This is mostly just going to be applicable to those of you working in retail - or any customer service where you have to deal with random members of the public alone at various hours in varying states of disrepair (due to parasite/baby sucking all life from you so it can emerge a functional human and you can emerge a hollow husk of a human).
And while I do adhere to most of these tips (hence giving them), some of them are things I wish I were better at doing. So this post also works as a reminder to myself as to what I should be doing cos pregnancy brain/tiredness/complacency often prevents me from doing basic smart people things.
1: Be Prepared.
This scouting/girl guide motto is basically useful for life. Go Baden Powell!
If you have morning sickness it means ensuring you have things to help manage this - chips, dry crackers, water, ginger tea, anti nausea tablets - whatever works to help get you through. Also, a bucket. Just in case. If you have regular food cravings, ensure that craved food is on hand so you don't go insane from the craving and run around screaming and pulling out your hair. And consequently lose your job. If you are like me and have hip displaysia or chronic back pain it means not forgetting to pack your brace (if not wearing it) and pain killers and to do exercises to aid the prevention of pain as often as possible whilst at work.
I also pack chocolate. This, I consider a necessity.
2: Make Lists and Set Reminders
I get bad pregnancy brain. Really bad. This is attestable by Murray, my family and my boss (and previous boss). Last time I was pregnant I locked the bathroom keys in the toilet not once, but at least four times. This time, I have left my keys in our front door when rushing in and out before work. My work key is on that key ring. I couldn't get into work... (Murray kindly raced in and dropped my keys to me). I have also mixed up my shifts and made things awful for everyone purely from missing simple things cos baby brain (both these things being things I have never done when not pregnant).
Anyway, because of this I write lists for everything both at home and at work, so I don't forget to do important things, and can also get a sense of achievement every time I cross something off. So at work I have a 'jobs' list which is a list of things I want to achieve that day. And at home I have what is usually a 'housework' list which also contains the activities we're doing that day, and any personal things I want to achieve. And I put all my rostered shifts (and appointments) into my phone with a reminder that goes off that morning so I can't screw things up. And while I can't write a list that will stop me doing dumb things, I can minimise what those dumb things are using lists and reminders.
3: Pee Whenever You Can.
This mostly applies to further along in pregnancy when your bladder space in being seriously impinged upon by pending sprog. Sometimes in sole charge retail it's quiet and you can pee freely. And sometimes it's not. Sometimes you cannot pop out to take a slash for four or five hours - or even longer. And what's worst about this is that you seldom know when this will happen. So even if you don't need to go, if you haven't peed in about half an hour, take an opportunity to pee. You never know if it will be the last for some time...
4: Eat Whenever You Can.
Obviously this isn't applicable to you if you feel like any food is going to make you spew. But, if this is not you, and you are trying to practice the healthy pregnancy eating thing of small meals regularly - then do it. Eat when you can. I try to pack multiple small easy-to-eat snacks, and one 'proper' meal thing. I may not eat everything. I pack with the assumption that I'll eat what I need to, and it's better to pack too much then not enough. A usual lunch or dinner consists of: a yoghurt, a couple of pieces of fruit, some nuts, leftovers that are easy to eat and a sweet treat to get me through (chocolate medicine). If it's busy I can still easily shove half a banana or a handful of nuts or a piece of chocolate into my face-hole to get me through to a less busy time (or sometimes home time).
5: Rest As Much As You Can
Most workplaces understand pregnant women shouldn't be on their feet 24/7. And if you are already a Mummy with chillen's underfoot at home it's a good time to take the opportunity to possibly sit on your arse for a change. So you should have a chair nearby to sit down and rest when you can. Because I am short I often kneel on a chair and type and do computer work if I'm feeling sore. Or put the returns through whilst sitting (good to rest after bending down a lot to retrieve DVD's from returns box). If your boss won't let you have a chair to rest on sometimes, they're an asshat.
