Discover when the Right Time is for you to Leave Work during Pregnancy

Work during pregnancy is a personal choice. You can continue working till your delivery or avail maternity leave according to what suits you best.

Public sector companies, private and public banks, IT/ITES sector companies and others are generally sympathetic to the demands of pregnancy that women have to bear. The allocation of maternity leave according to the respective company may range from 3 to 6 months. Some organisations even allow new mothers to take up to 1 year of maternity leave without pay. But, that depends on the period of association with the company. There are certain organisations in the IT sector that even allow women to work from home when they are expecting, albeit for a limited period of time.

Work during pregnancy is just fine if you have taken care and evaluated:

• The condition of your health.
• The condition of your baby’s development.
• The strains and responsibilities involved in your work.

When Not to Work

You must consider not working during pregnancy when experiencing discomforts in pregnancy such as dizziness, morning sickness, swelling and any complication which disables you from working. Your doctor would advise you to stay away from work until these discomforts or complications subside.

Certain medical conditions during pregnancy such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes or multiple pregnancies makes it necessary for you to leave work early. Your doctor would advise you to take time off and most employers are generally obliged by law to comply.

How far into a Pregnancy you can Work

Women working in jobs that are very stressful should cut back their working hours. A study conducted in Holland points out that pregnant women who work more than 32 hours a week are more likely to suffer from preeclampsia, have babies with low birth weight and colicky babies (those who cry a lot).

In the study, the optimum working hours for women employed for stressful jobs was said to be 24. Anything beyond that was considered as being overstraining for the women. The emphasis was also on maintaining fitness while the women performed their jobs. Thus, it is advisable to keep healthy and maintain pregnancy fitness when working long after getting pregnant.

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