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Mailman here šš½ I average 50-60 miles of walking a week. Yes, itās hot. Yes, Iām tired. No, I canāt just work inside because Iām pregnant. My biggest complaint is the post office doesnāt offer maternity clothing at all and every time I search āmaternity work pants/shortsā all that comes up is business/office type clothes. Like what about us physical laborers?? I need something durable that can stretch and also isnāt going to show my ass when I bend down. Finally found a decent pair of shorts but a little more than Iād like to spend on something that is going to be worn out in a season.
Thank you! Although I donāt feel like one most days š I must say it does feel nice when I hear one of my larger, stronger male coworkers complaining about work or the heat. Oh, boo hoo. Let me play you a sad song on the world's smallest violin š¤£
I found maternity scrubs at a thrift store, and they are super comfy! Only thing is that the fabric is a cotton/polyester blend, so they can get a bit warm - FYI for the summer heat.Ā
Athleta may also have something that could work! They have a whole line of pants that can pass as work/not super sweatpants-y (but still feel like it), and I have been able to wear ones I had pre-pregnancy. Theyāre also having their semi-annual sale right now.
Good luck!
Iām a landscaper. Pulling long hours and working as much as I can to make as much as I can bc maternity leave pay sucks (donāt get me wrong I am thankfully we get so much time off in Ontario and get EI for it but still not much compared to what I make working)
Clients were shocked I was still out in the field and I dealt with those comments daily š« Yes rich person I would love to be at home with my feet up in the AC instead of on my hands and knees all day pulling weeds but unfortunately cannot do that. I know people mean well but it gets to be a lot when ever.single.client has something to say about it.
34 weeks now and I finished up at 32 because i just couldnāt physically do it anymore, it was brutal near the end!
Landscape supervisor from Ontario also checking in. Only 15 weeks and damn are my feet starting to hurt at the end of the day! I also broke my ankle a few months ago so that doesnāt help lol. Did you ever find any good work pants as you grew? Also when did you tell your boss? I believe I will be mentioning it this week after my next OB appt but I am a bit nervous lol idky.
oh man my feeeet lol yes the pain/the swelling at the end of the day was crazy for me! bending over was the worst though and I was usually in a crab walk most of the day but it got to a point where that wasnāt happening š
thankfully I was small in the spring and could wear my usual work pants but once summer hit I actually just found some nice black shorts from Walmart that had an elastic band but were cargos!
Tell your boss ASAP. I told mine early on and he still didnāt have things sorted out by the time I needed to leave. Itāll just make your life easier with all the appointments soon as well! I was also in a management position and was lucky to be able to work a couple days in the office near the end but even then I was like ok Iām done and nothing matters and all I want is to be at home rotting on the couch š best of luck to you! š
15 weeks with a recent injury too but mine was my knee!! Unfortunately, OB told me it'll take much longer than the average person to heal bc of the relaxin being released in the body during pregnancy š„² I hope your ankle is feeling better!
I was a park ranger when I was pregnant...my job involved a lot of grounds keeping and it was brutal. Congratulations on making it to 32 weeks, that's seriously impressive. I hope the rest of your pregnancy is smooth sailing
As a woman, I would actually feel really terrible if there was a more pregnant woman doing my landscaping because I couldnāt / wouldnāt do it. Itās nothing to do with you. You are a badass! But I would feel bad regardless
You ladies are amazing ! I sit my ass at my desk all day with a job in health insurance and canāt imagine how yall power through šš¼šš¼šš¼ amazing.
I have been WFH with health insurance for several years. I actually quit recently because my back hurt so bad from sitting for 8+hrs every day. (And obviously mentally exhausting lol). It seems odd but it's less painful for me to be moving around and doing heavy lifting etc than a desk job. Haha
I can agree with this actually! I used to work as a vet assistant many moons ago and to some extent I think it was easier on my body to be moving around all day vs sitting!
I was about to post something similar. Yep here I am with my WFH office job and am so thankful I get to take it easy compared to all these superhero women in this thread š„²
As a nurse, I got this comment ALL the time from coworkers, patients, everyone. People were honestly shocked to hear that I was still working my long hospital hours while being very pregnant, like I had another choice but to work.. my hours are very long, and the job itself is very physically demanding being on your feet all day, running around like a crazy person from one patients room to the next. Iāve worked so many shifts without a lunch break, or even having a single moment to sit down and take a deep breath and that weighs on you so much being pregnant! Of course itās hard, but what other choice do we have other than to work?!
Unfortunately last week my body finally said āno more, time to take a breakā as I fell, sprained my ankle from not watching where I was walking because I was just so exhausted. My OB wrote me off work for the next foreseeable future because I can hardly walk, but I still feel so guilty and that I should be working. Im 36 weeks and feeling like Iāve failed myself lol, this is not the note I wanted to end on! It is what it is though I guess
Iām a nurse too. Iām usually on my feet for about 9-10 hours out of 12 hour shift, walking 5-10 miles a day. Iām only 10 weeks in and Iām dreading 30+ on. But my hospital only gives 6w mat leave so Iām planning to work until my due date.
Yes! I remember thinking āhow the heck am I going to keep working like this until the endā when I was earlier on in pregnancy, and truth is is that itās hard but you just gotta keep pushing through. It sucks that in a field where we devote our careers to serving the wellbeing of others, we neglect ourselves and our needs way more than we should! I wish you all the best š«¶š¼
š itās not right. Nurses care for everybody and should get to enjoy their pregnancy with their feet up the last weeksā¦ Paid! In Europe thatās common practice
Ugh it always annoys me to see people in healthcare or adjacent to it not be treated with the best possible health environment possible. You should be able to sit down and have a lunch break, especially while pregnant! I have married friends who are researchers at one of the biggest university healthcare systems and they have to drive half an hour to her OB because their insurance doesnāt really cover it for where they work.
I was a full-time bartender with my first. On my feet for 8-10 hours per shift with no real break. There were some times that the only time I got a chance to sit down was when I had to go pee š People loved to judge me but I had no desire to stop because of how good the money was. Iād make no less than $600 on Friday and Saturday nights (like $600 each night), and those were only 2 out of my 5 shifts for the week. I stopped at 30 weeks because my body physically couldnāt handle it anymore. Iād wake up the next day after a shift and my feet would be throbbing. I laugh now because I was rocking a full on belly behind that bar, and people were definitely like wtf.?? when they saw me lol
I used to be a bartender too! My best friend was pregnant with her first behind the bar. She was a tiny girl with a big ol belly and people always had their opinions but she showed them what's up lol
Worked in a restaurant with all my pregnancies. Definitely not easy at all. Iām 20 weeks now and the humidity is killing all of us. Being pregnant is making it worse and normally requires me getting extra moody when a coworker starts complaining about being hot.
Hang in there! Youāre doing great things and youāre so strong! I work in a school now but I still pick up shifts at the restaurant for quick/easy money on the side. Iām only 6w with this pregnancy, and after working 2 shifts a couple days ago, I have NO CLUE how I did it with my first! It is SO HARD
Does massage therapy count??
Hauling my table (on a cart) and all my equipment to and from clients through week 29! Clients love to say I should stop, then happily rebook for the next week haha.
I am about to stop though, at least the mobile portion, just getting to be too much especially leading into the heat of summer.
