Editorial TeamPregnancy is a big change, especially if you’re expecting twins, triplets, or even more kids, so how can you stay relevant at work, and even advance your career, while also navigating multiple pregnancies?
Women are often expected to be superhuman, juggling family life, kids, career, chores and friends. Women today are constantly pushed to the limit by being expected to be in several places at once otherwise they have to choose between motherhood and career. This is obviously not fair, because we can do both. Pregnancy is a big change, especially if you’re expecting twins, triplets or even more kids, so how can you stay relevant at work, and even advance your career, while also navigating multiple pregnancies?
Study the law
It’s very important that you understand your rights as a pregnant woman in a company. Just like anyone else, you have the right to work and take leave once you can’t work anymore. If it seems to you that you’ve hit an unfair barrier, it’s good to know the law and recognize that it’s completely on your side.
In the USA, there’s something called Pregnancy Discrimination Act that prevents employers from legally firing you, laying you off, lowering your pay, overlooking your for promotions, holding you back in your career and taking benefits away from you because you’re pregnant. Similarly, it’s not possible to hire, promote or boost someone’s pay based on their pregnancy. Every worker needs to be treated equally with regard to the law—remember your rights.
Announce your maternity leave in advance
It’s important to plan how and when you’re going to announce your pregnancy so you have enough time to negotiate your schedule and pay. This is important because multiple pregnancies require you to stay stress-free for the health of your babies. While you’re away, your job needs to be properly divided and under control. Create a maternity leave plan so you can:
- Do everything you’re supposed to do before leaving
- Keep people informed about your leave
- Have your projects taken care of
- Negotiate possible part-time work
- Help your managers with suggestions
Manage appointments like a pro
During multiple pregnancies, it’s necessary to catch various regular appointments to ensure you and your little ones are healthy. If you have older kids, they also need regular checkups. These visits to the doctor can take a lot of your work time, so make sure to plan appointments for lunch breaks. If you know your appointments often run longer than expected, book them after work. To ensure your kids are in great hands, look for the best children’s health specialists of Florida in a huge database that connects patients to doctors.
This service will save you a lot of time, money and nerve and ensure your kids only get the best care. Also, use your waiting time in the doctor’s office productively by bringing your laptop and doing some easy work like answering e-mails, going over the numbers or editing your work.
Discuss your coverage
There’s always a possibility of being left out of certain important assignments while you’re carrying out your pregnancy, but it gets lower if you articulate your plan for being on leave. While you’re away, it’s important to have all your tasks handled, possibly even reviewed directly by you. Even if you plan to wait a while before announcing your pregnancy, make sure to have a plan in place with responsible people to cover for you while you’re away.
Stay comfortable
While you’re still at work, make sure to enjoy all the comfort you can get, because multiple pregnancies can be exponentially harder on your body and mind. Here are a few ways to make sure you’re comfortable at work while pregnant: take plenty of breaks, get enough sleep during the night, set aside ‘me-time’ so you can be focused while at work, measure the amount of work you take on carefully, wear comfortable shoes and clothes so you can stay mobile, keep moving to get the blood flowing, and most of all, put your health first.
Help out your colleagues
Your colleagues also have needs, so make sure to handle your maternity leave with them in mind. It’s impossible for them to handle the workload if you just disappear without telling them what to do and when to expect you back. To be a good team player, map out all your projects and daily tasks and help find your replacement. This ensures smooth activities at work while you’re staying busy with your twins or triplets at home.
If you handle your maternity leave in this way, you can rest assured you’ll hit the ground running when you come back to work, without any interruptions to your career. And you’re free to be the best mom you can be to your kids at home.
Bio: Eve Anderson is a marketing specialist turned blogger. Interested in sports and exciting travel destinations. Love to share content that can inform people.