In the previous post, I discussed some of the very first things to do once becomming pregnant. A large part of that post were points to prepare and find information on in the workplace before sharing the news with supervisors and co-workers. Now, let's touch on ways to actually share the news!
Personally:
* To surprise your husband and let him realize that you are pregnant, try placing a bun in the oven. Tie a pink and a blue ribbon on the bun, to show that it may be a boy or girl. Ask him to check the food in the oven while preparing dinner. (Make sure oven is off, especially if the bun has decorations on it and to prevent burning when husband makes a grab for the bun.)
* Create a special dinner with 'baby' foods. Baby carrots, baby corn, even try pureed food or open a few cans of baby food. See if the members of the dinner catch the theme.
* Take a picture of the positive pregnancy test and put it on his pillow before bed.
* Give him a Father's Day card - in advance.
* Take a picture of your other child/children holding a sign saying they are going to be a big brother/sister.
* Put a t-shirt on another child/children saying they are going to be a big brother/sister and see how long it takes for your husband to notice this.
Professionally:
* Tell your supervisor that you would like to set up a meeting with her to discuss an important issue. Be frank and to the point. No reason to beat around the bush that you are expecting. A simple, "I'm pregnant" will easily open the door to conversation. Don't be shy or feel that you are doing the company a dis-service by becoming pregnant. Remember that your life outside of work comes first and that is the important part. Work comes second, that's the part that helps take care of your first priority.
* In this meeting, be sure to touch on some key points after sharing the wonderful news with her. Explain how you do not intend your work performance to decline and how you intend on picking your work up again after coming back from maternity leave. Going in prepared will show your boss that you are serious about your job. That is always a good way to keep your supervisors impressed with you, especially since you will now have extra times to ask off for doctor appointments and even morning sickness.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The Beginning
Let's start at the beginning - the first joys of pregnancy. Whether working outside of the home, in the home or not working professionally at all, the start of life is the most miraculous of times. Although the child (or children) is not yet born, we are filled with a natural instinct that starts to prepare us for becoming the mother to a fresh new little life.
As soon as the pregnancy test is taken there is a new knowledge that comes to mind. With that knowledge, there can be many feelings that arrive as well. For some women, there are feelings of utter and pure joy. For others, a slight panic attack could indicate that the stick with the positive sign in hand is more than a slight surprise.
Either way, there are many new things that will need to start happening within the next few weeks to start the journey into motherhood.
First thing first, share the news with your husband or partner. If your husband was not already standing over your shoulder holding the timer while the pregnancy test worked its action, then you will need to find a way to tell him of the new bun in the oven. (Ideas on sharing the pregnancy news will be in another post.)
Next, the mother to be will need to find a good obstetrician or midwife. While the midwifery laws vary state to state, it is possible to find a fantastic woman who will take care of the mother-to-be and the baby in-utero during pregnancy. If the mother feels that an obstetrician is the way to go, then there are ways of finding a good doctor to go with (Ideas on finding a good prenatal care will be in another post.)
Now, while many new mothers want to immediately shout from the rooftops their good news, generally the rule is to wait until the pregnancy has advanced to three months or has entered into the second trimester. This is especially important for women who are in the workforce. The few months that a mother has to savor the knowledge of the new life growing inside of her will also help to come up with a plan for once the baby is born.
It is wise to be able to go to a supervisor and tell them the news of the pregnancy with an idea of how the mother intends their work life to be once the baby is born. There are many things to think about and to find out more information on to be prepared. (Please see additional blog posts on each starred * point.)
* Does your health insurance cover pregnancy? How many pre-natal visits? Sonograms? Lab work? Early emergency trips to the hospital? Hospital birth? Homebirth? What will you need to do in order for your new baby to be covered on the same policy as you? Is extended care insurance available if any unforeseen health complications keep you out of work longer than expected?
* Does your company have any specific plans for maternity leave? Paternity leave (yes, some companies do allow the father to take some time off with the mother and new baby as well.) Will the maternity leave be paid leave? Will comp time and/or vacation time be able to be used for maternity leave?
* How long do you intend on working? Until your due date? Until it is time to go to the hospital to have the baby? Or do you want to take some time off before the due date as well?
* When do you intend on returning to work? Six or eight weeks?
* Are you interested in working in the office part-time and telecommuting the rest of the time? Is your work something that you could do entirely from home while your new bundle of joy is an infant?
* Are there other employees who have recently had children that you could talk to to see if they have any suggestions or comments about their experience with your company during maternity leave and as a parent?
* Do you intend on breastfeeding, which would require pumping while at work? Does your company have a specific area that you would feel relaxed and comfortable in to pump? Is there a private refrigerator that you can store pumped milk for the day?