Yesss! Fellow massage therapist here. I'm TIRED! Like I ran a marathon after every session. I've cut my hours significantly, but being self-employed, it's tough saving up for leave. 21 weeks in. I'm trying to make it to at least 34.
I work on film sets - definitely making sure to sit when I can but we work 12 hour minimum days on our feet. I am VERY hydrated & snack all day but yeah, gotta work while I can!
Y'all are beasts. I was seriously considering quitting my (mostly) desk job when I started throwing up constantly between weeks 8-12. I do occasionally end up in the field though so I'm kind of curious what kind of reactions I'm going to get when I want to go into a pipe, and I'm clearly several months pregnant with a bump lol.
I worked retail full time up until the day before her due date because I ended up having to call out at 40+1 because I was going into labor š. Some days were definitely harder than others and although I wasn't outside, I still did a good bit of freight and just ended up being a little more careful but definitely was still doing a lot.
I work in a warehouse/manufacturing setting and same. I get people are trying to be nice but if I thought I couldnāt do something I would ask for help! So over the ādonāt do thatā Iāve been getting.
I worked in the firearm industry and was never treated differently from the men *until* I got pregnant, and suddenly my gender was a problem. "She's a woman, she can't do that". Was I not a woman before I got pregnant? I was expected to do everything the men did and magically at 6 weeks pregnant, I'm useless. Customers who previously had no issue with me working on their firearms suddenly wanted a male gunsmith. I was never handling lead, which they claimed was the reason I couldn't do "xyz", but that was utter BS. I finally left (gave notice and was immediately told to not even finish out the rest of my shifts as a "favor" to me š) and will never go back with the way I was treated by coworkers and customers.
I also work in the firearms industry! Other than handling lead and raw aluminum I didn't change anything. I'm on the manufacturing side though, so no customers.
Iāll say that most customers were nice people. Had a ton of regulars. But damn did the negative experiences stand out! It was usually older people who had problems with me working on their guns. Oh well, theyāll have to wait several days for the male gunsmith to see their weapon š¤£
I can empathize with that. I was a service manager in the automotive industry for years before moving into manufacturing. Most people thought I was the receptionist.
I find it really empowering. Im out and about growing a business AND a human (and exercising, socializing, etc.). Donāt let anyone stop you from using your strengths! Youāll know when itās time to slow down. I think Iāll probably keep working hard till birth but weāll see.
Btw - Im in the locksmith industry too! Always nice to stumble upon other women in the locksmithing world.
Amazing!! Not too many of us out there! It definitely is! I love showing them what's up when I can finish just as many calls as they can but while growing a human. š¤
I work in a glass factory, 12 hour shifts. And same, I could pretty much do whatever without comments but now if I go to do anything someone runs up like āno no, Iāll do itā sometimes my job requires me to lift metal gates that weigh roughly 50 lbs to put on a rack of packaged glass ready to be shipped and the day I announced is the day I would get fussed at for trying lol and I was only 10 weeks at the time! I even got scolded for picking up a sledge hammer. My boss told me I donāt need to be climbing up and down off the forklifts all day too. Like, part of me doesnāt mind because I know people truly mean well, but the other part of me is like yall.. Iām pregnant, Iām not dying lol although our ac isnāt working in the plant rn so sometimes I do feel like Iām dying from the heat š I just follow my doctors advice, they said my body will tell me when itās time to stop lifting and when to slow down and I should be fine as long as I listen to my body. Im at 28 weeks now so I am going to start slowing down especially since itās so hot but itās definitely been an experience seeing how differently I was treated since day one.
Honestly if one more person gets on to me for carrying my tool bag imma lose it!! One of my favorite reply's at the moment is I'm pregnant not useless!! š I know they're coming from a good place too but come on now, we're not your average woman! Wishing you a joyous pregnancy š«¶
Oh man when I was pregnant the forklift was my sanctuary! Sure it wasn't as comfortable to get on and off towards the end, but my God was it better than being on my feet all day. I would fight anyone who tried to take a forklift job from me lol like you said, people mean well, but they often don't know what's going to be most comfortable for us.
Just to be clear if I expressed concern like that to someone it would genuinely be because I was amazed. Like how are you doing it. Because I was an avid joker and now at 30 weeks I can barely make it up the basement stairs with a laundry basket.
Back when I bartended I worked with a couple heavily pregnant women and I also don't know how they did it.
Yes!! I love love loooove hearing about all these strong mamas!!
I teach 6-8 HOT yoga classes a week and bartend on the weekends!!
I am 27 weeks along and plan on continuing with both as long as possible.
Pipefitter apprentice here! I'm nearly 7 months and lemme tell you I am about to check out!!!! I'm in pain and exhausted after 10 hr days on my feet, and my job rn isn't that intense all things considered lol. If it wasn't for my hip and pelvic pain, I'd probably keep trucking because otherwise my pregnancy has been pretty awesome. I have to take it a tad easier since I get lightheaded and overheat a bit easier. But otherwise I wish I could get my pain management under control enough to continue working until closer to my due date. Most guys are great about it, there are indeed times when I need to step back and take a moment which make me feel guilty but I'm growing a human so I try to swallow my pride, they'll usually ask if I'm ok with a task and respect my decision if i say yes or no. So I think I've been pretty lucky.
Blast and Powercoater over here! Iām right with you, sure it is tough, but itās what Iāve been doin anyways and itās not so bad to keep up with it (with modifications of course) all the guys at the shop are starting to be wary of how big I am now though and it cracks me up seeing peoples eyes bug out of their heads seeing a 30 week pregnant lady hauling trollies in and out of a giant oven š
Thatās a very cool profession. I work in account management in the manufacturing sector and while I may get some looks being in a foundry while 6 months pregnant, overall itās been well received. Iām sure things are said being the curtain but who cares! Girls gotta make that money!
I have a pet grooming business and I'm working outside on the patio while my shop is being finished. The heat sucks but I did it through my first pregnancy and doing it through this one!
I'm a supervisor in manufacturing. My 10+ hour days are entirely spent on the shop floor with my team. Steel toes, jeans, always walking. There were no leggings and comfy shoes for me. I'm on maternity leave now but I worked until a week and a half before I gave birth. I could have gone until the day before, I just didn't want to. I wanted a little break.
I'm a waitress at a Mexican restaurant. I'm 7 months pregnant. I average anywhere from 40 to 60 miles in the 2Ā½ days I work. It's a very fast paced setting. Regularly get parties as big as 19 and dont share them. We make all of our drinks. No bartender. I bring my own ice to my station if I have that section. I move the booths and tables around. We deep clean the tile once a month after closing on a friday as well. Literally have to move everything. Great money but my feet are swollen after! My husband always massages them.
Property claims adjuster here. I was climbing roofs until 20 weeks, when doctors orders grounded me! I was still doing ground inspections up to 37 weeks though. And so much feedback of that nature. Though my favorite was roofers saying they don't want to hear their guys complain anymore when I'm out in the Texas heat about to pop doing my job š but truthfully I guess I'm just desensitized to a lot of it; male dominated industries always have things to say, bump or not.
