April 23rd, 2010 
From hiding morning sickness to breaking the news to your boss, here’s how to survive pregnancy on the job.
- It’s best to wait to share your pregnancy news until after your first trimester when your risk of miscarriage decreases.
- To help keep your pregnancy a secret, move the buttons on your pants so you can wear your old clothes for longer.
- Make sure your boss finds out first–and make it a formal meeting when you finally break the news.
- Remember, you have the right to keep working during your pregnancy for as long as you are able to perform the essential duties of your job.
- If you’re afraid of getting left out while on mat leave, get a coworker to copy you on important emails that you can check on your own time.
When it comes to telling your boss about your pregnancy, should you play the waiting game, or ’fess up right away?
Although some people believe you should break the news as soon as you know so your boss has more time to plan for your absence, others recommend waiting as long as possible so you don’t risk getting treated differently (or having responsibilities suddenly delegated elsewhere) just because you’re pregnant, says Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, author of The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book.
“Some women also prefer to wait until after the first trimester when the risk of miscarriage decreases,” she says. “And if you’re going for genetic testing, you may want to wait until you’re done with any tests that might have you choosing to terminate your pregnancy–it’s devastating enough without having to tell everyone about it.”
If you decide to keep your pregnancy a secret for a while, here are a few strategies to try:
- Move the buttons on your pants, or invest in a Bella Band, so that you can continue wearing your old clothes for longer.
- Sometimes your growing breast are a bigger giveaway than a tiny baby bump–good-fitting bras and blousy shirt styles can help camouflage both.
- Sit by the door when you’re in meetings so if you have to leave abruptly (due to nausea or first trimester bladder issues), it’s not so conspicuous.
- And every time you take a trip to the loo, have another reason for getting up from your desk, says Dr. Greenfield. “Drop something off on someone else’s desk, or use the photocopier so you’re not just beating a path back and forth to the bathroom.”
Whenever you decide the time has come to “go public” about your pregnancy, make sure you tell your boss first so she doesn’t hear about it through the office grapevine, says Dr. Greenfield. “It’s very unprofessional if she finds out from someone other than you.”
When it comes to how you approach your employer, Dr. Greenfield says it’s usually best to make it a formal process. “Sit down with your boss, tell her when you’re due and share any ideas you may have for how you’re going to get work covered when you have to be out of the office. It shows you’re thinking about it and is a sign you’re committed to your job.”
Pregnancy can affect women very differently, so it’s hard to know how you’re going to feel as your pregnancy progresses. In the first trimester, you may feel tired and nauseated as your hormones kick in. “Some women feel horrible first thing in the morning, while others crash around 3 p.m.,” Dr. Greenfield says. It helps to plan the bulk of your workload around times when you know you’ll be feeling your best.
“Another option is to book a vacation around the eight- or nine-week mark, when morning sickness symptoms tend to peak,” says Dr. Greenfield. Or, if your job is flexible, arrange to work from home for a few days so you can rest when you need to and still get your work done.
When it comes to juggling work and your medical appointments, try to book the first appointment of the day. “Doctors are more likely to run on time for their first appointments,” says Dr. Greenfield. It’s best to try to avoid midday appointments–they tend to be the most disruptive to your work schedule. And if you find yourself logging a lot of hours away from your desk, do your best to make the time up while you can.
Many women worry about whether going on maternity leave will impact their jobs. “A lot of women are so identified with their work that they think they’ll still want to be involved when they’re at home with their newborns,” says Dr. Greenfield. “And then they commit to a lot more contact with work than they ultimately want.”
She recommends keeping your expectations of how involved you will be as low as possible, just in case you suddenly realize you want to focus all your attention on your new baby. “Don’t make too many promises about calling in every day or answering emails–you just won’t know how things will be until after the baby arrives.”
However, you may still want to stay on top of what’s going on in your industry to make it easier when you do return to work after maternity leave. “If you don’t want to get too left out, get a coworker to copy you on important emails that you can check on your own time,” Dr. Greenfield says. She also recommends having one point person who manages all communication with you instead of having multiple people contacting you every day. Step up your involvement with work closer to your return date: it’s important to find out what’s been going on so you’re not overwhelmed your first days back, she says.
It’s important to know that you have the right to keep working during your pregnancy for as long as you are able to perform the essential duties of your job: You can’t be fired or demoted because you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant.
