You’re pregnant and working – Christine Hill on when to stop and put your feet up

It’s only fair to let your boss know, as soon as possible, when you discover you’re pregnant, so she/he has time to plan ahead and work out alternative cover arrangements while you’re away. The problem is, you probably won’t want to tempt fate and announce your news until you know that your pregnancy is stable. The figures for early miscarriage in a first pregnancy are around 10% - 15%, and it is most likely to happen when you are between 8 and 12 weeks pregnant. (Calculate your pregnancy from the first day of your last period). Most women can relax when they reach 14 weeks, and this would seem to be a good time to tell people at work.

The downside to this plan is that if you have been throwing up and feeling like death, none of your work colleagues will have known why (unless they guessed) and by the time you tell them you’re pregnant, you’re beginning to feel very much better – but that’s another story.

When to give up work

You’re not going to like this, but it’s best for both you and your baby, if you plan to give up work at 34 weeks – six weeks before your baby is due.

I can hear you say it: ‘That’s ridiculous – I’m feeling absolutely fine; what on earth is the point of lying around at home for six weeks (or even eight weeks as first babies are always late). How stupid to use up all my maternity leave before the baby is born. It’s obviously much better to work [till] as late as possible, as apart from anything else, I’ll have more time afterwards to be with my baby. Anyway, it’s completely out of the question, because my boss has three children and, with each pregnancy, she was in her office until the head crowned – and back at her desk two weeks later.’

Of the 5,000 pregnant women I have seen, nearly everyone – be they doctor, secretary, lawyer, banker or someone who runs their own business – will tell the same story: Unbelievable as it may sound now, by the time you reach 34 weeks you start losing interest in your work. Even getting to work becomes an effort, and if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll be counting the days before you leave – especially, if you’re working long hours, making important decisions and commuting as well.

If possible, it’s better to divide up your 18 weeks maternity leave (or whatever you are entitled to) so you finish earlier and go back earlier.

Under no circumstances agree to work beyond 36 weeks

These are good reasons for this:

• First babies aren’t always late – in spite of what your friends tell you. From my figures, 50% are late, 25% are born on time and 25% are born early. This means that, if you are working until 38 weeks, it’s quite possible to have your baby the day you are due to leave work. Apart from the obvious lack of preparation this would involve, are you really prepared to risk your waters breaking during a meeting or when you are seeing a client?
• The baby you are carrying is very important to you. This goes without saying. Although she hasn’t been born, she’s still very much there and you want to give her the best start. She’s absolutely dependent on you now, and that means she needs you to slow down and take a rest during the day.
• Giving up work and having a baby are both major life events. They’re potential sources of stress and, as such, can increase the risk of depression. It doesn’t take a genius to see that it’s sensible to try and separate your two life events by more than a week or so.
• Your baby needs you to take a rest during the day, preferably from 28 weeks onwards. When you lie down, the blood supply to the placenta is increased, which means your baby receives more nutrition. This in turn means she is more likely to grow (you may have noticed how dramatically your baby grows when you go on holiday), which is good news for your baby. It is unlikely that your place of work will be equipped with a bed to enable you to do this, which is another reason for not working beyond 34 weeks. Incidentally, most obstetricians will put mothers on bed rest if their baby is small.

• Possible blood pressure problems. Raised blood pressure in a pregnant woman is always taken seriously, but sometimes it comes down just because the woman stays in bed.
• The other reason for getting into the siesta habit is that you will need to, when you have had your baby. You are probably going to be more sleep-deprived than you can ever imagine, and if you are unable to nap during the day you will have a problem.

And, horror of horrors, you could also find yourself taking an interest in baby clothes and looking into other people’s prams. This growing interest in babies is called primary maternal preoccupation, and it is nature’s way of making sure that you’re in an appropriate state of mind to care for your baby after birth.

Bear in mind, too, that you could well be quite physically incapacitated by the time you get to the end of pregnancy, especially if you’ve put on a lot of weight. Getting in and out of a car can be difficult enough, let alone putting on your tights. So time to call it a day and give in to rest and recuperation. Enjoy it.

Find out more about your maternity rights when you’re working and pregnant.