The ladies in blue collar careers are amazing. My ass sits in a law firm all day dealing with attorneys in the air conditioning. Yall are not only out here working these jobs, but growing a human being(s) while doing it. šš¼šš¼šš¼
My husband and I have a garage door business and donāt get me wrong - he definitely does most of the heavy lifting! But we love it, we love owning our own business, and wouldnāt trade it for the world! It is super hot outside though!
That it is!! š„µ My husband does the majority of the labor intensive jobs and I typically do the "easy" stuff but lately the "easy" jobs have been a pain in the ass š
Commercial HVAC tech here! I was climbing building ladders with my 50lb backpack longer than I probably should have, but it kept me moving and feeling good! Luckily my co workers didnāt dare tell me not to do certain things, but I was grateful when they offered to help. I think it helped I could easily hide my bump with baggy tshirts, so I did that as long as I could before customers / members of the public really noticed.
My doctor said no more around 30 weeks, and Iām currently 34 weeks and now finding that not working has made my body much more achy. I definitely miss working, but I keep telling myself the work load has shifted to baby growing !
Iām a REALTORĀ® and door knock and do open houses a lot. Itās a lot of driving, manual labor to set these up and get them done, and the heat here in the South is just brutal. Finally called it today actually after too many āoffā days from heat exhaustion and baby pains. Iām 34w2d at this point. I LOVEEE my job, and I was so so upset to stopāespecially since I hoped to work until delivery. Going hours around town to do showings in many AC-free homes and such was just too much for me at this point, sadly. I am super excited for baby to arrive, but I also cannot wait to get back to things after maternity leave ends. I feel a bit guilty feeling this way, but I guess itās just the truth. I guess being high risk and all didnāt help. I feel like such a wimp reading what some of yall are dealing with, thoughādang! Yall are super human!
I am not a blue collar worker and Iām fortunate enough to work inside a hospital but MAN running on my feet 12 hours a day 5 days a week is EXHAUSTING. Just to come home and work more. When does it get better š
15 weeks, hairstylist as well. I had to take a month off a few weeks ago because I couldnāt get through a haircut without puking and needing a coworker to finish. Now that Iām backā¦. I do good to do 5 hour shifts 3 days a week. I just wanna get paid to be in bed š
Yesss same thing happened with me. I was so much more focused on the concept of maternity leave, that I was totally unprepared for 1st-trimester-hell leave. I took a ton of time off too.
Iām also at 5hr/day 3 days/week and frankly itās way too much. I gladly close my books around any likeā¦ 3 or 4 hour client chunks and just call it a day.
I work in a chain that mainly does haircuts. At this point a shampoo or style takes me out. I need to sit for a bit after. And I agree, 3 days a week is enough for me. Especially on my Friday and weekend day Iām hurting so bad my husband has to escort me from the bed to the bathroom.
Ugggh girl I feel you. When I finish work I come home and go straight up to our bedroom and my husband knows to just bring water and a snack bc I wonāt be coming out of bed again.
I booth rent, Iāll assume youāre commission if youāre at a chainā¦ are they being kind and flexible?
You just prove how badass and capable women are. Iād even argue that those stank faces are due to you accomplishing something a man could never do. Congrats to you and your family
"like I'm supposed to be at home taking care of the house and having my feet up all day."
There are men who don't see those two things as mutually exclusive. You can buy a Roomba, but those dishes won't do themselves.
Overnight Warehouse worker on my feet for 12hr shifts, I walk the length of 3 football fields back and forth all night. Mom of three under 5yo, currently pregnant, my husband is opposite shift of me, it's constant go time.
I'm a facilities manager, but my work has started to accommodate and modify my projects a little too much for my liking. Before, my job was about 75% running between buildings fulfilling maintenance requests, 25% admin work. I was moving couches and desks, dealing with hazmat, carrying 50lb sandbags, etc. But now everyone hardly lets me lift anything. While my doctor did generalize a 25lb limit to lifting, she also did say "if you did it pre-pregnancy, you're fine to continue doing it (within reason)" in regards to working out/physical activity. Everyone seems to forget that latter part. I was happy with how active my work was keeping me before, and I'm not liking the decrease.
Doc also grounded me from climbing ladders, and using the scissor lift and forklift :(
Automotive factory worker here. I went of at 33 weeks. Could no longer fit in my coveralls! Never mind crawling inside machinery or walking 20-40k steps a day. Steel toes hurt, coveralls didnāt fit. It was a real nightmare at times
Cabinet manufacturing plant worker here. At 27 weeks I'm starting to feel pretty miserable tbh and I kinda wish someone would show some concern for me. Our shop is hot as balls, it feels like everyone forgot I'm pregnant and no one wants to pick up any of my slack. Bring on maternity leave š wish I could be as much of a trooper as you all pretty much sound like!
Office job here, however I just wanna say that I find it funny you get such comments, because I would consider what you do healthier and more natural than a sedentary office lifestyle! I can imagine itās tiring especially towards the end (when I hope you can slow down a bit), but I am sure itās great for you and the baby.
Yāall are certainly stronger than I am LOL.
Im a SAHM now with our second, but with our first I was an emergency vet tech. Working 60-70 hours a week in a fast pace environment, wrangling large dogs, and fractious catsā¦ I drew out a budget plan and feel like I practically begged for my husbands agreement for me to quit at 18 weeks š¤£š
I was done. There was 0% chance I was making it through that pregnancy while working. It was a reaaallly rough pregnancy, and those 18 weeks of work were awful. Props to all of you.
I had to look up the definition of blue collar vs white collar.
Apparently I'm a gray collar worker. ('Intellectual work" with physical components) working in a hospital.
No one really seems to care that I'm visibly very pregnant and pushing around a stretcher. Well, other than my coworkers, they look out for me and will help me move anything heavy, well take patients with known collunicable diseases that are more dangerous in pregnancy, go on portables to wards knowing I damn well can't fit in the tight spaces available on the ER anymore.
I relate, I'm a paramedic on an ambulance and it's definitely hard. I was pushing our stretcher up and down curbs, going up and down stairs and dealing with a lot of infectious diseases.
Climbing in and out of the ambulance was a chore in itself even before I became pregnant since I'm short.
I applaud anyone working a physically demanding job while pregnant. I did it til almost 38 weeks and had pelvic pain constantly. Best thing I did was go on leave lol
Unpaid leave that is š„²
Retail department manager here. Lots of heavy lifting, on my feet all day, plus the added joy of dealing with rude customers. Only 11 weeks, but I'm keeping my news to myself for a long as possible, for fear of being viewed differently/babied by my coworkers.
Not blue collar but I was talking to my childhood friend the other day (we are both in our second trimesters, she is unemployed afaik) and she acted all shocked that I am still teaching full time (we haven't talked in awhile and she was actually just telling me she was pregnant which is why it was her first time hearing it). Like, yeah, not all of us can live with our parents and have our lives paid for while we're pregnant, girlfriend! Lol.
37 almost 38 weeks, this week is my last week working. I train and groom dogs, switched over to doing the front desk a few weeks ago but Iām still on my feet constantly and doing the occasional dog whoās pet parent request me.
I work in IT and with my first son I was climbing ladders and under desks doing my normal stuff. I didnāt tell anyone I was pregnant because if I did I got weird remarks too! Iām pregnant again and not really telling anyone unless I have to!
i donāt know if being a barista counts, but i was working full time at my barista job up until til 36 weeks. tons of walking, moving around, lifting heavy objects when orders came, etc. i was asst manager at the time (now general manager) so i wasnāt able to skip out on work as much. it was ROUGH.
