Pillow on work chair to make more late-pregnancy friendly

[LuxuryTrifle]

Hi MNers

Any ideas for how to use a pillow or something to hack a work chair to give better late pregnancy seating position/fetal positioning? I know knees must be lots below hips.

Am Third trimester and struggling with sitting at work - also need to optimise baby position- aiming for vbac and EMCS last time was due to malposition. Gym balls are banned at work; They may get me a kneeling chair shortly before I go on leave, but until then need to just survive. Midwife recommended getting advocates to go in with me and fighting HR for the gym ball but HR are implacable and even asking was really unpleasant experience and I really don't want the conflict especially since I am only there a few more weeks. So if I can rig up something with a pillow would be best until this chair materialises. Dunno if at all possible but want to try something

(I am not a wimp for not fighting this further - I did make the case, nkt HR are totally determined not to permit a gym ball though - they did work assessments in the past for them and ruled that across the organisation they pose health safety risks. They are adamant they would prefer me to go off ill. I am not ill at all, just want to somehow hatch a way to sit. The chair would do that when it arrives - til then I need to improvise.)

Mothercare sell a wedge pillow that may help. I think Argos may do to. What is your chair like?

Can you buy a cheap kneeling chair yourself and take that in? I found that the most comfy way to sit as doesn't squish the bump.

5years - my current chair is an office chair with a slight seat angle - I tried stacking jackets into it but o keep sliding off. I will look at the mothercare wedge- thanks! I suspect I may slide off but perhaps won't be as slippery as the coats.

Munchkin - v interested to hear kneeling chair helped. I am really looking forward to getting one even if it doesn't arrive til the week I go! (A real risk. Just so slow). I don't think I can afford even a cheap one thiugh - finances a bit of a crunch - a pillow is prob the outside of what we can manage!

Did you find a super cheap one that worked?

Munchkin - v interested to hear kneeling chair helped. I am really looking forward to getting one even if it doesn't arrive til the week I go! (A real risk. Just so slow). I don't think I can afford even a cheap one thiugh - finances a bit of a crunch - a pillow is prob the outside of what we can manage!

Did you find a super cheap one that worked?

I feel your pain! I'm 36 weeks on Monday and have another two weeks of work to go yet.

I've taken in a cushion and placed it at the bottom of the back rest, it kept falling off so my colleague improvised and secured it to the back of my chair with an elastic band! So you may need to do some improvising to make it work for you. Could you tie something round the wedge pillow, like a scarf maybe? To keep it in place.

Sounds awful about HR not letting you have a gym ball. A colleague had a hip op and had to sit on a gym ball for 5 weeks. If you are really struggling you could ask your manager to refer you to occupational health, HR have to go with what they say, if they suggest a gym ball then HR would have to comply. That said, if you've only got a few weeks left you might not get a occupational health review in that time.

Good luck!

I have a back support which helps. It was organised via the weekly stationery order. Wasn't expensive tho. I thought workplaces legally had to provide what you needed to be comfortable at work.

Seaside - good idea about lashing it to the chair! Sadly yeah already had an occupational health review which is why they are getting the kneeling chair (eventually!) - the oh thing took months to even schedule, so it's unlikely to happen before the chair eventually gets here . (It's been ordered and paid for, but progress still glacial).

I am going to try rig up something with a scarf and wedge - the mothercare wedge looks a bit soft for sitting on (seems to say is more for using at ones back), but I found something that looks similar but firmer at a website called posturite, £20 for a 12 degree wedge. Prib direly uncomfortable but better than the present!

Christelle - yes, my midwife says that too - the problem is that they have a blanket ban (due to their own occupational health reviews company wide) on all gym balls, and the kneeling chair will take several weeks to arrive. My occupational health review person did not identify wedges as an option so they won't get me that either. The review said 'get this kneeling chair urgently' but it's public sector so urgency isn't really urgent.

HR suggested that if waiting for he kneeling chair is not satisfactory to me then I should go 'off sick' but I am not remotely sick so I refused.

It's been awful really - don't want to go into it - am also being told I anm unreasonable even after agreeing to obey! Just keen to avoid any further conflict, improvise for now, take the kneeling chair when it appears, and go on maternity leave with a huge sigh of relief.

I am going to get a wedge myself though. Maybe I can use it for something afterwards too.