How to Work From Home While Pregnant and its Benefits

As the world adjusts to the new reality of living with the coronavirus and the climate crisis, working from home has become much more commonplace. This is great news for expecting mothers, as there are numerous advantages for both the employee and employer. If you are expecting a baby, how can you make working from home a success? What are the benefits of working remotely while pregnant?

How to Work from Home While Pregnant

The standard advice for working productively from home applies when you’re pregnant, for example:

• Create good work/life boundaries by having a dedicated office space or ‘office in a box’ you can pack away at the end of the day.
• Even the most introverted person needs social time, so plan a walk or pop out for a coffee to avoid loneliness.
• Be aware that communication is harder via text, and double-check your messages to be sure you’re saying what you mean.

There are some additional things that you should keep in mind when pregnant, too.

• Make sure that you get up and stretch every 30 minutes (set an alarm) to avoid aches and pains
• Add a footrest to help reduce swelling in the ankles
• A rolled-up towel can be a great lumbar support
• Be wary of carpal tunnel, as you are more likely to develop this in pregnancy. Don’t rest your hands on the keyboard – your company may be able to provide you with a wrist rest.
• Keep in contact with your line manager and let them know of any accommodations you need.

Working from home while pregnant can be a great opportunity to maintain a healthy balance between work and family life. It can provide a safe and comfortable environment for us pregnant women, reducing exposure to potential hazards in the workplace and allowing for more flexibility to attend prenatal care appointments or rest when needed. Additionally, it can provide an opportunity to save on commuting costs and maintain social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. With the right support and planning, we pregnant women can take advantage of these benefits that working from home has to offer. 

1. Safety

To allow you to carry a baby to term, your immune system weakens during pregnancy and this makes you more likely to catch whatever bugs and sniffles are doing the rounds in the office – and we’re still living with a pandemic. Choosing to work from home is a straightforward way to lower your risk of coming down with anything that might affect you or your baby.

2. Flexibility

Many people with chronic health conditions choose to work from home because it gives them the flexibility to work when their symptoms are less, and the same holds true for pregnancy. If you find that you can’t work first thing due to morning sickness, or find nausea comes on later in the day when you can fit your schedule around that. If you need to take an afternoon nap to make it through to the end of the day, you can factor that in too.

3. Comfort

Aches and pains are a normal part of pregnancy as your ligaments loosen in preparation for birth. Finding a comfortable position is much easier when you have your whole house to try rather than a desk and a chair in the office. If you find you need to work from bed for a bit, you can. If lying on the sofa with your feet on the arms and your laptop balanced on your baby bump helps, you can do that too.

4. Energy

Growing another human is tiring! Why put yourself through a commute if you don’t need to? Take advantage of that extra hour in bed and save your strength for doing what needs to be done.

And remember, working from home isn’t just for pregnancy. If you’ve made it work now, then you could consider working from home when you return to work after parental leave. Remote working is a great way to keep the career you love, even after you’ve taken on the role of your life as a new parent!