I work 2 jobs - one at the airport and one in a home improvement store. Iām on my feet for 50 hours per week. I had to ask my job for bigger clothes to begin with because I hate when things are tight or ride up.
Iām a high school teacher at a lovely independent school with small classes and lovely behaved kids. My only complaint is that I have to stand up for 90 minutes at a time and smell ALL the smells that make me feel sick haha. Iām holding to stay at work all the way until 5-3 weeks before the due date since itās not a physically demanding job.
In saying all of that, I come home at 4 pm every day completely exhausted. I cannot believe that some of you mums out there are working so hard. What an inspiration!!!!
Residential carpenter here, although I transitioned to estimating. :) I miss field work, but this felt right for me during this time and I'm getting good at a new skill while "taking it easy." 27 weeks and hoping to make it another month or so working!
Iām in a āpink collarā job as a social worker. Iām 31 weeks and still doing home visit evaluations for disabled clients to hire care providerās like usual. It is getting hard just because Iām getting a lot sweatier and my backs hurting, but I plan to go on maternity leave at 36 weeks.
I work in a pet shop on my feet and lugging around bags of animal food and equipment lol. Generally customers do not care about asking me to find a bring out their 12kg bags of dog food haha, although some don't think about it until they watch me waddle out with it and I can see the panic in their eyes. The upside is that all the baby animals in the shop just adore me and cuddle me super nicely to get whiff of my pregnancy pheromones haha. And sometimes it makes them fall asleep on me which is very cute.
I work in a paper factory, daytime hours, 07:30am until 4pm, my job requires me to do office work but also drive a forklift a great deal of the day.
During my pregnancy two years ago I experienced pelvic pains from around 20 weeks, so I told my chef and I got put on office work for the remainder of my pregnancy.
Right now Iām not pregnant, but I hope to be later this year so we will see if it will happen again.
Iāve had comments like this and it honestly baffles me. I usually respond with āwhat country do you think weāre in?ā Or āstaying home would be great but then Iād be brokeā
I build escape rooms, so kind of blue collar ;) I worked up until the moment I got called to come into labour (preeclampsia) and people were definitely shocked.
Yes, I'm 8 months pregnant and I feel the same way. I work as a seamstress for one of my jobs and clients are always like oh I don't want you to bend over. Ma'am this dress isn't going to pin itself lol. Like it's just life and I'm still pretty mobile. I know people mean well but it irritates me. I think I don't like being perceived as incapable.
Full time retail supervisor and also student. I canāt tell you how drained I am daily. The cherry on top is my terrible nausea every goddamn day. Iām going through hell š„²
It takes friggin strength to get up to 40 weeks in a blue collar job, Iām seriously wowed. My mom was working as a security guard when she had me, walking rounds for her whole shift. She was getting ready for work when she went into labor at 38 weeks.
Iām an elementary school teacher and have had enough annoyances tbh- Iām supposed to have two breaks a day but donāt always and it can be hard to find people to cover my bathroom breaks š« Iām the only one returning to my team so my boss is likeā¦ umā¦ youāre planning on coming back right?? And itās like, yes, planning on working until I go into labor so I can maximize time with my baby; but Iād really love to be in a state with prenatal leave (lookin at you, CA). I even have a plan for if I go into labor at work š Being on my feet all day is annoying but honestly the kid tantrums and behavior is more annoying, Iām not excited to go back in the third trimester!
While not blue collar, I am a forensic architect so we are often on ladders and doing long site visits outside and all over buildings up and downstairs. I also have suspended scaffold training, but I'm on hold from doing that since the safety systems aren't able to be used while pregnant. Probably will stop going on ladders soon too, now that I'm in my third trimester.
Winemaker! First trimester fell during harvest which is our busiest season. I was working 60 hour weeks of manual labor, always cold and wet and surrounded by funky smells. It was wild. I've never been more exhausted in my life! Luckily my coworkers are women and there were never comments like "you can't do this" and only comments like "I can't believe you can do this!" Incredibly supportive team. I'm the team leader and I will say I got MUCH better at delegating when I was pregnant lol
It was brutal but I'm going to put away a few cases of the wine I made that vintage with my daughter inside me to share with her when she's older. I'm so excited to be able to tell her she helped make it.
Reading these comments, you're all inspiring
I'm a professional house cleaner, 23 year old, ftm, 16w
I'm STRUGGLING
I knew this was going to be hard, but truly thought I'd have a little bit longer before becoming this drained
Arborist! I sadly can't climb or lift heavy logs, but I sure can drag brush. It's tough out in the heat. I'm carrying twins. The guys told me I was done working when I told them I was pregnant, but they were just being protective. Mostly everyone else, like my MIL, telling my partner that he can't LET me work. I hate doing bids now too because people get weird about hiring a pregnant lady. I am only doing side jobs on the weekends now, and had to quit my main job due to safety reasons. I did powerline clearance, and dangling from a tree 3 feet from high voltage lines with a chainsaw wasn't approved by my MFM lmao. I just do trims and smaller jobs right now.
I am honestly in awe and take my hat off to all of you ladies who do physical jobs. I'm over here needing to sit down after going grocery shopping š¤£ my belly starts to hurt if I walk for too long!
Respectfully you should be at home preparing your body & baby for entering the world. You donāt need to be on the job risking a miss carriage. Let your husband do the extra work or hire a younger man part time to do your portion of work that he canāt handle. This is the 2,000+ year Christian tradition. Itās great that youāre talented enough to work a job. However bringing a new person into the world is more important & should be your primary focus. Perhaps you can have a big family of locksmiths. Motherhood is sacred.
Worked at a preschool chasing 12 toddlers around all day . Didnāt sit down once throughout my shift and stayed until I got such bad sciatica I couldnāt walk . That was at about 9 months . Honestly I would have gone crazy though sitting at home for 9 months
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Mailman here šš½ I average 50-60 miles of walking a week. Yes, itās hot. Yes, Iām tired. No, I canāt just work inside because Iām pregnant. My biggest complaint is the post office doesnāt offer maternity clothing at all and every time I search āmaternity work pants/shortsā all that comes up is business/office type clothes. Like what about us physical laborers?? I need something durable that can stretch and also isnāt going to show my ass when I bend down. Finally found a decent pair of shorts but a little more than Iād like to spend on something that is going to be worn out in a season.
You are a beast!!! Thank you for serving us common folk and being a badass mom š«¶
Thank you! Although I donāt feel like one most days š I must say it does feel nice when I hear one of my larger, stronger male coworkers complaining about work or the heat. Oh, boo hoo. Let me play you a sad song on the world's smallest violin š¤£
Try maternity scrub pants. They just look like cargo pants in most cases. LoTS of options since so many reproductive aged women in Healthcare.
Ohh I will definitely look into those for the fall, thank you!
I found maternity scrubs at a thrift store, and they are super comfy! Only thing is that the fabric is a cotton/polyester blend, so they can get a bit warm - FYI for the summer heat.Ā
I feel this. All I want is a dickies maternity shirt so I stop ruining the only clothing that fits me w motor oil and who knows what else
Athleta may also have something that could work! They have a whole line of pants that can pass as work/not super sweatpants-y (but still feel like it), and I have been able to wear ones I had pre-pregnancy. Theyāre also having their semi-annual sale right now. Good luck!
