When I kept my pregnancy a secret with my second child at the start of the first trimester, one of the parts I found the most challenging was coping with morning sickness. Trying to act ‘normal’ and avoid difficult questions can be hard when you feel so poorly, so I thought it would be useful to share my tips on how to deal with morning sickness at work.
Going to work during early pregnancy before any one knows you are expecting comes with a number of challenges. You may be waiting for your 12 week scan, you might not be ready to tell your boss yet, you may even worry about it affecting your promotion or have had a miscarriage in the past and therefore be more cautious about sharing the news too soon. Whatever your reason for not announcing your pregnancy, keeping your pregnancy a secret when your waistband is already starting to feel a bit tight can be tricky. Here are some hints and tips for how to deal with morning sickness at work that you may find helpful during those early days of pregnancy.
Eating wisely for Morning Sickness
- Eating regularly can prevent nausea from kicking in, as often, it is the stomach acid on an empty stomach that causes you to feel nauseous or be sick. The concept of eating little and often is key here, as for the same reason, over eating is not a good idea either! Eating something small every half an hour to 45 minutes, even if a small handful of nuts or a satsuma, can really help. If you have meetings where you will be stuck in the same room for a while, take a little bowl of nuts of grapes with you if you able to do so.
- When sitting at your desk, pick snacks that you can eat discreetly – lots of rustling and opening of packets is more likely to draw attention to your change in eating habits, particularly if you are not usually a grazer in the office!
- There are lots of anti nausea measures available on the market which can really help cope with morning sickness at work including ginger sweets or dry crackers. It is also really important to drink lots of water as dehydration can exacerbate the symptoms. Take a refillable bottle to work so that you don’t have to keep going and refilling your glass and aim to drink at least 8 glasses a day. This ss also handy if you find you are urinating more often than normal as you can blame it on a H2O detox!
Confiding with a colleague about your Pregnancy
- Find a trust friend or colleague – whilst you may not want to tell your immediate boss, it may be helpful to confide in someone – a trusted friend or colleague, so that there is someone you can speak to or ask for help if you are feeling really out of sorts. They can also divert attention and change the subject if the smell of someones lunch time snack is making you heave at your desk!
- If you have Work related outings or meals out, this colleague can also assist with purchasing non alcoholic drinks, although it may be easier to offer to be the designated driver if you normally like a large glass of wine with your dinner.
- If the works do is normally a heavy night for alcohol, why not get there early and confide in the waiter / waitress, asking that they ditch the vodka in your drinks for the evening! You won’t be the first person to do this and at least this way when drinks are served to the table it is far less obvious that you’ve made a different choice.
Plan your work day around your pregnancy
- If you are experiencing bad nausea or morning sickness at work, planning your work day can make a big difference. Schedule your work meetings wisely. If you are able to manage your own diary, choose the timings of your meetings to suit when you feel at your best. For many mums to be, morning sickness is true to its name and is better by lunch time, but for others it can kick in more in the afternoon when you start to feel tired. If you feel worse in the morning, try and avoid having a meeting first thing.
- Allow yourself longer to get to meetings, that way you can buy in some time to go to the toilet on the way.
- Combine trips to the bathroom with trips to the printer, that way you can come back with paperwork in your hands and not have colleagues wondering why youve been to the toilet AGAIN for the second time in 10 minutes.
What if you do feel sick in the office?
- If you do get morning sickness at work and feel like you need to actually vomit, go to a stall and put your head between your knees for a bit. A breathing exercise like those on mindfulness app Calm are a great way to reduce your anxiety levels as often the fear of being sick can make it worse. The iWatch has a great breathing exercise on it which is easy to do in just a few minutes and very discreet with no sound.
- Try and take regular walks away from your desk, even if it is just to stretch your legs. If you can, get outside during your lunch break. Simply sitting outside and getting some fresh air can help reduce the nausea symptoms.
What if the morning sickness gets really bad?
- If your morning sickness at work gets really bad, you may want to visit your GP to see if he can recommend anything to help. You may also want to reconsider whether or not to tell your boss or a colleague. The relief I felt when I finally told my boss was immense. Having just one person in my immediate office that could distract others or divert attention was really helpful!
Finally, remember that pregnancy is a protected characteristic under the equality act and therefore you are not allowed to be treated unfavourably as a result of your pregnancy. There comes a point at which the best option for everyone may be to advise your manager of your pregnancy.
