1st trimester

There’s no getting over the major problem with the first trimester of pregnancy and work- How to keep the cat in the bag until week 12!

Problems;

1. Many women are crippled with Morning Sickness requiring a stretch of absence from work.   This absence is usually longer than can be blamed on dodgy left overs and your precious news will be disseminated through your department, quicker than you can say Jumperoo!  Unfortunately I don’t have any magic morning sickness (or all day sickness if you’re really unlucky) remedies but there is lots of advice/old wives tales available on coping and minimising symptoms;

2. Avoiding Occupational Hazards.  It is not uncommon to walk into a clinical area and find a group of young female Professionals cowering behind a Nurses Station while a speckle far off in the distance can just about be made out to be a Radiographer with evil portable X-ray machine.  This, for me, is the first ‘clinical sign of pregnancy’.

Radiation, chemotaxic agents, anaesthetic gases and sadly, violence, are just a few of the potential hazards we and our precious bumps encounter everyday at work.  Every pregnant employee should have a formal Risk Assessment by a member of their department.  This colleague should hopefully be discrete about your news until you feel it is appropriate to make your announcement.

More formal guidance from the NHS can be found here.

Do be careful not to do a ‘Ussan Bolt’ away from the portable Xray though or your cover will be blown!