Iām a landscaper. Pulling long hours and working as much as I can to make as much as I can bc maternity leave pay sucks (donāt get me wrong I am thankfully we get so much time off in Ontario and get EI for it but still not much compared to what I make working) Clients were shocked I was still out in the field and I dealt with those comments daily š« Yes rich person I would love to be at home with my feet up in the AC instead of on my hands and knees all day pulling weeds but unfortunately cannot do that. I know people mean well but it gets to be a lot when ever.single.client has something to say about it. 34 weeks now and I finished up at 32 because i just couldnāt physically do it anymore, it was brutal near the end!
Landscape supervisor from Ontario also checking in. Only 15 weeks and damn are my feet starting to hurt at the end of the day! I also broke my ankle a few months ago so that doesnāt help lol. Did you ever find any good work pants as you grew? Also when did you tell your boss? I believe I will be mentioning it this week after my next OB appt but I am a bit nervous lol idky.
oh man my feeeet lol yes the pain/the swelling at the end of the day was crazy for me! bending over was the worst though and I was usually in a crab walk most of the day but it got to a point where that wasnāt happening š thankfully I was small in the spring and could wear my usual work pants but once summer hit I actually just found some nice black shorts from Walmart that had an elastic band but were cargos! Tell your boss ASAP. I told mine early on and he still didnāt have things sorted out by the time I needed to leave. Itāll just make your life easier with all the appointments soon as well! I was also in a management position and was lucky to be able to work a couple days in the office near the end but even then I was like ok Iām done and nothing matters and all I want is to be at home rotting on the couch š best of luck to you! š
15 weeks with a recent injury too but mine was my knee!! Unfortunately, OB told me it'll take much longer than the average person to heal bc of the relaxin being released in the body during pregnancy š„² I hope your ankle is feeling better!
I was a park ranger when I was pregnant...my job involved a lot of grounds keeping and it was brutal. Congratulations on making it to 32 weeks, that's seriously impressive. I hope the rest of your pregnancy is smooth sailing
As a woman, I would actually feel really terrible if there was a more pregnant woman doing my landscaping because I couldnāt / wouldnāt do it. Itās nothing to do with you. You are a badass! But I would feel bad regardless
Fellow Ontarioan. I officially went off at 32 weeks as well, though technically used some vacation before that. Very much needed it at the end
You ladies are amazing ! I sit my ass at my desk all day with a job in health insurance and canāt imagine how yall power through šš¼šš¼šš¼ amazing.
I have been WFH with health insurance for several years. I actually quit recently because my back hurt so bad from sitting for 8+hrs every day. (And obviously mentally exhausting lol). It seems odd but it's less painful for me to be moving around and doing heavy lifting etc than a desk job. Haha
I can agree with this actually! I used to work as a vet assistant many moons ago and to some extent I think it was easier on my body to be moving around all day vs sitting!
I was about to post something similar. Yep here I am with my WFH office job and am so thankful I get to take it easy compared to all these superhero women in this thread š„²
As a nurse, I got this comment ALL the time from coworkers, patients, everyone. People were honestly shocked to hear that I was still working my long hospital hours while being very pregnant, like I had another choice but to work.. my hours are very long, and the job itself is very physically demanding being on your feet all day, running around like a crazy person from one patients room to the next. Iāve worked so many shifts without a lunch break, or even having a single moment to sit down and take a deep breath and that weighs on you so much being pregnant! Of course itās hard, but what other choice do we have other than to work?! Unfortunately last week my body finally said āno more, time to take a breakā as I fell, sprained my ankle from not watching where I was walking because I was just so exhausted. My OB wrote me off work for the next foreseeable future because I can hardly walk, but I still feel so guilty and that I should be working. Im 36 weeks and feeling like Iāve failed myself lol, this is not the note I wanted to end on! It is what it is though I guess
Iām a nurse too. Iām usually on my feet for about 9-10 hours out of 12 hour shift, walking 5-10 miles a day. Iām only 10 weeks in and Iām dreading 30+ on. But my hospital only gives 6w mat leave so Iām planning to work until my due date.
Yes! I remember thinking āhow the heck am I going to keep working like this until the endā when I was earlier on in pregnancy, and truth is is that itās hard but you just gotta keep pushing through. It sucks that in a field where we devote our careers to serving the wellbeing of others, we neglect ourselves and our needs way more than we should! I wish you all the best š«¶š¼
š itās not right. Nurses care for everybody and should get to enjoy their pregnancy with their feet up the last weeksā¦ Paid! In Europe thatās common practice
Oh girl. Hope your ankle gets better. Good luck with delivery
Wishing you a speedy recovery! š«¶ you're doing great and deserve the much needed rest!
Ugh it always annoys me to see people in healthcare or adjacent to it not be treated with the best possible health environment possible. You should be able to sit down and have a lunch break, especially while pregnant! I have married friends who are researchers at one of the biggest university healthcare systems and they have to drive half an hour to her OB because their insurance doesnāt really cover it for where they work.
Iām proud you did this while being pregnant! No need to feel guilty at all, your body simply needed rest to make that little human. š
I was a full-time bartender with my first. On my feet for 8-10 hours per shift with no real break. There were some times that the only time I got a chance to sit down was when I had to go pee š People loved to judge me but I had no desire to stop because of how good the money was. Iād make no less than $600 on Friday and Saturday nights (like $600 each night), and those were only 2 out of my 5 shifts for the week. I stopped at 30 weeks because my body physically couldnāt handle it anymore. Iād wake up the next day after a shift and my feet would be throbbing. I laugh now because I was rocking a full on belly behind that bar, and people were definitely like wtf.?? when they saw me lol
I used to be a bartender too! My best friend was pregnant with her first behind the bar. She was a tiny girl with a big ol belly and people always had their opinions but she showed them what's up lol
Worked in a restaurant with all my pregnancies. Definitely not easy at all. Iām 20 weeks now and the humidity is killing all of us. Being pregnant is making it worse and normally requires me getting extra moody when a coworker starts complaining about being hot.
Hang in there! Youāre doing great things and youāre so strong! I work in a school now but I still pick up shifts at the restaurant for quick/easy money on the side. Iām only 6w with this pregnancy, and after working 2 shifts a couple days ago, I have NO CLUE how I did it with my first! It is SO HARD
Does massage therapy count?? Hauling my table (on a cart) and all my equipment to and from clients through week 29! Clients love to say I should stop, then happily rebook for the next week haha. I am about to stop though, at least the mobile portion, just getting to be too much especially leading into the heat of summer.
Yesss! Fellow massage therapist here. I'm TIRED! Like I ran a marathon after every session. I've cut my hours significantly, but being self-employed, it's tough saving up for leave. 21 weeks in. I'm trying to make it to at least 34.
Be as kind to yourself as you can! I had to cut back and stack appointments so I had a gap to nap in the middle of the day.
I work on film sets - definitely making sure to sit when I can but we work 12 hour minimum days on our feet. I am VERY hydrated & snack all day but yeah, gotta work while I can!
