Navigating Pregnancy, Motherhood, and the Workplace
70% of women today go back to work after having a baby. Here’s how to navigate pregnancy & new motherhood at work while maintaining mental health.
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Series Overview
Perinatal Mental Health Changes to Expect & How They Affect Work 11 Min
There are major mental and emotional health challenges that pregnant women and new mothers may face while at work, and upon returning to work. Dr. Sarah Oreck sheds light on these challenges, as well as best practices for planning appointments around your work schedule, in our first session.
Practical Workplace Strategies for a Successful Pregnancy 14 Min
In this session, Dr. Sarah breaks down the best way to tell a boss or supervisor about a new pregnancy. She shares how to communicate with a boss or manager during each stage of pregnancy (if you feel it’s necessary), and how to maintain physical and mental health while at work during this critical time.
How to Foster Open Communication & Avoid Conflict at Work 11 Min
This session sheds light on how to navigate the workplace as a new or expectant mother, how to ensure employers and other employees best support the new or expectant mother, and how to foster open communication around any potential conflicts or issues in the workplace.
How to Plan for Future Parenting Duties 10 Min
How can an expectant mother and spouse best plan for the postnatal period if they both want to work? This session breaks down how expectant mothers can leave work while leaving the door open for returning—among other parental planning strategies.
How to Accommodate for Returning to Work 9 Min
Many new parents feel “parent guilt” upon returning to work. In our final session, Dr. Sarah Oreck explains how to avoid and cope with this common feeling—and how to transition back to work in general. She also shares important mental health and wellness strategies for new mothers who either work from home or work in the office.
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You can get free access to all 5 segments of this video series when you become a MedCircle Member. You’ll also get access to weekly virtual workshops and more than 900 educational and inspiring videos.
About the Series
70 percent of women today go back to work after having a baby. That number has increased substantially over the past 40 years. Workplace accommodations for pregnancy have not grown as quickly.
Both pregnancy and new motherhood are stressful as it is; without the tools to effectively navigate the workplace, this stress may only increase.
However, there is hope; there are mental health and wellness strategies that work.
Reproductive psychiatrist, Dr. Sarah Oreck sees firsthand how this disparity affects new and expectant mothers and their partners — and has witnessed how providing the right support for working mothers during pregnancy begins with the right education.
Throughout these five sessions, expectant mothers will learn how to cope with their pregnancy symptoms in the workplace; they’ll understand how to navigate the workplace culture in order to announce their pregnancy; finally, they’ll discover how to get creative in planning for the postnatal period at work and at home.
Employers will also gain invaluable advice for supporting these employees by uncovering best practices for prioritizing their health and wellbeing.
It goes without saying that women are an absolutely integral part of the workforce. This education is the first step in creating a workplace built for everyone — men and women.
Who is this series for?
This series is for new and expectant mothers who need to understand how to navigate pregnancy or new motherhood and the workplace.
This series is also incredibly helpful for partners and loved ones of new and expectant mothers who are working or plan to return to work.
Managers, leaders, and workplaces can also glean invaluable insight on how to best support employees who are new or expectant mothers.
In this series, you’ll discover:
- Best strategies for planning doctors appointments and other necessary commitments around a work schedule—and how to prioritize health within the confines of a work schedule
- Common workplace practices that are conducive to maintaining mental and physical health during pregnancy and new motherhood
- How employers can best support new or expectant mothers and be aware of subtle and unintentional workplace discrimination against pregnancy and new motherhood
- Why there can be behavioral and mental health benefits of daycare and nannying—and strategies for finding affordable childcare after going back to work
- Strategies for making the transition back to work as smooth as possible—especially while planning with a spouse
“What do we value in the workplace? Do we value people who work like crazy, who don’t take care of themselves or their health…or can we shift to some greater balance? There, we can start to value that someone wants to expand their family.”
Board Certified Psychiatrist, M.D., M.S.
Start Watching This Series Now!
You can get free access to all 5 segments of this video series when you become a MedCircle Member. You’ll also get access to every video series from the MedCircle doctors.
