My First Pregnancy Journey: Having A Full-time Job

Daily Short Blog #11

Being pregnant for the first time is already an emotional journey on its own. But being pregnant while working a full-time job adds another layer to the experience.

It had been seven months since my husband and I found out that we had conceived our baby, and the feeling was still surreal. We had been trying to conceive for about six months after I stopped taking birth control pills, so finally seeing those two lines on the pregnancy test was a moment we would never forget.

At the same time, I had already been working a full-time job for eight years since we moved to Dubai. I had become so accustomed to my routine that leaving work wasn’t something I could easily imagine, especially with a baby on the way and so many new expenses ahead.

There were still baby essentials to buy, medical appointments to attend, and preparations to make before our little one arrived.

So, pregnancy didn’t mean stopping my life.

Instead, it meant learning how to adjust it.

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Announcing My Pregnancy at Work

Telling my colleagues about my pregnancy wasn’t particularly difficult.

Most of them were genuinely surprised and happy for me and my husband because they knew that we had been trying to have a baby for quite some time.

However, not everyone reacted the way I expected.

For the first time in the five years that I had been working for my company, I experienced a major disagreement with one of my colleagues, and surprisingly, it was connected to my pregnancy announcement.

That was particularly disappointing for me because I genuinely thought of this person as a friend.

He even congratulated me sarcastically after hearing the news.

I was hurt.

I later realized that one of the reasons for his reaction may have been that another colleague was also pregnant at the same time. He was concerned about what would happen to the company if two employees went on maternity leave around the same period.

I could understand that from a work-management perspective, but emotionally, it was still difficult to accept.

After all, building a family is a personal decision, and pregnancy is something that should be celebrated—not treated as a burden.

I also understood that he may have been worried that both of us wouldn’t return to work after maternity leave.

But for us, that wasn’t the plan.

We had a growing family, increasing expenses, and plenty of reasons to continue working.

A Difficult Lesson

He already had children of his own, but perhaps this was one of the first times he had dealt closely with pregnant employees preparing to take maternity leave.

What upset me most wasn’t necessarily the concern itself.

It was how the concern was communicated.

That experience taught me something about the workplace: people may not always understand what you’re going through, and sometimes even people you consider friends may respond in unexpected ways.

I eventually decided not to let the situation consume me.

How To Smoothly End An Argument

So, in a strange way, announcing my pregnancy at work brought both smiles and a frown.

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Coping With Stress at Work

After the disagreement, my family and friends reminded me not to let the situation affect me too much.

I tried my best to stay calm because I knew that I wasn’t alone anymore.

There was a little baby growing inside me, and that changed the way I looked at stress.

Whenever an issue came up, I tried to pause, breathe deeply, and talk to someone I trusted.

Sometimes that person was my husband.

Sometimes it was my sister, who was also working in Dubai.

Other times, I talked with close friends or trusted colleagues.

Simply talking about what I was feeling helped me release some of the frustration and negative thoughts that I was carrying.

I didn’t want to spend my pregnancy holding on to anger and resentment.

I wanted to enjoy this chapter of my life as much as possible.

How To Distinguish Fake and Genuine People

Looking back, I think learning how to manage stress was one of the most important things I learned during pregnancy.

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My Daily Routine

Thankfully, I didn’t experience many of the more severe pregnancy symptoms that some women go through.

I experienced exhaustion, body pains, headaches, shortness of breath, and occasional nausea, but thankfully, I never had severe vomiting.

I had heard stories from friends who experienced intense morning sickness throughout their pregnancies, so I was especially grateful that mine was relatively manageable.

For the most part, my daily routine didn’t change dramatically.

I still enjoyed taking showers twice a day, eating my regular meals, although I occasionally craved unhealthy foods, shopping for groceries, visiting the mall, and meeting friends.

And somehow, despite having a full-time job and being pregnant, we even managed to organize a baby shower!

Our Simple Baby-Bee Shower at Rashidiya Park, Dubai

Pregnancy didn’t completely stop my normal life.

It simply made me more conscious of my energy, my health, and the little baby I was carrying.

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Driving While Pregnant

Because my pregnancy was relatively uncomplicated, I was still able to drive myself to and from work.

I was comfortable driving around Dubai, so it became part of my normal routine.

Every Friday, however, I usually let my husband drive while I used public transportation.

I also liked the idea of walking a little more on those days and getting some light movement into my routine.

Of course, every pregnancy is different, and what feels comfortable for one woman may not be suitable for another.

For me, light activity helped me feel less stiff after sitting at work for long periods.

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Sitting at Work for Nine Hours a Day

This eventually became one of my biggest challenges.