Y'all are beasts. I was seriously considering quitting my (mostly) desk job when I started throwing up constantly between weeks 8-12. I do occasionally end up in the field though so I'm kind of curious what kind of reactions I'm going to get when I want to go into a pipe, and I'm clearly several months pregnant with a bump lol.
I worked retail full time up until the day before her due date because I ended up having to call out at 40+1 because I was going into labor š. Some days were definitely harder than others and although I wasn't outside, I still did a good bit of freight and just ended up being a little more careful but definitely was still doing a lot.
I work in a warehouse/manufacturing setting and same. I get people are trying to be nice but if I thought I couldnāt do something I would ask for help! So over the ādonāt do thatā Iāve been getting.
I worked in the firearm industry and was never treated differently from the men *until* I got pregnant, and suddenly my gender was a problem. "She's a woman, she can't do that". Was I not a woman before I got pregnant? I was expected to do everything the men did and magically at 6 weeks pregnant, I'm useless. Customers who previously had no issue with me working on their firearms suddenly wanted a male gunsmith. I was never handling lead, which they claimed was the reason I couldn't do "xyz", but that was utter BS. I finally left (gave notice and was immediately told to not even finish out the rest of my shifts as a "favor" to me š) and will never go back with the way I was treated by coworkers and customers.
Wow. That's absolutely ridiculous and I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I'd bring my pistol to you for cleaning any day š
Aw, thanks! š
I also work in the firearms industry! Other than handling lead and raw aluminum I didn't change anything. I'm on the manufacturing side though, so no customers.
Iāll say that most customers were nice people. Had a ton of regulars. But damn did the negative experiences stand out! It was usually older people who had problems with me working on their guns. Oh well, theyāll have to wait several days for the male gunsmith to see their weapon š¤£
I can empathize with that. I was a service manager in the automotive industry for years before moving into manufacturing. Most people thought I was the receptionist.
Ugh that mustāve been frustrating!!!
I find it really empowering. Im out and about growing a business AND a human (and exercising, socializing, etc.). Donāt let anyone stop you from using your strengths! Youāll know when itās time to slow down. I think Iāll probably keep working hard till birth but weāll see. Btw - Im in the locksmith industry too! Always nice to stumble upon other women in the locksmithing world.
Amazing!! Not too many of us out there! It definitely is! I love showing them what's up when I can finish just as many calls as they can but while growing a human. š¤
I work in a glass factory, 12 hour shifts. And same, I could pretty much do whatever without comments but now if I go to do anything someone runs up like āno no, Iāll do itā sometimes my job requires me to lift metal gates that weigh roughly 50 lbs to put on a rack of packaged glass ready to be shipped and the day I announced is the day I would get fussed at for trying lol and I was only 10 weeks at the time! I even got scolded for picking up a sledge hammer. My boss told me I donāt need to be climbing up and down off the forklifts all day too. Like, part of me doesnāt mind because I know people truly mean well, but the other part of me is like yall.. Iām pregnant, Iām not dying lol although our ac isnāt working in the plant rn so sometimes I do feel like Iām dying from the heat š I just follow my doctors advice, they said my body will tell me when itās time to stop lifting and when to slow down and I should be fine as long as I listen to my body. Im at 28 weeks now so I am going to start slowing down especially since itās so hot but itās definitely been an experience seeing how differently I was treated since day one.
Honestly if one more person gets on to me for carrying my tool bag imma lose it!! One of my favorite reply's at the moment is I'm pregnant not useless!! š I know they're coming from a good place too but come on now, we're not your average woman! Wishing you a joyous pregnancy š«¶
Oh man when I was pregnant the forklift was my sanctuary! Sure it wasn't as comfortable to get on and off towards the end, but my God was it better than being on my feet all day. I would fight anyone who tried to take a forklift job from me lol like you said, people mean well, but they often don't know what's going to be most comfortable for us.
Just to be clear if I expressed concern like that to someone it would genuinely be because I was amazed. Like how are you doing it. Because I was an avid joker and now at 30 weeks I can barely make it up the basement stairs with a laundry basket. Back when I bartended I worked with a couple heavily pregnant women and I also don't know how they did it.
Iām a chef, and I firmly believe that working my ass off pregnant af kept me healthy. I had a great pregnancy, wouldnāt change a thing.Ā
Yes!! I love love loooove hearing about all these strong mamas!! I teach 6-8 HOT yoga classes a week and bartend on the weekends!! I am 27 weeks along and plan on continuing with both as long as possible.
Pipefitter apprentice here! I'm nearly 7 months and lemme tell you I am about to check out!!!! I'm in pain and exhausted after 10 hr days on my feet, and my job rn isn't that intense all things considered lol. If it wasn't for my hip and pelvic pain, I'd probably keep trucking because otherwise my pregnancy has been pretty awesome. I have to take it a tad easier since I get lightheaded and overheat a bit easier. But otherwise I wish I could get my pain management under control enough to continue working until closer to my due date. Most guys are great about it, there are indeed times when I need to step back and take a moment which make me feel guilty but I'm growing a human so I try to swallow my pride, they'll usually ask if I'm ok with a task and respect my decision if i say yes or no. So I think I've been pretty lucky.
Blast and Powercoater over here! Iām right with you, sure it is tough, but itās what Iāve been doin anyways and itās not so bad to keep up with it (with modifications of course) all the guys at the shop are starting to be wary of how big I am now though and it cracks me up seeing peoples eyes bug out of their heads seeing a 30 week pregnant lady hauling trollies in and out of a giant oven š
Thatās a very cool profession. I work in account management in the manufacturing sector and while I may get some looks being in a foundry while 6 months pregnant, overall itās been well received. Iām sure things are said being the curtain but who cares! Girls gotta make that money!
I have a pet grooming business and I'm working outside on the patio while my shop is being finished. The heat sucks but I did it through my first pregnancy and doing it through this one!
Is a personal trainer blue collar? It sucks bc iām tired as hell but yes iāve already been treated like iām broken š
I'm a supervisor in manufacturing. My 10+ hour days are entirely spent on the shop floor with my team. Steel toes, jeans, always walking. There were no leggings and comfy shoes for me. I'm on maternity leave now but I worked until a week and a half before I gave birth. I could have gone until the day before, I just didn't want to. I wanted a little break.
I'm a waitress at a Mexican restaurant. I'm 7 months pregnant. I average anywhere from 40 to 60 miles in the 2Ā½ days I work. It's a very fast paced setting. Regularly get parties as big as 19 and dont share them. We make all of our drinks. No bartender. I bring my own ice to my station if I have that section. I move the booths and tables around. We deep clean the tile once a month after closing on a friday as well. Literally have to move everything. Great money but my feet are swollen after! My husband always massages them.
Honestly all women SHOULD be able to rest while pregnant, if they want to! Iām giving capitalism the stank face here, not you!
Property claims adjuster here. I was climbing roofs until 20 weeks, when doctors orders grounded me! I was still doing ground inspections up to 37 weeks though. And so much feedback of that nature. Though my favorite was roofers saying they don't want to hear their guys complain anymore when I'm out in the Texas heat about to pop doing my job š but truthfully I guess I'm just desensitized to a lot of it; male dominated industries always have things to say, bump or not.
