Balancing Pregnancy and Work: How to Make the Most of the Next 9 Months on the Job

by Nancy Hall

Pregnancy. It's an amazing time of possibility, expectation, and wonder. It's also a time of morning sickness, mood swings, and exhaustion. And when a woman works throughout her pregnancy, all of these private experiences and emotions are on very public display.

If you're currently trying to juggle growing a baby with growing your career, Balancing Pregnancy and Work is the indispensable guide you'll need to make the most of the next 9 months. Packed with realistic tips and personal stories from women who have been in your elastic-waist pants, it covers everything from breaking the news to your coworkers to avoiding workplace hazards, from planning your leave to planning your return as a working mom.

IN THESE PAGES, YOU'LL
* Your legal rights under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act
* When and how to break the news to your boss
* Budget worksheets to help you evaluate the financial impact of your family-leave options
* A primer on managing pregnancy symptoms on the job, including tips on easing back pain, heartburn, constipation, and morning sickness
* A 10-point strategy for planning a smooth leave that minimizes disruption for your coworkers and allows you uninterrupted time with your newborn
* Practical tips for dressing in style-- without breaking the bank
* Targeted advice for finding the best child care options
* Strategies for smoothing the transition back to the workplace

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2004

Reviews

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't finished this one, but I liked it right away -- instead of treating readers like being magical baby pods was the only thing going on in their worlds, it acknowleged the wide range of interesting jobs a working gal might well want to keep after she has a kid.

Unfortunately, it did give me a false sense of security about FMLA. 100 employees? Sweet, my company would have to comply, thought I. Checking our employee handbook to see what added perks my company might have piled on top of 3 months guaranteed unpaid leave, I was pretty disappointed to learn that there are geographical limits to where the 100 employees have to be, and in fact, my company could legally (though certainly will not -- they're not monsters) fire me for taking more than my remaining sick days to have a kid.

A mixture of disappointment and hitting the first trimester exhaustion wall meant I stopped reading, but it is informative (just missed the geography detail...) and not at all condescending, which is sadly unusual in many pregnancy-related books I've investigated so far.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, mostly because it's a bit dated at this point. Still had some good tips and practical advice.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though some aspects of this book are probably dated now, it had a lot of helpful advice. Very practical. I plan to return to it if circumstances call for it!

[Emily Duchon · Rating 4 out of 5]

May refer back occasionally; particularly strong in the FMLA knowledge and breastfeeding while maintaining a busy schedule.

[mobydickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting FMLA information but overall a very skimmable book. Depending on your job type, the book could be more or less interesting.

[Beth Dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all the things that are widely discussed about pregnancy (motion sickness, physical bodily changes, crazy cravings) - navigating work relationships and planning for time off is not one of the more popular topics. So I'm thankful that this book seeks to address that vacuum. Very helpful in pointing out areas for further research and I appreciated the antidotes peppered throughout (although not entirely sure I believe they all came from real people).

[Zoey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this a 4 because I read it exactly when I needed to: in the middle of the first trimester when I was getting used to the idea of being pregnant and had some concerns about navigating the transition at work. There may be other books on this subject, but this is the only one the library had, and it stood out helpfully from the sort of week-by-week pregnancy bibles.
Balancing Pregnancy and Work is a little dated but an excellent resource on how to approach subjects such as telling your boss, planning your leave, dressing professionally, figuring out work-life balance after becoming a mom, and re-entering the workplace or exploring other options.
The one area where I would have appreciated more detail: deciding to be a stay-at-home parent and communicating that decision to your supervisor and coworkers.

[Eva Nickelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was easy to read, brought up a number of key concerns that I had going into my first pregnancy, and gave me other perspectives as I approached announcing my pregnancy at work. I found a number of the situations did not apply directly to me, but the framework of the book gave me a good idea of where to start and the path ahead. It also contained some good resources for childcare which I have used.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super useful information in a no-nonsense readable format. It was also a relief to read a book about pregnancy where it talked about real life everyday stuff, and not about the 1001 things that can go wrong with you and your baby.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book, had a few good tips and I liked the resources at the back, but a lot of it didn't apply to my situation.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comprehensive book, although it definitely focuses on white color employees, rather than all areas of work.

[Margaret Heller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super helpful and practical advice for thinking through the talks with coworkers, making plans for maternity leave, and going back to work.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't learn anything new.