Working a trade fair in pregnancy

[Spoutnik]

Hello everyone,

I am pregnant with my first child and my job requires me to attend a trade fair later in the year as an exhibitor. I worked out that I'll be 7 months pregnant then (31 weeks).

I have been very lucky so far with my pregnancy (no morning sickness or anything unpleasant), so I am planning to attend the fair (knowing that I won't be on my feet all day, instead I'll be sitting down and taking appointments). The fair only lasts 3 days.

Sounds easy so far, but I can't tell how I'll feel at 7 months, in a crowded environment, no breaks (especially with a daily commute of 3 hours minimum in total!).

I wonder whether anyone here had a similar experience of working at a trade fair in their third trimester? What would be your advice?

Many thanks in advance :-)

Not exactly the same but I delivered 2- and 3-day trainings on my feet at that stage. My suggestions:

• carry a water bottle and bring snacks
• don't be a martyr - sit down or negotiate a way to take a break if you need one
• set aside time the next few days to rest and recover. Do nothing but rest in the evenings if you can manage it.

It can be done, assuming you have a straightforward pregnancy, but if you know in your heart you're not up to it don't be afraid to pull the plug at the 11th hour. In fact negotiating a back up plan with your work is probably a good idea for peace of mind.

I did one at 5 months, very easy pregnancy compared to my previous one
It was only 2 days and I had a chair very handy but I don't think I was really on form and I was bloody exhausted.
If you have to just keep sitting down and stay hydrated but if you can avoid it I would

When I was pregnant with ds (my first) I worked for myself am did very busy craft fairs which required a fair bit of lugging stock and a lot of standing up selling (they were usually around 7 hours long). Ds was due on Christmas Eve so my 7th and 8th month were also my very busiest times- very well planned I know! I did my last fair at 38 weeks and it was fine- I was gutted that I hadn't booked any for the week after to make more cash! However, I didn't do the last few alone, dp came to help with carrying and to give me a break if I needed it. I also took a stool (there were no seats provided at one of the fairs), plenty of water and lots of snacks. I also stopped taking commissions so that I could relax on the Monday- not sure how feasible a day off after would be for you? I had a really easy pregnancy though, with dd there was no way I could have done it I don't think.

I did a 4 day one at 36 weeks. When I finished the trade fair, that was me done and off on mat leave. I was provided with a stool on the stand so that I could sit down but be at the right level for talking to customers. It was tiring, but the journey home on the train afterwards was worse! (Train strike, cancellations, direct train became 3 changes, waddling through stations trying to get to the next platform in time, sitting on luggage in the carriage doorway as no one would give up a seat, only person to offer to help me was an older lady with an arm in plaster!)
Back on point, make sure you have a seat, make sure you are able to take enough breaks, can get food and water, and don't do any social side in the evenings, they are for resting and sleeping!

Hello everyone, first of all apologies for this really belated response

I just wanted to say thank you for your replies -- a lot of very sensible advice here. I have since gone on and changed my appointment schedule a bit so I have more breaks than usual (every 1.5 or 2 hours instead of every 4 or 5 hours). I think I will also follow the other advice of taking time off the day after the fair (if I can't I'm sure I should be at least allowed to work from home!) and get plenty of water and snacks with me!

I won't have to do any entertaining after the fair (sometimes we take clients out but not this time, phew) but I do have two evenings taken, one with a "pregnancy evening" (where you visit the delivery suite at the hospital) and the other with my first NCT class where I'll probably fall asleep

Anyhow thank you very much again for your help