I was working nine hours a day, five days a week, which meant spending a large portion of the day sitting at an office desk.

As my due date got closer, I began experiencing increasing pain around my tailbone and lower back.

Sitting for long periods became increasingly uncomfortable.

I even bought a cushion to make my chair more comfortable, but unfortunately, it didn’t help as much as I had hoped.

As my baby continued to grow and my body changed, sitting for many hours became more difficult.

At that point, I kept reminding myself:

Just two more months to go! 😊

I was counting the days until I could finally meet our little one.

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Maternity Leave

One thing that gave me some peace of mind was hearing about the UAE’s updated maternity leave policy.

At the time of my pregnancy, the UAE had increased maternity leave in the private sector to 60 days, consisting of 45 days at full pay and 15 days at half pay.

Compared with the previous 45-day entitlement, this was a meaningful improvement for working mothers.

Having additional time to recover after childbirth and bond with a newborn is incredibly valuable.

For mothers who don’t have extended family nearby, especially those living abroad, those extra days can make a big difference.

As an expatriate living and working in Dubai, I was especially grateful for policies that provided more support for working mothers.

It gave me a little more peace of mind as I prepared for motherhood.

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Trying to Enjoy My Pregnancy

Despite the difficult moments at work, I tried my best to enjoy my pregnancy.

This was my first pregnancy, after all.

There were so many things I was experiencing for the first time:

The first ultrasound.

The first time hearing my baby’s heartbeat.

The first little flutters.

The growing belly.

The baby shower.

The tiny clothes waiting to be worn.

And eventually, the anticipation of meeting our little girl.

Working throughout pregnancy made everything feel even more interesting because I was balancing two very important parts of my life at once:

my career and my growing family.

Sometimes it was exhausting.

Sometimes it was stressful.

But it was also rewarding.

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The Takeaway

Looking back, I feel incredibly fortunate that my pregnancy allowed me to continue working and managing most of my usual activities.

I honestly have so much respect for women who work physically demanding jobs while pregnant. I often wondered how difficult it must be to work in warehouses, factories, supermarkets, hospitals, or other workplaces that require constant standing, lifting, walking, or physical labor.

A desk job comes with its own challenges, but I knew I had it easier in many ways.

For now, my greatest hope was simple:

A safe delivery and a strong, healthy baby.

Thankfully, all of my laboratory tests and scans had been normal, which gave my husband and me even more confidence as we waited for the big day.

Only a few weeks remained before our little girl would finally arrive.

We were excited to meet her.

Her grandparents were excited.

Her aunts, uncles, cousins, godparents, and friends were excited.

And I was both excited and terrified.

I think that’s one of the strange and beautiful things about becoming a mother.

You can be completely ready to meet your baby and still feel like you’re not ready at all.

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“A mother’s love begins before her baby is born and continues long after she holds her child for the first time.”

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
— Psalm 127:3

Final Thoughts

Working while pregnant taught me that life doesn’t necessarily stop when you start a family.

Sometimes, it simply changes direction.

I had to learn how to balance my responsibilities, protect my peace, listen to my body, and choose carefully which problems were worth my energy.

There were moments when work made me frustrated.

There were days when sitting for hours was uncomfortable.

There were moments when I questioned how everything would work once our baby arrived.

But through it all, I learned to take things one day at a time.

I also learned that pregnancy can make you stronger—not only physically, but emotionally.

You begin thinking beyond yourself.

Every decision starts to include another little person.

Every stressful day becomes a reminder to slow down.

Every difficult moment becomes something you want to overcome for your baby.

And while I was still working, commuting, attending appointments, preparing for maternity leave, and getting ready for motherhood, I was also quietly counting down the days until I could finally hold the little person who had already changed my life.

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Pregnancy taught me that I didn’t have to have everything figured out. I simply had to keep moving forward, one day at a time, with faith, patience, and love.

And soon, all the long workdays, uncomfortable moments, worries, and waiting would become part of a story I would tell my daughter someday.

A story about the time when her mother was working hard, waiting patiently, and carrying her with love long before they finally met. ❤️

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I would love to hear from you! Are you also pregnant, a working mom, or planning to become one?

I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below. ❤️

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My First Pregnancy Journey
Our Simple Baby-Bee Shower At Rashidiya Park Dubai
Himalaya Evecare Capsule: My Fertility and Product Review
My First Pregnancy Journey: Feeling My Baby Move And Kick
Should I Be Scared With Labor and Delivery?
Reasons Why You Have To Do A Baby Shower

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Originally Published: March 10, 2022
Updated: August 2026