Pregnancy and ergonomics

General office ergonomic principles apply to you during pregnancy. However, some items merit additional attention. For example, carpal tunnel syndrome is more common, and many experience back pain during pregnancy.

What you can do:

• Ensure that your keyboard and mouse are just below elbow level.
• Check that the edge of your desk is not digging into your wrists. If you are using a gel palm rest, rest your palm (not your wrists) and avoid having pressure under your wrists.
• Try to keep your wrists fairly straight as you type and mouse.
• Follow general ergonomic principles, such as having your feet and back supported, your keyboard and mouse below elbow level, and the top line of text at eye level.
• Attend an online ergo workshop.
• Take micro-breaks throughout the day.
• Follow-up with your healthcare provider if symptoms develop.

Physiological changes during pregnancy (e.g. increased blood and systolic volume, dilatation of blood vessels, possible venous compression, increased fatigue and low back) can make standing in one spot (static standing) more tiring or uncomfortable than pre-pregnancy.

What you can do:

• When possible, alternate between sitting and standing and minimize prolonged static standing.
• If your job typically involves prolonged static standing, talk to your manager to arrange suitable seating in your workspace.
• When standing, wear comfortable and supportive shoes and try to weight shift or move around – movement helps your veins return blood to your heart.

If your job involves primarily seated work, make a conscious effort to get up and move around periodically.

What you can do:

• Positional change and light movement help to keep the blood moving. Even if you don’t have an adjustable height desk, try to get up regularly throughout the day.
• When sitting, make sure that your feet are well supported. If your chair is too high, you may need a footrest.
• Check that your chair has good back support. Adjust the lumbar support to fit the small of your back. Adjust the backrest angle to a comfortable position and use your backrest – let it support you, allowing your back muscles to rest.

During pregnancy, performing physically demanding work such as heavy lifting and frequent bending can increase your risk of injury due to changes to your balance, posture, ligaments and joints in the spine. Additionally, as your baby grows, your center of gravity shifts forward, and it becomes harder to hold objects close to your body, resulting in more pressure on the discs in your spine.

What you can do:

• Talk to your doctor. Normal everyday physical activities and moderate exercise with your doctor’s approval may be fine.
• Try to avoid heavy lifting (>25lbs), pushing, pulling or carrying, or lifting more than once every 5 minutes, particularly if lifting from the ground. 
• Review the CDC Provisional Recommended Weight Limits for Lifting at Work During Pregnancy.
• Try to avoid bending at the waist more than 20 times per day.
• When lifting, use good technique, keep a wide stance, and bend your knees.
• Keep the items as close to you as possible, and try to store items at waist level.
• If your work is physically demanding or involves heavy work, talk to your manager to determine what options are available.

There is an increased risk of developing thoracic outlet syndrome during pregnancy. Symptoms include weakness in your arm, shooting pain or numbness and tingling and may be aggravated by poor posture (drooped shoulders and head forward), lifting or carrying heavy items, or raising your arms above shoulder level.

What you can do:

• Be mindful of your posture. Try to stand with a good posture and avoid rounding your shoulders or poking your chin forward.
• Minimize carrying heavy bags over your shoulder.
• Minimize lifting or reaching overhead.
• Avoid or minimize working on ladders (CEC).
• Minimize performing repetitive movements.
• Follow-up with your healthcare provider if you are experiencing symptoms or if you have concerns.

During pregnancy, you may find that working long hours, overtime or the night shift is harder than pre-pregnancy. This may be due, in part, to the increased need for more sleep, particularly in the first and third trimesters.

What you can do:

• Make a plan and prioritize getting sufficient sleep.
• Set your bedroom up to facilitate sleep. Try blackout curtains, white noise, earplugs, turning off your ringer, blocking light sources from the power cords, and asking family and friends to keep the noise down as much as possible.
• Watch the Shiftwork & Fatigue webinar.
• Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions or concerns.

While the specific impacts of exposure to vibration during pregnancy are still being studied, the general thought is that exposure to high levels of whole-body vibration, such as driving in rough, off-road conditions, can adversely affect the baby (Skroder et al, 2021). Additionally, back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome are already more common during pregnancy and exposure to frequent, prolonged or high levels of vibration can increase the risk of such injuries.

What you can do:

• Minimize exposure to vibration.
• If you are exposed to vibration, talk to your healthcare provider to determine what would be best for you and speak to your manager to determine what options are available.

Your body works harder to cool both you and your unborn baby during pregnancy, making it more likely to become dehydrated. Pregnant people are also more likely to get heat exhaustion or heat stroke sooner than a non-pregnant worker (CDC Heat).

What you can do if you are working outside:

• Refer to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and WorkSafeBC websites for control measures for heat stress.
• Follow-up with your healthcare provider to discuss your work environment and exposure to heat stress.

Working in loud environments can damage the nerve endings in the inner ear and possibly dead nerve endings. During pregnancy, the protective gear you wear does not protect your baby’s health, and thus additional care may be needed.

What you can do:

• Follow normal precautions from NIOSH. To protect the baby’s health, talk to your healthcare provider and try to limit your exposure to noise louder than 115 dBA. This is roughly as loud as operating a chainsaw.
• Talk to your manager if you work in a noisy environment to determine what options are available in the workplace.