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Pregnant mama's who work outside the home...

post #1 of 19
6/9/10 at 5:40pm
Thread Starter 
This is the first time I've worked outside of the home and been pregnant. I have been finding it challenging as far as having enough food with me (especially having to pick what I'm going to want for an entire day @ 7am)!
My job isn't that demanding & I'm not even on my feet all day, but I'm exhausted when I get home.
Not to mention my finicky digestion & the bathroom! Just wondering how others were coping & any little tricks you've discovered.
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post #2 of 19
6/9/10 at 6:28pm
I worked with #1. I was working in the marketing department of a international company, so we had tight deadlines, I didn't have much time for lunch, and I had to stay late. Plus I had HG and horrible heartburn right away and was on zofran, zantac, and tums daily.

I remember last time, I had to eat all the time because I felt better when I ate, things I packed were like those little laughing cow cheeses (you can get at costco in a huge bag) also now they have guacamole 100 cal single from Wholly Guacamole. But I would pack like 3 sandwiches, crackers, pudding packs, applesauce, basically anything that came in a snack pack size, I would pack and keep it in the work fridge for the whole week. And I shopped a lot at Costco and bulk places to have those things on hand so I could eat quickly.

I was also very tired and came home and laid down for like an hour or two after work. The first trimester was hard. I remember too eating something at like 4:30, getting off work at 5, and stopping by McDonalds on the way home to eat fries and chicken nuggets for the commute and then ate dinner at 5:30

As I got further along, things didn't seem as bad for me and I could go longer without eating.
post #3 of 19
6/9/10 at 6:35pm
Well this is my first time being pregnant and I work full time at a desk. Thank goodness I'm not on my feet all day! I'm having food issues, too. The first trimester I was seriously starving all the time and had to pack so much food every day. Now, I'm not as hungry but I only want to eat food that "sounds good" instead of just what I have. But all I can do is pack a variety that I think I'll want for the day. Usually I don't eat it all and sometimes I want different things, but it works. Friday's I treat myself to lunch out at a nearby restaurant. I usually take stuff like this everyday: banana, pretzels, 2 hard boiled eggs, cherries or grapes, baby bell cheese, pear, baby carrots & hummus, ww english muffin w/ peanut butter or brie w/ french bread. Just lots of little things to snack on.

We only have one single bathroom for 15 people (we're all close and we're in an open loft) so I'm always waiting for it. Sometime soon I'm going to put a sign on the door that says "Before entering- ASK the pregnant lady if she needs it first!"

I'm also exhausted at the end of the day. Lately I've been putting off some grocery shopping and dishes. I just don't want to do anything after work. I'm sure it'll only get worse, too.
post #4 of 19
6/9/10 at 10:31pm
I work at trader joes. this is my second pregnancy while working there. I come in at 5am and recieve a big rig full of product that has to be stocked by 8am when we open. Sometimes co workers help me lift stuff that's over 50lbs. Most of the time I do it myself though. Because of a deadline, its really hard to take my break before we open. I will usualy grab an energy bar like a larabar or a cliff bar. Maybe a banana. Trying to lift boxes and large trays with a belly in the way is my biggest challenge. Also stocking bottom shelves all the way on the ground over and over again. when i was 38 weeks last time I was still doing that. Once we open I cashier for a while before my shift is over. In other words, I'm stuck in one spot. If I have to run to the bathroom to puke I have to let somone know or have someone cover me if were busy. If I can be pregnant with a job like mine, you can do it at your job too. Encouraging words for working mamas!
post #5 of 19
6/9/10 at 10:35pm
My first tri was also bad for being starving and exhausted all the time. I got a water bottle with measurements on the side and made sure I stayed hydrated. I brought lots of food on Monday and stored it in my desk or fridge. Things like carrots and hummus, cut up fruit, cheese and crackers, V8 juice. I have (still) Campbells soup in hand and snack packs of microwave popcorn in my desk. I was on a tomato soup kick (hence the campbells) for awhile, until my heartburn kicked in. I ate a granola bar on the way to work, then a bagel with cream cheese when I got to work. Lunch was the usual, leftovers, or whatever we had planned for the week. I did have to throw out all of my frozen entrees as I suddenly HATED them. I always took a nap when I got home.
post #6 of 19
6/9/10 at 11:49pm
I did much the same as PP with regards to food - just pack tons of little items. Also, pack it the night before, leave it in a bag in the fridge, and put your car keys in the bag. Yes, that's right, your keys go in the fridge, but you are guaranteed not to forget your food this way.... it is a sad day when you get to work and realize your carefully packed bag of food is sitting on the kitchen counter!

