Tips for Surviving Pregnancy in the Corporate World

When my first wave of morning sickness hit, everything I so firmly believed about gender equality in the workplace disappeared. As I hunched over the bathroom sink with ginger ale in one hand and club crackers in the other, I looked at myself in the mirror in a new light. My once strong, confident, women can do anything men can do attitude now seemed like a childish rant. "How do women possibly get through pregnancy in the corporate world?" I wondered. "I know there are mothers that are successful in their careers and families, but right now, I just absolutely can't imagine how they pull it off!"

As I dragged myself to our Monday morning staff meeting, I continued to sip my drink as waves of nausea rolled over me. "Do you think anyone notices I'm pregnant?" I thought, self-consciously looking at my staff. "I haven't said one word and I don't have my Grande Starbucks cemented in front of me. They have to suspect something is wrong!"

Although I am fortunate enough to own my own company, I was still hesitant to tell anyone at work I was pregnant, especially since I'd signed a partnership agreement with my new business partner just one month earlier. "He's going to think I've jumped ship. That I'm going to run off and spend the next nine months decorating the nursery, thinking of baby names, and leaving him with all the work while I collect half the profits!" I thought.

Yet I've come to realize that pregnancy makes women that much stronger in the workplace. Rather than thinking of pregnancy and workplace as opposites that can never peacefully exist, we need to change the way we think and work to accommodate this important part of our lives ... but without dropping out of the corporate light.

Confident Decision Making

For starters, being a pregnant CEO has made every decision I make more deliberate and confident. I hear both sides of an issue and simply make my determination. When I'm short on time, nauseous, and tired, I just can't be wishy-washy or worry about everyone's feelings. Pregnancy is not forcing me to make rash decisions, but with such limited time before the baby is due, I have to make my point and move on.

Greater Efficiency

Along the same lines, I must be extremely efficient with my work day—I just don't have the energy for late-night cram sessions over too many cups of coffee. Instead, it's all about morning meetings, power lunches, and setting and sticking to priorities, which means deciding which social engagements and projects to decline.