Reducing The Stress Of Being Pregnant As a Young Professional
You just found out you’re expecting a baby. While this would generally be good news, you’re overwhelmed with uncertainty. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are professionally, and you’re worried a baby won’t fit into the equation. You wonder if you’ll be able to maintain your career throughout your pregnancy or if you’ll have no choice but to give up something you’re passionate about to raise your child.
There’s nothing wrong with feeling this way. Being pregnant as a young professional is a huge undertaking, but it’s not impossible. Many women have had successful pregnancies and raised children without compromising their professional lives. Though the journey won’t be easy, these tips can help make things more manageable.
Visit Your Doctor
Above all else, your health is the priority. If you’re not your best self physically and mentally, it will be hard for you to maintain your career let alone, have a successful pregnancy. A trip to the doctor can give you more insight into your health and wellbeing. It will also ensure that everything is alright with the baby.
You’ll need a physical exam, bloodwork, and a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Finally, they’ll set future appointments for things like a blood glucose check, ultrasounds, and STI tests like those provided by Hologic Universal Screening to evaluate the growth and development of your baby and your overall health.
Talk To Your Partner
If you’re in a relationship, the next step is talking to your partner about your pregnancy and career. You can inform them of pertinent information from the doctor and discuss your concerns. Together, you can come up with a plan to make the experience more manageable. The idea is to get support from your partner. Whether it’s helping with things around the house or simply being there when you need to talk, their support will prove invaluable. If you’re not in a relationship, then go to your friends and family. They, too, can help you overcome some of the obstacles of being pregnant as a young professional.
Meet With Your Employer
While you may not want to share your pregnancy news with everyone just yet, your employer needs to know early on. Having a meeting with them in the first few months of your pregnancy gives them the time to make changes in the workplace. They can also take precautions to ensure you’re in a safe environment. Let them know about your pregnancy, your projected due date, any medical restrictions, upcoming appointments, and when you intend to take a leave.
Whether it’s reducing your workload or streamlining processes to make your daily tasks more manageable, it’s your employer’s responsibility to ensure you’re comfortable in the workplace. If your employer is not accommodating or feel you’re the victim of pregnancy discrimination, don’t hesitate to report it to your human resources department.
Simplify Your Work Life
The last bit of advice for pregnant young professionals is to simplify their work lives. While you’re not disabled and more than capable of doing your job, you and your baby’s health comes first. Too much stress can cause significant complications during your pregnancy. So, evaluate your daily tasks and responsibilities and implement routines or utilize resources to lighten your load and reduce waste, be it physical or spiritual. Whether it’s working from home, delegating tasks to coworkers, or using digital platforms to streamline monotonous tasks, it goes a long way to ensuring you can manage your job without the stress.
Being pregnant doesn’t mean that you can’t be a successful working professional. Yes, there’s a lot involved in keeping everything intact, but women have been mastering it for decades. As long as you put you and your unborn child’s health first, seek support from others, talk to your employer early on, and embrace solutions to simplify your work life, getting through the next few months will be less stressful. Less stress means that you can ultimately stop worrying and simply enjoy this precious time in your life.