During both of my pregnancies I was teaching full-time. If you know anything about teaching, it is not a profession that goes well with pregnancy. You can’t use the bathroom whenever you want and most of your time is spent on your feet. That’s not to mention the amount of time spent going up and down stairs to different locations in the building for meetings. So here are a few tips of things that helped me make it through my pregnancies while teaching.
Tip 1: Plan Your Breaks
Your bathroom breaks that is. Based on my schedule for the day, I would plan what times I would make a run to the bathroom. I would do this regardless of whether or not I “thought” I needed to go or not. With my first pregnancy I had 3 classes back to back. This was about 3 hours where I had no breaks. I would generally plan a bathroom trip right before the first class and in between the second and third. With this plan there was never more than 2 hours between bathroom breaks.Tip 2: Seating Options are Important
As with many jobs, teachers stand a lot. Which is fine for the first few months of pregnancy because our bodies are used to it. But if you are like me and have a big baby or multiples, somewhere around the 5 month mark standing for an hour straight became difficult. So I bought a stool! This allowed me to take the pressure off of the lower parts of my body and still be able to see the whole class. I could also perch on my stool to write on my board and take it to my door to monitor the hallway. With my twin pregnancy, my mom was really concerned about me overdoing it, so she covered my stool with foam and fabric so I would have a nice cushion to sit on. She’s the best!
I also kept a chair at the table with my document camera so when I was doing notes I could sit down. I have also been known to prop one knee on the chair when I wanted to be standing but needed to relieve some pressure. It’s probably not the most professional stance, but it worked.
Tip 3: Plan your trips
With my first pregnancy, I was at a school that required us to walk our students to and from lunch. My schedule that year was “planning, planning, class, lunch, class, class, class”. This meant I would be going down and up the stairs twice in a 30 minute span of time. Fortunately, the teacher’s lounge (as awful as it was) was on the first floor. So I would take my lunch and work with me when I took my students to lunch and just stay down there. Then I was only making one trip in that short time span.
Tip 4: Be Kind to Your Coworkers
Obviously you should do this anyway, but knowing that they may have to pick up the slack while you are out is an extra reason. When first finding out I was pregnant I would do everything I could to help my team. My personality makes me feel uncomfortable when people have to do things for me. Knowing I had “paid it forward” so to speak, made it easier to accept their help. I have had teachers cover classes for me and pick up notes when I missed meetings due to appointments. Also, knowing that they will have to bear the weight of my substitute, I wanted to at least feel like they wouldn’t hate me for it (they didn’t).
Tip 5: Be Open About Any Difficulties
Pregnancy is a very personal thing and everyone handles it differently. But if you are having a difficult time and are sick, be open and honest about it with your job. This allows them to at least have an understanding of where you are coming from. If you are constantly running late it may appear that you’re using your pregnancy as an excuse. But if you spend 20 minutes every morning throwing up from morning sickness and you explain that, I am sure you will be extended some grace. If ever it becomes a serious issue, talk to your doctor about having a note written for a modification of duties. This way you have a written statement to give your boss supporting your feelings.
I hope that these five tips are helpful to those who, like me, have to work through their pregnancy. I did not realize how blessed I was with my first to have my last month off due to summer break. With the twins I worked the day before I was admitted to the hospital. Those last two weeks were awful. I dreaded getting up in the morning and trying to sleep at night was even worse. These are just a few things that helped me make my days more manageable. Good luck!
Martina