Also, if you get a lunch break, instead of using it to eat, go to your car and take a nap. Make sure your back seat is completely cleared off, and leave a couple of blankets and a pillow in there. Use one blanket to even out the lumps and seat buckles underneath you, and one to put over you/your head. Set your cell phone alarm so that you aren't constantly watching the clock. You can eat your lunch in installments throughout the late morning/early afternoon, which you will likely be doing anyway as you get bigger and are more prone to heartburn!
post #7 of 19
6/10/10 at 12:07am
I leave for work at 7 am and get home around 5 pm. I have a fridge at work which I stock each Monday with a selection of 5 frozen entrees for lunch. I also stocked a cabinet with instant oatmeal, soups, protein bars and almonds. I bring a piece of fruit and two bottles of lemon water each day.

I've been pleased to find a variety of healthy,low sodium frozen entrees and soups available in my grocery store. Just like Lillymonster and Neonalee, I'm on the after work nap schedule. When I wake up, I'll eat a light dinner of soup or a sandwich with veggies.

My biggest challenge is vomiting discreetly in a plastic bag on my commute on the subway. I have a change of clothes and toothbrush/toothpaste at work for these occasions as I often pee myself a little when I puke. Oh the joys of pregnancy
post #8 of 19
6/10/10 at 12:44am
Thread Starter 
I'm not sure how to multi quote a reply...

I think I definitely need more snack size items. I've been grocery shopping in the same way as before pregnancy. We have a budget we have to stick to, items that we like, & staples that are always out by the end of the week...I've just been continuing this routine. I need to think a little more about what I need.
I wish I could sleep in the car! It's over a hundred degrees here now through October, but when it cools down that is a good idea.
I have been laying down when I get home but I guess I was just feeling guilty...I don't see my kids all day and then I come home and I can't function without a little sleep. Thank goodness DP has been making dinner or the girls would be eating whatever they could scrounge up!
Thanks ladies for all of the suggestions!
post #9 of 19
6/10/10 at 1:45am
I agree with everybody before and in particular the person who mentioned the lara bars/cliff bars. I still make sure that every pocket on every sweater and purse has a bar of some sort! Ditto to the car- in fact I keep boxes of them in the trunk. They have saved me many a time from the hungry-pukies. My desk drawer was full of a wide selection of canned goods, puddings, popcorn, oatmeal packets and pregnancy teas. Plus I'd be bringing fresh things and leftovers in case that's what I wanted. Would have breakfast at home, second breakfast at work, lunch at work (or out depending on the day) and a decent sized snack before the end of the day plus one for the commute and of course bars for any time I wasn't near a meal. Then snack, dinner, and bedtime ice cream! I have gained 60 lbs but I felt pretty good till I was 38 weeks
post #10 of 19
6/10/10 at 2:00am
Thread Starter 
is it puppies...i gained 55lbs with my girls. I know it was the ice cream! I ate ben & jerry's like they were going out of business. Trying not to do that this time!
post #11 of 19
6/10/10 at 2:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilmiss'mama View Post
is it puppies...i gained 55lbs with my girls. I know it was the ice cream! I ate ben & jerry's like they were going out of business. Trying not to do that this time!
Good luck! I hope I have learned my lesson for next time
post #12 of 19
6/10/10 at 2:34am
I'll be unemployed as of July 1st, I'm getting married and honeymooning in August, and then as of September 1st I'm starting a new job.

I LOVE my job. I'm a prosecutor (I can only say that for two more weeks ) and even through the long hours and sometimes horrible outcomes I still love it. It's what I dreamed of doing from when I was a kid, laying on the sofa watching Law & Order with my Mom. Law school was the second best decision I ever made (my DF ranks as number one, at least until January).

My new job is with one of my favorite non-profits. It's completely miraculous the way the universe pretty much dropped it right into my lap when I was freaking out over the idea of not being able to work after I had the baby. I can't be an effective prosecutor and mother - not at the same time. It's pretty much impossible.

