Managing professional career and being pregnant

[Kellyg789]

Hi , I work in a demanding , corporate, fast pace environment. I love it but now having no energy , Brain not functioning and backpain really makes day-to-day working life a challenge - anyone else feel the same ?

I'm feeling exactly the same, not helped by the fact I don't get more than 2 hours of unbroken sleep a night!

Is working from home an option for you? I've found that to be a great help- an extra hour in bed and no commute to worry about at the end of the day.

For your back, if you are mainly desk based, have you had a workstation assessment to make sure your desk/ chair are set up correctly for you?

Yup - I've gone from being a relatively productive professional in the finance industry to a tired, forgetful, baby obsessed airhead.

Luckily, I'm managing to achieve enough that my colleagues/boss don't seem to notice and still think I'm valuable - in fact by some fluke I've been getting more praise and recognition than before which I honestly don't think I deserve given how useless I feel!

I'm only 26 weeks so expecting it to get worse as pregnancy progresses and sleep reduces further!

I had this last year, was working 12-13 hours every day in the office & was utterly shattered the rest of the time. Colleagues couldn't understand why I was so tired or what baby brain actually meant, I just had to keep constantly repeating that it was because I was pregnant until even I was annoyed by it! I didn't really find a solution I'm afraid but good luck & congratulations

OP I am managing by cutting back on commitments where I can, so I can focus on the core things I really need to do to be valuable, and still do them well.

Before this I was a totally workaholic so people are understanding as they can see it's part of a career strategy. Can you talk with your manager about offloading any responsibility but present it in a positive way, like, I am in investing in these core activities?

I also sleep in more and have a deal with myself that I can leave the office by 6.30 but I have to get certain things done. I find my brain is more focused as I know I have x hours to get y done. In a way, not being able to think, oh I can just stay late tonight makes me more productive.

I am also making sure that any really big stuff gets done as far as poss in advance, like esp public presentations etc, as then I know I have that nailed and other stuff I can fly by the seat of my pants more.

Also remember this is one part of a life plan and it won't be forever.

The only way to cope, is to do as little as possible to recover when you're not at work. I started going to bed really early - like as soon as I'd got in and eaten. I worked from home when I could as commute made day that much longer and I could get more done if I worked from home. Try to do the most important things that require concentration first thing in the morning, as concentration seems to get worse as day progresses. Keep well fed and hydrated. Try not to do too much at weekends too. Even simple things like cleaning house and shopping would tire me a bit - so if you can get a cleaner or order online etc, that might help. Good luck!

How far along are you? I work in a different sector but high demand, high stakes (vulnerable kids), busy, intense.
Found the first 14 weeks unbearable then ironically felt much better weeks 15-35 or so. When people could see the bump and cut me slack!!
Had a meltdown week 12: one of the few colleagues who knew I was pregnant sent a boy with suspected TB to me for assessment!?!!!!

...In terms of the cutting slack, what I meant was by then I didn't need it. I felt fine!