Working from home during pregnancy -- how to manage and succeed

by Mollee Bauer

Working from home is a dream job for most parents-to-be especially moms.

Besides the obvious pluses like time flexibility, being able to stay home with children and creating your own work schedule, it's an attractive option if you can find the work.

How does a pregnant woman cope with all the physical aspects and organizational ones to boot? Use our helpful "Working from Home" checklist to get you going in the right direction!

But what are the challenges a mom-to-be faces with a home office? How will mom-to-be take care of herself? These are suggestions we feel you can benefit from and use every day.

Dealing with exhaustion

Even if you regularly cope with a lack of energy after a long day at the "office," pregnancy fatigue is in a league of its own. You'll likely feel the need to nap more often in order to sustain your energy levels just to get through the day. How do you stay productive at home? Work when you wake up from night of sleep or nap. This should help you get the majority of your work done before you start to get tired again. If you procrastinate when you get up, you'll fall into a never ending pattern using the "I'm tired…" as an excuse.

Coping with morning sickness

Whether you're suffering from feeling queasy, throwing up or have morning sickness it can be one of your biggest challenges working at home while pregnant. Try eating smaller meals and drinking lots of water to help minimize feeling yucky.

Handling the "hungries"

There are lots of ways to handle your hunger. Just like if you were at an office outside your home, snacking is inevitable. Have healthy snacks on hand like sun chips, carrot and celery sticks, granola bars and even frozen appetizers. These types of finger foods allow you to work while you eat. These small meals help curb morning sickness -- a two for one bonus!

Battling bathroom breaks

When you're pregnant and you have to pee -- well you have to go. Don't hold it in so you can get that last task finished -- you could end up with a urinary tract infection. Have your workstation be near a bathroom to minimize the amount of time. Use common sense -- if your workspace is upstairs, and the bathroom downstairs, work on the first floor to make life easier on you.

Working on worries

All pregnant women worry. However, worrying all the time not only causes you stress, but your baby-to-be as well. Not to mention it can be distracting to the tasks at hand. Instead of letting the worry consume you, take a break, write them down. Later on when your work is done, look at your list and figure out your worries or talk to your partner or friend about them.

Avoiding urge to nest

Nesting's a fact of life. Nesting happens. Don't let the urge distract you from your work! The secret here is to incentivize yourself! Take some of your earnings, set them aside for those items you really want to get for yourself or the baby. Then reward yourself with nesting during break time setting up the nursery or sewing quilts and baby booties.

If you employ these tactics, you're sure to have success working from home during your pregnancy!

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com.