Congrats! You’re going to be a mums, and what exciting times you have ahead. Unfortunately, while your family, friends and colleagues may be excited for you, strangers on your commute probably won’t share the joy…
So, how can you make your commute to work as stress free and comfortable as possible?
1. Tweak your work start and finish times
Going to work and finishing slightly earlier or later to avoid the commute is a good idea if you’re normal mode of transport has a lot of commuters.
If you’ve often been content to sit on the stairs in the bus, or stand up during a half and hour train journey pre pregnancy, it’s not a good idea to put you or your baby through that – especially in your third trimester. Ask your employer if you can tweak the hours you start and finish a little to avoid rush hour, so you can be safer travelling to and from work.
2. Make it obvious
These days, commuters are too busy with their smartphones, or glued to their Kindles to even notice a baby bump. And those who do are often terrified to get it wrong – there’s nothing more embarrassing than offering your seat for someone who looks pregnant and being snapped at because they’re not.
Our sister site, Babyonboardbadge.co.uk produces badges that pregnant women can wear during their commute to let other passengers k ow that they are pregnant, and hopefully offer them a seat. There are different colours and slogans on the badges, so you can mix and match to fit your wardrobe and mood.
3. Ditch the heels
Celebs may look like they’re comfortable wearing six-inch stilts on the red carpet and at every photo opportunity, swearing to wear heels in the labour room (oh to be a fly on the wall in Jessica Simpson’s birthing room!), but you can bet anything that the rest of the time, they are not tottering half a mile in heels.
Wear flats while you commute so that you don’t risk slipping or tripping – yours ensue of balance and your bones do wonderful things while you’re pregnant, so even if you could manage it pre pregnancy, don’t risk finding out the hard way that you need to ditch the heels.
4. Give yourself an energy boost
Commuting can be exhausting at the best of times, but with all the activity your body goes through during pregnancy, expect to have more tiredness.
Eat the right foods to give your body the boost it needs to get you through the day and you’ll find yourself sailing through the day without clock watching, or taking a sneaky powernap at your desk.
