics. There are some studies that show that intense daily contact with dyes in beauty salons and other strong beauty salon products like perm solutions are harmful to your pregnancy. Try to reduce the amount of time you are in contact with them, and always use gloves and make sure that the place where you work is well ventilated.

• Heavy lifting jobs. If your job consists of heavy lifting, such as heavy boxes or jobs that require extreme physical effort, like being a firefighter, your doctor may tell you to perform a less strenuous job.

• Teachers. Small children suffer many illnesses in their first years, which most adults are generally immune to. But there are some typical contagious illnesses in infancy that could affect the fetus, such as chicken pox (varicella) or fifth disease. Wash your hands as much as possible and when working with kids, avoid sharing food with them.

If you have any questions about your job and its consequences, always talk to your doctor. Besides telling you what type of risks you may be subject to and the consequences, he will be able to inform you about what type of request to file with your employer to protect yourself during pregnancy.

For many of us, taking time off work during pregnancy is not an option. Sometimes you work until the last possible minute in your pregnancy, to later be able to spend as much time as you can with your baby.

Your type of work

Your type of job will influence how you feel during pregnancy. There are jobs that require more of a physical effort, or long hours standing, others doing repetitive work. This might be difficult to endure during the first months of pregnancy, when exhaustion is common, and also in the last months when the size of your belly causes other problems like swelling of the legs. 

You should also determine if you are doing a job that is a health risk for the development of your pregnancy because of the types of chemicals you handle or possible infections you might be exposed to. But with the exception of dangerous jobs, that will require you to do another activity during these months, there are ways in which you can alleviate the discomfort related to clerical or retail jobs.

Tips to help you endure discomfort at work

During pregnancy you develop a number of symptoms that may be more uncomfortable, depending on your type of job. For example, if you have a backache and are standing for long hours because you are in retail sales, the pain will get worse. If your legs tend to swell, spending long hours sitting at a desk will make the problem worse. If due to the effects of your pregnancy you have carpal tunnel syndrome, sitting in front of a computer is not going to help your problem.

Although you will probably have to bear some discomfort during pregnancy (whether you work or not), taking some precautions will help lessen the discomfort.

• If you work sitting at a desk, stand up every 20 minutes and walk around the office. Go see a co-worker in stead of sending her an e-mail, go to the water fountain to drink or simply walk around. It’s important to improve blood circulation in your legs now that your blood volume has increased considerably.

• If you work on your feet, and you are behind a counter, look for a step stool six or seven inches high and alternate putting your feet up, one leg at a time. If you are sitting, place a box, a foot stool or a chair where you can put up your feet for as long as possible. Your circulation will benefit from that.

• Use a pregnancy support girdle to give your back more support during those hours you spend standing or sitting at the office. Your muscles are now more relaxed because of your hormones and some extra help will do you good.

• Practice appropriate exercises during your pregnancy outside office hours. Exercise, as long as your doctor doesn’t say otherwise, will reduce your discomfort and will give you more physical resistance for the hours you have to spend doing your job.

• Stay well hydrated. Drink a lot of water; even if you have to go to the bathroom often (those walks will do you good). And don’t forget to follow a well-balanced diet and rest as much as you can at home.

Talk to your doctor about any discomfort you experience that worries you. Don’t rule it out as “normal” during pregnancy, because it might be indicative of some other condition.

Pregnancy and the Workplace

For many of us, taking time off work during pregnancy is not an option. Sometimes you work until the last possible minute in your pregnancy, to later be able to spend as much time as you can with your baby.