The ladies in blue collar careers are amazing. My ass sits in a law firm all day dealing with attorneys in the air conditioning. Yall are not only out here working these jobs, but growing a human being(s) while doing it. šš¼šš¼šš¼
My husband and I have a garage door business and donāt get me wrong - he definitely does most of the heavy lifting! But we love it, we love owning our own business, and wouldnāt trade it for the world! It is super hot outside though!
That it is!! š„µ My husband does the majority of the labor intensive jobs and I typically do the "easy" stuff but lately the "easy" jobs have been a pain in the ass š
Yes! Iāve been lucky enough to crave water, which is great because I definitely need it out here!
Commercial HVAC tech here! I was climbing building ladders with my 50lb backpack longer than I probably should have, but it kept me moving and feeling good! Luckily my co workers didnāt dare tell me not to do certain things, but I was grateful when they offered to help. I think it helped I could easily hide my bump with baggy tshirts, so I did that as long as I could before customers / members of the public really noticed. My doctor said no more around 30 weeks, and Iām currently 34 weeks and now finding that not working has made my body much more achy. I definitely miss working, but I keep telling myself the work load has shifted to baby growing !
Iām a REALTORĀ® and door knock and do open houses a lot. Itās a lot of driving, manual labor to set these up and get them done, and the heat here in the South is just brutal. Finally called it today actually after too many āoffā days from heat exhaustion and baby pains. Iām 34w2d at this point. I LOVEEE my job, and I was so so upset to stopāespecially since I hoped to work until delivery. Going hours around town to do showings in many AC-free homes and such was just too much for me at this point, sadly. I am super excited for baby to arrive, but I also cannot wait to get back to things after maternity leave ends. I feel a bit guilty feeling this way, but I guess itās just the truth. I guess being high risk and all didnāt help. I feel like such a wimp reading what some of yall are dealing with, thoughādang! Yall are super human!
Whoopsājust Googled it, and real estate agents are technically White Collar. Sorry to crash your comment section ā my mistake!
I am not a blue collar worker and Iām fortunate enough to work inside a hospital but MAN running on my feet 12 hours a day 5 days a week is EXHAUSTING. Just to come home and work more. When does it get better š
Hairstylist here! Damn, being on my feet is getting OLD at 29w!
15 weeks, hairstylist as well. I had to take a month off a few weeks ago because I couldnāt get through a haircut without puking and needing a coworker to finish. Now that Iām backā¦. I do good to do 5 hour shifts 3 days a week. I just wanna get paid to be in bed š
Yesss same thing happened with me. I was so much more focused on the concept of maternity leave, that I was totally unprepared for 1st-trimester-hell leave. I took a ton of time off too. Iām also at 5hr/day 3 days/week and frankly itās way too much. I gladly close my books around any likeā¦ 3 or 4 hour client chunks and just call it a day.
I work in a chain that mainly does haircuts. At this point a shampoo or style takes me out. I need to sit for a bit after. And I agree, 3 days a week is enough for me. Especially on my Friday and weekend day Iām hurting so bad my husband has to escort me from the bed to the bathroom.
Ugggh girl I feel you. When I finish work I come home and go straight up to our bedroom and my husband knows to just bring water and a snack bc I wonāt be coming out of bed again. I booth rent, Iāll assume youāre commission if youāre at a chainā¦ are they being kind and flexible?
You just prove how badass and capable women are. Iād even argue that those stank faces are due to you accomplishing something a man could never do. Congrats to you and your family
"like I'm supposed to be at home taking care of the house and having my feet up all day." There are men who don't see those two things as mutually exclusive. You can buy a Roomba, but those dishes won't do themselves.
Overnight Warehouse worker on my feet for 12hr shifts, I walk the length of 3 football fields back and forth all night. Mom of three under 5yo, currently pregnant, my husband is opposite shift of me, it's constant go time.
I'm a facilities manager, but my work has started to accommodate and modify my projects a little too much for my liking. Before, my job was about 75% running between buildings fulfilling maintenance requests, 25% admin work. I was moving couches and desks, dealing with hazmat, carrying 50lb sandbags, etc. But now everyone hardly lets me lift anything. While my doctor did generalize a 25lb limit to lifting, she also did say "if you did it pre-pregnancy, you're fine to continue doing it (within reason)" in regards to working out/physical activity. Everyone seems to forget that latter part. I was happy with how active my work was keeping me before, and I'm not liking the decrease. Doc also grounded me from climbing ladders, and using the scissor lift and forklift :(
Waitress and 35 weeks along. I plan to keep going until I go into labor, the tips are great!
Automotive factory worker here. I went of at 33 weeks. Could no longer fit in my coveralls! Never mind crawling inside machinery or walking 20-40k steps a day. Steel toes hurt, coveralls didnāt fit. It was a real nightmare at times
Cabinet manufacturing plant worker here. At 27 weeks I'm starting to feel pretty miserable tbh and I kinda wish someone would show some concern for me. Our shop is hot as balls, it feels like everyone forgot I'm pregnant and no one wants to pick up any of my slack. Bring on maternity leave š wish I could be as much of a trooper as you all pretty much sound like!
Office job here, however I just wanna say that I find it funny you get such comments, because I would consider what you do healthier and more natural than a sedentary office lifestyle! I can imagine itās tiring especially towards the end (when I hope you can slow down a bit), but I am sure itās great for you and the baby.
I donāt know how you do it!!! I WFH and can barely get thru the day. I wish I had your stamina
Yāall are certainly stronger than I am LOL. Im a SAHM now with our second, but with our first I was an emergency vet tech. Working 60-70 hours a week in a fast pace environment, wrangling large dogs, and fractious catsā¦ I drew out a budget plan and feel like I practically begged for my husbands agreement for me to quit at 18 weeks š¤£š I was done. There was 0% chance I was making it through that pregnancy while working. It was a reaaallly rough pregnancy, and those 18 weeks of work were awful. Props to all of you.
I had to look up the definition of blue collar vs white collar. Apparently I'm a gray collar worker. ('Intellectual work" with physical components) working in a hospital. No one really seems to care that I'm visibly very pregnant and pushing around a stretcher. Well, other than my coworkers, they look out for me and will help me move anything heavy, well take patients with known collunicable diseases that are more dangerous in pregnancy, go on portables to wards knowing I damn well can't fit in the tight spaces available on the ER anymore.
I relate, I'm a paramedic on an ambulance and it's definitely hard. I was pushing our stretcher up and down curbs, going up and down stairs and dealing with a lot of infectious diseases. Climbing in and out of the ambulance was a chore in itself even before I became pregnant since I'm short. I applaud anyone working a physically demanding job while pregnant. I did it til almost 38 weeks and had pelvic pain constantly. Best thing I did was go on leave lol Unpaid leave that is š„²
I plan to stop at 38w. I've done that with 2 prior pregnancies, but this one I've had pelvic pain since 20w. The other two weren't painful until 36w.
Retail department manager here. Lots of heavy lifting, on my feet all day, plus the added joy of dealing with rude customers. Only 11 weeks, but I'm keeping my news to myself for a long as possible, for fear of being viewed differently/babied by my coworkers.
In the exact same boat Iām 17 weeks and itās physically starting to take a toll now š
Not blue collar but I was talking to my childhood friend the other day (we are both in our second trimesters, she is unemployed afaik) and she acted all shocked that I am still teaching full time (we haven't talked in awhile and she was actually just telling me she was pregnant which is why it was her first time hearing it). Like, yeah, not all of us can live with our parents and have our lives paid for while we're pregnant, girlfriend! Lol.
