Questions on a healthy lifestyle take more than 15 minutes — yet that is all the time an average Obstetrics and Gynaecology Doctor (OB) has to spend with the mom-to-be. Your doctor now has to keep a strict-metric on their time with you while pretending to have all the time in the world — and we know they actually don’t. How can we support pregnancy for women in business?
OB’s are amazing, but they often cannot take the time to answer all of women’s questions on a healthy lifestyle pregnancy. The time of being pregnant is so important that you sometimes don’t even know what questions to ask.
Desi Barlett @desibartlett.com
How Can We Support Pregnancy for Women in Business?
We may own our own business as a startup or corporation — or we may be an employee in a business. Are you in a business and pregnant at this time — or is there a pregnant coworker in your business? Whatever the case may be — businesses cannot ignore this important part of life.
Access to Experts
Whether the mom-to-be at work is setting appointments with a doula, prenatal yoga teacher, a nutritionist, a lactation consultant, etc., the time adds up — and the mom-to-be is busy — and probably overwhelmed.
Finding programs that are all inclusive with experts can save a lot of money and time — as well as set mom up for success.
Online Support Groups for New and Expecting Parents
- National Parent Helpline.
- Motherly.
- Blossoming Mothers Online Support Group.
- Baby Center.
- Hand to Hold NICU Family Support Groups.
- Facebook Groups — look for by topic.
- The Motherhood Center.
- MOPS International.
Some OB clinics (or their nurses) will have access to some good information or places where you can reach out. But where do you find the best online groups to join? Ask and keep asking.
Community
If there is one thing COVID-19 has taught us — it’s that we need community support. Being pregnant during a pandemic severely limits the pregnant moms from meeting with each other. Sure, there are online groups where women can meet with other women from all over the country.
Keep your eyes open for the best groups to join and if you don’t feel comfortable with the online information or people — you can try out a different group.
An online group gives the opportunity for the new mom-to-be to connect with community support and have a safe place to ask the delicate questions that are always looming.
Health and Fitness
Prenatal fitness programs have really come up in both importance and availability. These prenatal fitness programs have been associated with easier adaptation for moms and babies. Babies born to moms who exercise often have higher APGAR scores.
An APGAR score has a score from 1 to 10 with the higher score showing the baby is doing well and that the newborn is in good health.
Wikipedia says: The Apgar score is a method to quickly summarize the health of newborn children against infant mortality. Virginia Apgar, an anesthesiologist at New York–Presbyterian Hospital, developed the score in 1952 to quantify the effects of obstetric anesthesia on babies.
Less Aches and Pains
Women who exercise safely throughout pregnancy have less back pain and generally feel better overall than their counterparts who are not active.
If you are in an office — how about taking a good look at that pregnant woman. In our office — especially men — look everywhere but at the woman. We see other women who do the “look-away” thing too? Let’s not be one-of-those. How about inviting the mom-to-be to take a little walk with you at lunch and be a part of the solution?
Why Look Away? We were all there once — meaning in that belly!
Pregnancy is a normal part of life and we can make the road easier for the mom-to-be. In business we will see more and more pregnancy, so let’s take the awkward parts out of the equation.
Peace of Mind
Moms need to know what is safe and what needs to be modified for individual needs. First-time moms are at a decided disadvantage if they have no one to guide them and that is stressful. Not every pregnancy is the same — and that is stressful. And — newsflash — being pregnant is stressful.
Knowing that you have a reliable source for information about your body and your needs is essential for peace of mind with the mom-to-be.
Do you know the safest exercises today? I don’t. Do you have access to the cleanest nutritional supplements? I don’t. The mom-to-be needs to be able to find out the information quickly.
How is mom paying for things? What is her access to care and questions? Remember the saying — “It Takes a Village?” Well, getting a baby here takes a village, too — whether you are in business or not.
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