Altwork Station Helps Keeps me Productive During Pregnancy

Author: Natasha Castelli

Somehow, pregnancy seems to last forever, but also somehow flies right by. I have a hard time slowing down during pregnancy, and this time around, the Braxton Hicks contractions started to worry my midwives. I was told to “do nothing” for a week until I hit the critical 37-week milestone that would make my baby full term. I had to clarify exactly what they meant by “do nothing” and was told to lay in bed and watch Netflix. While that does sound like a nice break from life for a day, doing it with two kids running around was far from relaxing. Not to mention trying to get work done while lying in bed meant my body was aching from the various positions I tried. Doing this for a full week while trying to wrap up all my client work and get ready for my third baby felt impossible. After one day spent in bed, it was clear my Altwork station would be much better for my body (and my productivity) than anything else. I spent the week with extremely limited physical activity but was able to work the long hours I needed to wrap things up before heading out on maternity leave. I even kept using the workstation during my first week of leave while still pregnant to wrap up some school work and some household management, both of which I had fallen behind on while work was busy. These last few weeks have felt so physically limiting and uncomfortable it has been so nice to have the Altwork Station to help me feel comfortable and “normal” for a bit.

Tip: In the last two weeks, my lower back pain came back and some hip pain set in. My guess is the lack of movement didn’t help. I did some icing and started stretching again, focusing on my hip flexors, and noticed a significant improvement. Once I made it back to some barre and swimming classes, it got back to where I was after two weeks of using the Altwork station.

Guest Author Bio: I run my own accounting consulting firm and work with clients primarily remotely (even pre-COVID), so I spend most of my time in front of a computer. I normally teach accounting at the local junior college but am taking this semester off to get started on an online MBA. In my "spare time," I work with my husband on our family coffee roasting company, Wolf Coffee. To balance all this time spent in front of the computer, I also teach Barre at The Dailey Method Healdsburg. When I am not in front of my computer or teaching barre, I am running around (or waddling these days) to try and keep up with my four and two-year-old daughter and son. No rest for this pregnant Momma!