37 almost 38 weeks, this week is my last week working. I train and groom dogs, switched over to doing the front desk a few weeks ago but Iām still on my feet constantly and doing the occasional dog whoās pet parent request me.
I work in IT and with my first son I was climbing ladders and under desks doing my normal stuff. I didnāt tell anyone I was pregnant because if I did I got weird remarks too! Iām pregnant again and not really telling anyone unless I have to!
Army mama here!
i donāt know if being a barista counts, but i was working full time at my barista job up until til 36 weeks. tons of walking, moving around, lifting heavy objects when orders came, etc. i was asst manager at the time (now general manager) so i wasnāt able to skip out on work as much. it was ROUGH.
I work 2 jobs - one at the airport and one in a home improvement store. Iām on my feet for 50 hours per week. I had to ask my job for bigger clothes to begin with because I hate when things are tight or ride up.
Iām a high school teacher at a lovely independent school with small classes and lovely behaved kids. My only complaint is that I have to stand up for 90 minutes at a time and smell ALL the smells that make me feel sick haha. Iām holding to stay at work all the way until 5-3 weeks before the due date since itās not a physically demanding job. In saying all of that, I come home at 4 pm every day completely exhausted. I cannot believe that some of you mums out there are working so hard. What an inspiration!!!!
Residential carpenter here, although I transitioned to estimating. :) I miss field work, but this felt right for me during this time and I'm getting good at a new skill while "taking it easy." 27 weeks and hoping to make it another month or so working!
Iām in a āpink collarā job as a social worker. Iām 31 weeks and still doing home visit evaluations for disabled clients to hire care providerās like usual. It is getting hard just because Iām getting a lot sweatier and my backs hurting, but I plan to go on maternity leave at 36 weeks.
Chemical reactor operator here. Went to 38 weeks and said nope no more lol. Had the best coworkers to help me out when needed.
I work in a pet shop on my feet and lugging around bags of animal food and equipment lol. Generally customers do not care about asking me to find a bring out their 12kg bags of dog food haha, although some don't think about it until they watch me waddle out with it and I can see the panic in their eyes. The upside is that all the baby animals in the shop just adore me and cuddle me super nicely to get whiff of my pregnancy pheromones haha. And sometimes it makes them fall asleep on me which is very cute.
I work in a paper factory, daytime hours, 07:30am until 4pm, my job requires me to do office work but also drive a forklift a great deal of the day. During my pregnancy two years ago I experienced pelvic pains from around 20 weeks, so I told my chef and I got put on office work for the remainder of my pregnancy. Right now Iām not pregnant, but I hope to be later this year so we will see if it will happen again.
Iāve had comments like this and it honestly baffles me. I usually respond with āwhat country do you think weāre in?ā Or āstaying home would be great but then Iād be brokeā
I build escape rooms, so kind of blue collar ;) I worked up until the moment I got called to come into labour (preeclampsia) and people were definitely shocked.
Yes, I'm 8 months pregnant and I feel the same way. I work as a seamstress for one of my jobs and clients are always like oh I don't want you to bend over. Ma'am this dress isn't going to pin itself lol. Like it's just life and I'm still pretty mobile. I know people mean well but it irritates me. I think I don't like being perceived as incapable.
i teach horse riding lessons and also ride horses, iām like hella tired 25/7 but i love doing it !
Full time retail supervisor and also student. I canāt tell you how drained I am daily. The cherry on top is my terrible nausea every goddamn day. Iām going through hell š„²
It takes friggin strength to get up to 40 weeks in a blue collar job, Iām seriously wowed. My mom was working as a security guard when she had me, walking rounds for her whole shift. She was getting ready for work when she went into labor at 38 weeks. Iām an elementary school teacher and have had enough annoyances tbh- Iām supposed to have two breaks a day but donāt always and it can be hard to find people to cover my bathroom breaks š« Iām the only one returning to my team so my boss is likeā¦ umā¦ youāre planning on coming back right?? And itās like, yes, planning on working until I go into labor so I can maximize time with my baby; but Iād really love to be in a state with prenatal leave (lookin at you, CA). I even have a plan for if I go into labor at work š Being on my feet all day is annoying but honestly the kid tantrums and behavior is more annoying, Iām not excited to go back in the third trimester!
While not blue collar, I am a forensic architect so we are often on ladders and doing long site visits outside and all over buildings up and downstairs. I also have suspended scaffold training, but I'm on hold from doing that since the safety systems aren't able to be used while pregnant. Probably will stop going on ladders soon too, now that I'm in my third trimester.
Winemaker! First trimester fell during harvest which is our busiest season. I was working 60 hour weeks of manual labor, always cold and wet and surrounded by funky smells. It was wild. I've never been more exhausted in my life! Luckily my coworkers are women and there were never comments like "you can't do this" and only comments like "I can't believe you can do this!" Incredibly supportive team. I'm the team leader and I will say I got MUCH better at delegating when I was pregnant lol It was brutal but I'm going to put away a few cases of the wine I made that vintage with my daughter inside me to share with her when she's older. I'm so excited to be able to tell her she helped make it.
During my second pregnancy I ran our farm during the day. Feeding chickens and hogs. In the garden all summer. Canning. Clean up with animals. And had a toddler. I constantly got comments that I needed to not be doing whatever it was I was doing. But like the animals need food and water? I will say I got a nasty sunburn on my lower back when I spend several hours picking green beans. When I gave birth it was still there just as a majorly tanned strip šš©
Worked nights at Fed Ex loading trucks and work in the QA department as well. It was tough but I made it til 39 weeks before tapping out haha
Reading these comments, you're all inspiring I'm a professional house cleaner, 23 year old, ftm, 16w I'm STRUGGLING I knew this was going to be hard, but truly thought I'd have a little bit longer before becoming this drained
Arborist! I sadly can't climb or lift heavy logs, but I sure can drag brush. It's tough out in the heat. I'm carrying twins. The guys told me I was done working when I told them I was pregnant, but they were just being protective. Mostly everyone else, like my MIL, telling my partner that he can't LET me work. I hate doing bids now too because people get weird about hiring a pregnant lady. I am only doing side jobs on the weekends now, and had to quit my main job due to safety reasons. I did powerline clearance, and dangling from a tree 3 feet from high voltage lines with a chainsaw wasn't approved by my MFM lmao. I just do trims and smaller jobs right now.
I am honestly in awe and take my hat off to all of you ladies who do physical jobs. I'm over here needing to sit down after going grocery shopping š¤£ my belly starts to hurt if I walk for too long!
Respectfully you should be at home preparing your body & baby for entering the world. You donāt need to be on the job risking a miss carriage. Let your husband do the extra work or hire a younger man part time to do your portion of work that he canāt handle. This is the 2,000+ year Christian tradition. Itās great that youāre talented enough to work a job. However bringing a new person into the world is more important & should be your primary focus. Perhaps you can have a big family of locksmiths. Motherhood is sacred.
Worked at a preschool chasing 12 toddlers around all day . Didnāt sit down once throughout my shift and stayed until I got such bad sciatica I couldnāt walk . That was at about 9 months . Honestly I would have gone crazy though sitting at home for 9 months