Coping with stress in pregnancy

[xMrsxHx87x]

Hi everyone. I'm looking for a little advice. I work in managerial role and today I had to have a challenging conversation with a colleague I manage. The conversation did not go well and, in short, they were taken by surprise by the concerns I raised, got very upset and angry and turned a lot of the issues I was hoping to address back onto me. It reached a stalemate and they left for the weekend pretty furious (I had intended for a civil conversation followed by a weekend break and a fresh start - I did not anticipate this reaction).

I've been a manager for several years now, but I've never had this experience before. I have, to my knowledge anyway, had good working relationships with all colleagues and those above and below me in the management tree. I don't know if it's pregnancy hormones or inexperience, but it's really shaken me up. I cried all the way home, I haven't been able to eat, my heart is palpitating and I have a headache that just won't shift. I'm 3 months pregnant and very conscious of the impact of stress on the baby.

There's nothing I can do to change what's happened, but I was hoping for some tips and advice for how to cope with work related stress and/or general anxiety in pregnancy (I don't ordinarily find my job stressful - until the recent concerns emerged, I've loved where I work and what I do - so I'm not sure how to handle it!). If anyone could please share tips for how to switch off mentally and/or to physically relax, I would be hugely appreciative! I just don't want to spend my whole weekend in a state of high anxiety.

And if anyone has and tips for improving strained relationships with colleagues, that would be great too 😂

Hi there it's a labour ward midwife and a mum of 2. I am sorry to hear the conversation went the way you didn't expect. I am not sure about the best way to approach this person next week. I just want to reassure you that one stressful episode or even the weekend is unlikely to cause harm to baby. If your heart palpitations and headache persist please call 111 and follow their advice. As for what you can do to relax over the weekend... I would say do your favourite things. If you like reading I would recommend Positive Birth Book from Amazon. I hope it helps

Hiya, I am really sorry to hear about how this went and the stress this has caused you. I understand as I have been pregnant and manage people at work. It’s easier said than done, but just keep in mind that you did the best you could, gave feeback based on the evidence/ observations with the view of helping them start again. Unfortunately we can’t manage or control the way people react and usually difficult feedback can elicit strong reactions. It could be exposing issues the colleague may already be aware of and are dealing with themselves. Maybe the weekend will be an opportunity to let time pass. It’s important to also seek support for yourself from your manager or HR if this is causing you stress and know this is not a sign of something you are not doing but more to help your personal growth dealing with difficult colleagues. I had a similar issue a few years back and my HR advisor coached me through the follow up convo. Also, if this is simply something you can do without then let your manager know as you need to do what’s best for your health and wellbeing x