The new position will allow me to keep my foot in the door, I'll get to pick and choose my cases, and work from home quite a bit. While I will have to travel occasionally - sometimes for indeterminate amounts of time (trials are the ultimate unknown) - I'll still be able to actually be there for my child in ways I know I wouldn't be able to where I am now.

I have no tricks as after one day back at work I had to go out on medical leave so I just decided to take my vacation time now and ride out the rest of my notice on it.

On the plus side, after reading this I now know that when September rolls around I need to stock up on Lara bars and mixed nuts.
post #13 of 19
6/10/10 at 5:49am
I take naps when I get home, esp in the first trimester! Luckily this is our first so I still can, but I was just so pooped after a full days work I needed it.
My only advice is for later on, I am loving swapping my desk chair for a swiss ball. It has helped SO much with the pelvic pain!
post #14 of 19
6/10/10 at 1:26pm
If you can't find a good place to nap, a lunch-time walk is almost as good. I know it sounds crazy, but a little exercise can give you almost the same boost as a cat nap. If it's too hot outside, like it is here, is there a place where you can walk inside? I work in a library, so I go up and down and up and down the aisles. I can walk a mile just on two floors.
post #15 of 19
6/10/10 at 2:30pm
paintedfire, I am very sorry you had to give up your dream. I hope you can get back to it ASAP. Our identities as women are more than just our children and those of us with strong desires outside of our kids really need to know that we earned the right to do what makes us happy... every bit of it.
post #16 of 19
6/10/10 at 9:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegal View Post
paintedfire, I am very sorry you had to give up your dream. I hope you can get back to it ASAP. Our identities as women are more than just our children and those of us with strong desires outside of our kids really need to know that we earned the right to do what makes us happy... every bit of it.
I'm trying not to look at it as giving up my dream, so much as trading one dream for another. Before I was a prosecutor I worked as legal council for Amnesty International and loved it there as well. I'm still going to be doing what I love - trying to ensure that justice (whatever that means these days) is done - just on a smaller scale.

I know what you mean, though. I struggled right after I found out I was pregnant because I was suddenly second-guessing things I thought were already known entities: that when I had kids I would stop working and take care of them and then start working again once they were older.

It hit me pretty much immediately that was a stupid idea. I can't stop being a lawyer anymore than I can stop needing oxygen. It's something that is in my blood - it's my passion. Giving that up - even for my kids - isn't an option. In fact, I've come to realize that by showing my child this - that it's okay to want things for yourself and not just for the family as a whole - will hopefully set a very strong example.

There's a lot of trauma in my past and I'll be damned if my kids grow up not knowing their own self worth, right from the beginning. It took me years in therapy to learn to accept that my needs are just as valid as other people's.
post #17 of 19
6/10/10 at 10:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilmiss'mama View Post
is it puppies...i gained 55lbs with my girls. I know it was the ice cream! I ate ben & jerry's like they were going out of business. Trying not to do that this time!
LOL me too!! At 33 weeks I've already gained 50 lbs, and I too swear it was the ice cream! If I could go back and do anything differently, it would NOT be to eat less ice cream, BUT it WOULD be to make sure I kept walking some during the first trimester and picked up exercise again in the second. By the time I tried to start up again I just couldn't manage it at any effective level.
post #18 of 19
6/10/10 at 10:45pm
My coworkers made fun of my snack cabinet. It was basically my own mini convenience store. I kept oatmeal, a couple of chef boyardee things, ovaltine, granola bars, crackers, pita chips, etc in there. And then in the fridge I usually kept some cheese, maybe some hummus, and almond milk. I practically lived on ovaltine in almond milk. I just tried to keep a wide variety of snacks with a long shelf life, because my cravings and anti-cravings were powerful!
post #19 of 19
6/11/10 at 2:45am
Man, I bring a full grocery bag of snacks to work everyday. Usually a salad big enough to share with two and then nuts, yogurts (several), three different types of fruits, fruit bars or leathers, juice boxes, cheese strings or babybells... I'm also not afraid to freeze those yogurt tubes and eat them like a little kid at work. People stare but I stare back. hahaha

is it puppies - shout out from Edmo! 780 represent!
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