It's a well-known fact that if you're pregnant, at some point or another you are going to feel tired. Maybe you haven't been able to get a good night's sleep or simply walking up a flight of stairs in your office is exhausting. Whatever it is, you have probably considered taking a sick day or two from work, right?
Well, a Norwegian study showed that females who were preggers were spending way more than just a couple of days out of the office because they weren't feeling their best. Researchers from the Stavanger University Hospital followed more than 2,900 women in the country over 18 months. These analysts discovered that three-quarters of the participants required an average of 60 sick days during those all-important nine months before giving birth.
The analysis demonstrated that 35 percent of the mommies to be in the study listed fatigue and sleep issues as the main cause they needed to spend time away from the office. The next most popular reason for requesting sick leave was pelvic pain and finally nausea and vomiting.
"We found that a large number of pregnant women take time off work as sick leave. The factors associated with sick leave varied according to the trimester of pregnancy but some of these factors are not necessarily caused by pregnancy alone," study author Signe Dorheim told Science Daily. "Women who suffer from work-related fatigue, such as insomnia, are likely to require more time off, especially during late pregnancy."
The research also suggested that women who were working for employers who offered them flexibility when it came to their schedule took on average seven less sick days than those females who had to abide by strict daily agendas.
Of course, if you're pregnant and are working, you should always be honest with your boss. Let him or her know, for example, that you've got a prenatal health appointment or that you aren't feeling well and chances are, your supervisor will understand