Kiddipedia
Working whilst pregnant doesn’t have to be a dreaded activity, it doesn’t have to be hard, it can be easy and fun.
For the majority of us, there are so many activities within our control to support us to work happily and productively while we are pregnant.
Here are my three favourite areas to focus on whilst working and pregnant. I have included several tips so choose what is most applicable to your circumstances.
Step #1 – Nutrition
What you fuel your body matters, not only for you and your baby but so you can show up for those around you and to be a productive and energised employee or a business owner.
When it comes to your nutrition, whilst working and being pregnant you want to ensure that you are meal planning, prepping your food and batch cooking every week.
This will save yourself precious time and energy. It will also ensure you have nutritious food on hand and won’t be tempted to reach for something not in alignment with your health goals.
Having go-to snacks on hand at all times is a great way to ensure you won’t be rushing to the cafe in between meetings or visiting the snack bar or vending machine.
You can do this by having:
- Small containers of nuts and seeds made up in advance so that you can always have them in your handbag or desk drawer.
- Cook a batch of healthy muffins or a slice and freeze. Take a serving out in the morning for your work day ahead.
- Create containers of yogurt, seeds, grains and fruit in advance so that you can grab and go.
Remember ordinary routines create extraordinary results.
Step #2 – Create boundaries
You spend the majority of your waking hours in the workplace so you must set boundaries between work, home and pregnancy.
Ensure that you are not over-scheduling your work day, this can be done by blocking out time to take breaks. When it comes to supporting others and completing additional work that comes your way, be honest if you already have a full plate.
One of my favourite lines is “I would love to help, unfortunately, I don’t have time today but I can complete this for you by (the date that suits you).
Be strong with yourself when it comes to your work hours. For a lot of us, we have very demanding jobs that can consume us if we don’t have healthy boundaries in place. This is even more important whilst pregnant as stress and overwork are not a good combination for you and baby.
Setting boundaries can take time so don’t be too hard on yourself. Start by noticing when you have overcommitted or overworked.
Notice how you feel.
Ask yourself how you would like to feel instead.
What would have to be different to be feeling this way?
You may like to journal or just reflect on these questions. It is very hard to change anything if we are not first aware of how we want to be feeling and what it is that we could be doing differently.
Tip #3 – Ask for support
We can’t do it alone.
Asking for support can seem daunting, we can tell ourselves we are not worthy or conjure up a million reasons why we should not ask.
However people in our lives are often more than willing to support us with the goals we set for ourselves, we just have to simply ask.
Build a support team into your life and share your health and pregnancy goals loudly and proudly. It is amazing what we can achieve when we have the support of others.
This can include having open conversations with your boss and team about how long you wish to work during your pregnancy and letting them know how they can support you in the workplace. This may require flexibility with your work hours or the types of work that you take on.
If you’re thinking that you could use more support in your life, brainstorm what your ideal support team would like.
This may include immediate family, friends, work colleagues, health professionals, coaches, as well as service providers such as a cleaner.
This week reach out to one of these people on your list to explain your goal, how they could help you and ask for support in your life.
I bet that they will be more than willing to support you.
Wishing you a happy, healthy and energised pregnancy.
Alyce Garth is a Health and Nutrition Coach, supporting exhausted high achieving women living with thyroid and autoimmune conditions.
She draws on her extensive qualifications as a certified Health and Life Coach, has a Bachelor of Health Sciences and she has represented Australia at the Triathlon World Championships.
Alyce has created her career on her terms where she balances her coaching business, a part-time executive-level position in a large corporate organisation and is also a mum.
Following Alyce’s own challenging health journey she is passionate about sharing her knowledge and strategies with other women so they don’t have to go through the same struggles as she did. Her signature approach focuses on nutrition, habits and behaviour change and empowers her clients to take control over their health and their life.
Alyce lives in Queensland, Australia with her family where she loves multi-day hiking, visiting the beach and spending time cooking in the kitchen.
Links
Facebook – Alyce Garth Health Coaching
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Facebook Community – The Happy, Healthy & Inspired Community – Thyroid & Autoimmune
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