No matter what your job, staying comfortable, relatively stressless, and economically secure during your pregnancy is essential.

Staying Comfortable

Pregnant women who do work on their feet should make a habit of changing positions often and moving when possible. Wear comfortable shoes and consider support stockings.

For jobs that require a lot of sit-down time, make sure you have an ergonomically appropriate chair that promotes good posture. A lumbar support pad can also help ease pregnancy-related lower back pain, and you can put up your feet under your desk on a small stool or even on a stack of phonebooks. If you work a desk job, look for opportunities to get up and about. Take a walk to speak with a coworker instead of picking up the phone or hand deliver a memo instead of using e-mail.

Scheduling Doctor Visits

With luck, your employer recognizes that good prenatal care translates to a healthier, more productive employee and, in the long run, to less time spent out of the office to care for sick kids. However, if you do face resistance in taking time off for doctor's visits, remember that prenatal care is considered necessary medical care and is covered under the FMLA. If all else fails, you can invoke your legal rights.

In the meantime, find out whether your provider has evening, weekend, or early morning appointments that might fit around your workday. If you must go during office hours and your supervisor isn't pleased, offer her the alternative option of taking the entire day of your appointment off as vacation or unpaid leave instead. Perhaps she'll look upon your short absence in a new light.

I asked for three months of unpaid maternity leave and was fired for a “lack of dedication.” What can I do?

Contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) office at 1-800-669-4000. If you're covered by the FMLA, your former employer has broken the law. Don't wait too long — there are time limits on when charges of employment discrimination must be filed.

If you're getting static for meeting basic prenatal care requirements now, just think what it will be like when you need time off to care for a sick child or to keep a well-baby appointment. File a family-unfriendly mental note for follow-up postpartum. Companies that score poorly in supporting their pregnant employees will probably continue the trend postpregnancy. If too many red flags are raised during your pregnancy, once you reach maternity leave it's probably time to look for a company that recognizes the value of personal as well as professional fulfillment in their employees.

Controlling Stress

The workplace can be a stress hotbed. Deadlines, personality conflicts, difficult clients, quotas, overtime, and more make for a pressure cooker that's not good for you or baby. Try to maintain some perspective and peace of mind by realizing that petty office politics means little in comparison to the health and well-being of your child. (Return to Chapter 4 for tips on coping effectively with stress.)

Remember that others don't control your feelings — you do. If work pressures and the attitudes of others are starting to wear you down, consider a yoga or meditation class to keep yourself balanced.