All pregnant women are entitled to it, they just don’t all take advantage of it… maternity leave. In many countries, things are arranged slightly differently when it comes to the duration of maternity leave, but all women have and receive “leave” during the period of giving birth. Of course it is a bit more nuanced if a family has to be kept running, after all a family just keeps going. But it depends on the woman in question whether she can have this or not and, moreover, a partner can also play a role in this.

Continue working in a medically responsible manner?

Maternity leave

Although many women also feel comfortable during the last period of pregnancy, the invitation to simply carry on is not always wise. Where carrying on stands for the career woman who simply works her hours as if she were not pregnant. The 28 to 30 week limit is where it has been scientifically proven that continuing to work beyond this limit can result in a smaller baby or a premature birth. Premature birth can have adverse consequences for the baby’s brain development. And why take the risk?What can then also play a role is the change in one’s own body and mind, where some women can no longer work in a concrete enough way, where things may be forgotten, decisions may not be taken rationally, etc., and so on. The annoying thing is that you do not always recognize this immediately and those around you can experience it as difficult to have to point this out to you.That doesn’t change the fact that you have to sit anxiously on a chair and wait until you approach 40 weeks, because many obstetricians and gynecologists advise only slowing down the pace a bit after 28/30 weeks. The most important aspect is that you no longer perform stress-increasing activities and listen to your body. But if you feel comfortable in your work and your body allows it, without having to bend over backwards, why wouldn’t you keep working.What may come into play here is the risk that some employers do not want to take and that you are forced to be sent home.Source: Own nephew and niece – Annastaal

Maternity leave

It almost goes without saying that there are plenty of women who want to show something in their position and it is therefore important to keep the period during which you are out as short as possible. A longer period away means someone else is doing your work and in addition to keeping something running, this colleague can also give the work a different direction. This can sometimes be experienced as a career threat.The woman who wants to make a career often has to have children in the same age period and that can make it difficult for many women. Difficult in the sense of the moment of having children.Some women are already dealing with this problem at a young age and have children at a young age, but then the lack of a part of their youth may emerge later . If you are in your late thirties, you reduce the chance of pregnancy and you will be an old mother for your teenagers (about 15 years later). The process of deliberating about the moment of becoming pregnant is therefore difficult.

Finally

And of course there is a group of women who quietly navigate everything and hardly suffer from the pregnancy and after the birth they are super sharp again and have perfect control over organizing with the new baby. Since every woman is different, the process is slightly different for every woman. But first and foremost, it is important for every (expectant) mother to listen carefully to the body and avoid stress.