* What is the company policy on taking time for doctor visits and sick leave for family members?
* Will your life insurance allow you to add a new beneficiary at any time? Do you have life insurance? If not, will you be allowed to add it to your benefits plan at any time?
Many of these points will easily be answered by a consult with your human resources department. Another thing to consider is your workload during the time of your due date and planned maternity leave. To earn more good points with your supervisor, sometimes it will help to go in with a plan that will show how your normal workload can be taken care of during that time. Maybe it would be possible to divvy the work up between other co-workers. Possibly you could say that you would do your best to finish any large projects before your leave. Another way would be to have some work sent home to you, if you think that you would feel up to taking care of it with a new baby on hands.
These are just some suggestions to help you get off in - The Beginning.
As soon as the pregnancy test is taken there is a new knowledge that comes to mind. With that knowledge, there can be many feelings that arrive as well. For some women, there are feelings of utter and pure joy. For others, a slight panic attack could indicate that the stick with the positive sign in hand is more than a slight surprise.
Either way, there are many new things that will need to start happening within the next few weeks to start the journey into motherhood.
First thing first, share the news with your husband or partner. If your husband was not already standing over your shoulder holding the timer while the pregnancy test worked its action, then you will need to find a way to tell him of the new bun in the oven. (Ideas on sharing the pregnancy news will be in another post.)
Next, the mother to be will need to find a good obstetrician or midwife. While the midwifery laws vary state to state, it is possible to find a fantastic woman who will take care of the mother-to-be and the baby in-utero during pregnancy. If the mother feels that an obstetrician is the way to go, then there are ways of finding a good doctor to go with (Ideas on finding a good prenatal care will be in another post.)
Now, while many new mothers want to immediately shout from the rooftops their good news, generally the rule is to wait until the pregnancy has advanced to three months or has entered into the second trimester. This is especially important for women who are in the workforce. The few months that a mother has to savor the knowledge of the new life growing inside of her will also help to come up with a plan for once the baby is born.
It is wise to be able to go to a supervisor and tell them the news of the pregnancy with an idea of how the mother intends their work life to be once the baby is born. There are many things to think about and to find out more information on to be prepared. (Please see additional blog posts on each starred * point.)
* Does your health insurance cover pregnancy? How many pre-natal visits? Sonograms? Lab work? Early emergency trips to the hospital? Hospital birth? Homebirth? What will you need to do in order for your new baby to be covered on the same policy as you? Is extended care insurance available if any unforeseen health complications keep you out of work longer than expected?
* Does your company have any specific plans for maternity leave? Paternity leave (yes, some companies do allow the father to take some time off with the mother and new baby as well.) Will the maternity leave be paid leave? Will comp time and/or vacation time be able to be used for maternity leave?
* How long do you intend on working? Until your due date? Until it is time to go to the hospital to have the baby? Or do you want to take some time off before the due date as well?
* When do you intend on returning to work? Six or eight weeks?
* Are you interested in working in the office part-time and telecommuting the rest of the time? Is your work something that you could do entirely from home while your new bundle of joy is an infant?
* Are there other employees who have recently had children that you could talk to to see if they have any suggestions or comments about their experience with your company during maternity leave and as a parent?
* Do you intend on breastfeeding, which would require pumping while at work? Does your company have a specific area that you would feel relaxed and comfortable in to pump? Is there a private refrigerator that you can store pumped milk for the day?
* What is the company policy on taking time for doctor visits and sick leave for family members?
* Will your life insurance allow you to add a new beneficiary at any time? Do you have life insurance? If not, will you be allowed to add it to your benefits plan at any time?
Many of these points will easily be answered by a consult with your human resources department. Another thing to consider is your workload during the time of your due date and planned maternity leave. To earn more good points with your supervisor, sometimes it will help to go in with a plan that will show how your normal workload can be taken care of during that time. Maybe it would be possible to divvy the work up between other co-workers. Possibly you could say that you would do your best to finish any large projects before your leave. Another way would be to have some work sent home to you, if you think that you would feel up to taking care of it with a new baby on hands.
These are just some suggestions to help you get off in - The Beginning.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
A Mother's Work
A Mother's Work is a blog dedicated to all mothers who work - inside and outside of the home. We all know that our work is neverending. It is a job that is 24 hours a day seven days a week. It is the most rewarding and fulfilling job we will ever have.
We all need a support system. One that will offer us mothers laughter, guidance, ideas, friendship and many other traits that go along in a strong support system.
I hope that you can find all of those and more in my new blog - A Mother's Work
We all need a support system. One that will offer us mothers laughter, guidance, ideas, friendship and many other traits that go along in a strong support system.
I hope that you can find all of those and more in my new blog - A Mother's Work
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