6. Know Your Limits
If you can financially afford to, and are feeling balls a lot, try and limit the shifts you are on for - or limit/avoid the shifts that are usually busy (for me that's Friday/Saturday nights). I know this is not always possible - but find out what is. Small changes can make a big difference to how you feel. And feeling better translates to doing your job better - so it's in your boss's/supervisors/managers best interest to aid you in this. This also means knowing your limits on the job. So if an hours vacuuming is too hard on your back - compromise and just do what you can. Let your boss know. There are usually other things you can do that are equally helpful.
7. Play To Your Strengths
As a direct follow on from the above - if aspects of your job are getting difficult or painful, or impacting on your general well being, offer to do more of what you are good at that doesn't hurt you. I consider myself fairly fab at customer service, so continue to go the extra mile there. And as the only 'Mum' at work, do all the random (but not too strenuous) cleaning and organising jobs around the store that no-one else seems to notice need doing. There will always be plenty of things you are still great at, so even if you feel bad you can't do some things, try to focus on what you can do and do it well.
8. Accept Offers Of Help
This is the tip I am personally the worst at, and it applies to life in general regardless of how pregnant you are. If someone offers to grab that thing off the low shelf for you to prevent you having to bend over - let them. They will feel as uncomfortable as you will watching you attempt to do an uncomfortable thing. There are still a lot of lovely, kind people out there - accepting their help recognises that it's good to help people and encourages more of it. It doesn't mean you're a totally useless human being. You're growing another person! It's hard and important work! It's building the next generation of people that may be kind and help other people out when they're in a jam (hopefully).*
9. Keep Safe
I always have to remind myself of this one. In situations that are potentially dangerous I tend to forget that I'm pregnant and just act as I usually would. Retrospectively, that's not smart. A little earlier in my last pregnancy I triaged (airways/recovery position/checked pulse/called ambulance) a woman overdosing on the street outside of my work. While the situation was fine (although frustrating as she came to and wouldn't wait for an ambulance which she desperately needed as was oxygen deprived and had an infected site wound), it may well not have been and I put my unborn child at risk. There were other people around. I could have asked for help (although in this case no one seemed to even have basic first aid skills but me). While situations like that don't come up all the time, similarly unsafe things do happen, and I have to remind myself I should handle them differently and keep my person out of harms way.
Equally, keeping safe means paying attention to your body and health - if you are worried about baby's movement it shouldn't matter that you are at work and feel bad about leaving - call your midwife. I ended up missing my last day of work last time around as went straight from the previous days shift to hospital and had to stay there.** It sucked. I wanted to say goodbye to a lot of my regular customers who were coming in to see me, but I needed to be in hospital. That's life.
If your trek to work from home is getting too tricky (if you bus/walk everywhere like me), see if you can change that route to cater better for your health. I now catch a more direct route home. It comes later, so I get home later, but it cuts a 1.5 km walk through unlit streets down to a 0.5 km walk down the street I live on. Much safer and easier on the hip.
10. Let Go
If you have a really patronising dick-of-a sales rep that is awful to you on a regular basis, now is the time to pregnancy rant at them and call them on their behavior. The hormones made you do it! Just don't mortally injure them and you should be ok. If you think a certain way of doing something is ridiculous it may be a good time to bring it up with your boss. Loudly. It'll probably be good to have an alternative to offer at the same time though otherwise you'll just look like a dick. Then cry. Then apologise. Scary pregnant women get things done! If a customer tells you you are too pregnant to be at work you can probably tell them to go fuck themselves. And besides, they were a jerk to you first. If you want to cry at the trailers for some movie with puppies in it go for it - most people will leave you to your scary puppy cry.
It's probably not advisable to do all of these things in one shift at work. Maybe just try one of them some time. Only if you really feel like it. Pregnancy may be one of the few times you can get away with not being the perfect people pleasing smileaholic required at all times at work because everyone knows pregnancy makes regular people mental. Go on. Yell at a stranger today.
* And, if you are far to the right of political things, we are also building the next generation of tax payers who will pay for your retirement - which you may also deem to be of importance (if you are smart). Parents are important ya'll! Respect!
** I got a UTI and my contractions started at about 35 weeks. It was painful and disconcerting, and there was a chance I would go into labour. I didn't. She stayed put for another week and a half.
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