THE WORKPLACE

Even for those of us who love our jobs, sometimes life at the office can be a real pain.

Now imagine trying to do your job with an extra 20 to 30 pounds or more at your midsection. Perpetually swollen legs. Extreme fatigue. Nausea. The fact that everyone in the office is talking about you behind your back, wondering if you’re doing your share of the work, and if you’ll stay.

Or all of the above.

In a report released earlier this year, the U.S. Census Bureau said that 57 percent of women who had their first child between 2001 and 2003 worked full time during their pregnancy. That percentage has held steady for 25 years with percentages in the mid-50s.

The following medical do’s and don’ts for pregnancy are drawn from the wealth of advice that Dr. Marjorie Greenfield gives in “The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book.”

•Avoid abdominal trauma. If you have a job that risks blunt force to the abdomen (like falling or being pushed), ask that your duties be modified.

•If you work in a very noisy environment, see if you can change the location of your work area or get a quieter job. Wearing earplugs may protect your hearing, but it doesn’t do a thing to help your unborn baby.

•If a work environment didn’t seem particularly healthy for you when you weren’t pregnant, it’s not going to miraculously improve.

•Try to do the bulk of travel, for business or pleasure, during the second trimester. Having to battle morning sickness, the urge for more frequent restroom visits and extreme fatigue isn’t the best way to travel with ease. Besides, you want to be close to your doctor during the first and third trimesters in case any complications (a miscarriage early on, premature labor later) arise.

•Do a variety of activities during the day. Try to have as much control of your day as possible. If your job requires standing for long periods, break up the day by sitting a little bit each hour. For desk jobs, be sure to stretch your legs and walk around frequently.

•Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you have to stop all strenuous activity. If you’re used to heavy lifting, for instance, it’s fine as long as it’s intermittent and you take breaks. But repeated heavy lifting, particularly the lifting and twisting that is required in some factory jobs, may impede fetal growth or increase the chance of preterm labor.

Newhouse News Service