Sleeping at work

[Emma2803]

I'm really exhausted at the minute, only 13 weeks. Would it be awful of me to have a wee nap at my desk?

You might get caught, do you have a break?

Can you do it without anyone noticing?

I've an office to myself but people come in and out to me all day.
I've a little sofa and was really tempted to have a nap a few times the past few weeks (I'm 10+2)
I thought of locking the door but I know as soon as I started to relax someone would come knocking

Is there a first aid room / recovery bed in your office that you can use? My office has one and it can be used by expectant mums who are feeling ill, tired, dizzy etc.

I used to nap in the toilet in those early weeks. Not very comfortable, but I was utterly exhausted

PieceOfTheMoon I did that too and it feels so undignified, it made me feel secretly quite angry at society for not making life easier for pregnant women, my inner feminist suspects that if men were the ones who got periods, pregnant, and breastfed, there'd be all sorts of adaptations and provisions in the workplace for these times!

Our office had a "mothers room" which is a bizarre windowless box room, with a vaguely comfy chair, a fridge, and a lockable door. I suppose it's mainly for breastfeeding mums who pump, but I did occasionally sneak in there for a couple of power naps in my third trimester. I'm pretty sure no mums used it for pumping as the fridge is always empty - seems more of an American concept as they have such short maternity leave there whereas most British women would have stopped breastfeeding by the time they return to work anyway.

Check with your HR department. When I was struggling they told me I could take an extra break in a room that was set aside for people with medical conditions or who were pregnant or expressing. It was a lifesaver - everyday I could lie down for 20-30 minutes which got me through to 36 weeks without compromising my work by being exhausted.