Let’s face it – pregnancy isn’t always glamorous, and sometimes it can be an uncomfortable experience. Sure, you’re excited for your little bump to turn into a baby, but in the meantime, simple things like sleeping and sitting can become all the more uncomfortable.
Yet, there are ways to sit in an office chair while you are pregnant to minimize discomfort, improve posture, and best accommodate you and your bump.
With that being said, here’s how to sit in an office chair during pregnancy to maximize comfort and postural support.
Why is Proper Sitting Important During Pregnancy?
Having good posture is even more important while you are pregnant. During pregnancy, the amount of weight your spine is accommodating increases over time. You may even feel like you are going to fall forward!
As a result of this, having poor posture may end up putting you in pain and discomfort. This is even more important to consider during the last few months of pregnancy as your hormones can weaken your ligaments and tendons.
In addition to this, pregnant women are more likely to overstretch and strain themselves. This could cause negative effects on the functions of the body like digestion and breathing. Because of this, it’s vital to know how to best sit in an office chair when you are pregnant.
How Should You Sit During Pregnancy
Ultimately when you are pregnant, you need to achieve alignment of the spine when you are sitting. Because of this you need to be in a position that will give you the least amount of strain.
Having an ergonomic office set up is pretty important, but there are a few other things to remember to make sure that your body alignment is suitable during pregnancy.
Firstly, making sure that your shoulders are pulled back and that they are neutral when you sit down.
Your back needs to be straight while you do this. You also need your bottom to be in contact with the chair’s backrest. Make sure that you place both of your feet evenly on the floor, so that your knees and hips form a 90-degree angle. Your pelvis should be leaning forward slightly.
When you are positioning yourself, make sure that your ears are aligned with your hips and shoulders. This is called a neutral posture.
Make sure that you are also sitting on a comfortable and firm ergonomic office chair. It should also have good lumbar support and the proper back tension. The chair will be able to support the weight of your upper body and lower back so that you are comfortable.
You should also ensure that you take a break on occasion if you work in a job where you need to sit for extended time periods. You should be getting up and moving around a little, every 30 minutes or so if possible.
Also, make sure that you have adjusted your office chair height to make sure that you are level with the desk. Sit close to the table to get a neutral position with your shoulders, neck, arms and elbows.
In your last 3 months of pregnancy, you could also opt for a balance ball, you should just make sure that the ball is at the proper height.
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A balance ball can help you to get the right positioning of the baby and could even help to prepare your pelvis for the process of labor.
How NOT to Sit During Pregnancy
As we’ve already stressed, paying attention to your posture while you are pregnant is very important. While there is a way that you should sit while pregnant for the best comfort, there are also some things that you should avoid.
First of all, you should try to avoid crossing your legs while you sit. Crossing your legs while you sit could stop the blood circulation and may end up swelling your ankles and varicose veins. It could also cause you to have improper balance while you sit.
You should also try to avoid twisting your waist when you need to turn around. If you do need to grab something that’s near to you, you should try to turn the whole torso or twist the chair gradually. This is why any decent ergonomic task chair will allow for easy 360-degree rotation and swivel casters.
When you are sitting, you should also make sure that you avoid bending or leaning forward because this could put extra pressure onto your abdomen. You should try to bring the monitor and keyboard closer to you if you do need to work on a computer.
In addition to this, try to avoid sitting on office chairs without a back rest so you don’t end up putting extra strain on your lower back. If you’re going to be working for long hours while sitting this is especially important.
Try to also avoid slouching, and make sure your legs don’t hang as you sit.
Adjust the seat height if you need to!
A Few Tips and Tricks for Sitting During Pregnancy
There are a couple of things that you can do to make you more comfortable during pregnancy. First, you can check out our list of the best office chairs for pregnancy.
But if you already have a chair you love, here are some additional things to consider to make it even better during this period:
Armrest Pads
A lot of office chair armrests can be a little bit too stiff sometimes. This is an issue that can be easily rectified by purchasing a pair of ergonomic arm pillows that are made out of soft memory foam.
Via Amazon
These can help to relieve the pressure from your elbows and arms, and they will give you the right amount of cushioning.
Armrest pads are made out of 100% memory foam and have a velvet polyester finish. They are designed to be able to properly support your arms and elbows and help you to feel comfortable as you sit through the day, especially if you are typing on the phone.
Footrests
Elevating your legs when you are sitting in a chair can help to support improved posture and can help to reduce physical stress.
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In addition to this, having the right amount of support in your feet will let you ease the amount of strain on your lower body, especially if you sit in an office chair when you are pregnant. It’s really not recommended to have your legs hang when you are pregnant.
Some footrests are made out of high density memory foam and also act like a rocker when they are flipped upside down.
This will allow you to have consistent lower leg movement, so you can minimize fatigue and it will increase healthy blood circulation. This is especially important when you are sitting for long periods of time.
Ergonomic footrests are fantastic at relieving lots of pressure from your lower back, so they are definitely a worthwhile investment!
Lumbar Support Cushion
Your spine is already going to want some pain relief from pregnancy. If you do work in a communal office space and there’s no way to change the furniture then it’s important to make sure that you have a way to support your back properly while you work.
One way to help deal with this issue is to buy a breathable ergonomic lumbar support cushion that you can attach to your office chair.
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It’s pretty beneficial to find a lumbar support cushion that has been ergonomically designed to fit your spine curve, as this means you will be able to relieve a little bit of a load from your lower body area.
A contoured design is going to help you to realign your hips, back and spine properly. You can also take it pretty much anywhere that you want and use it whenever you have to sit down.
Alternatively, you could buy yourself an ergonomic office chair if you work from home, something that has been designed with pregnant women in mind.
Cushioning
Your office chair may not be the comfiest thing in the world – a lot of office chairs have incredibly firm seats that are designed to make it easier to achieve a better posture.
Of course, these kinds of seats may not be very comfortable for you due to the weight distribution during pregnancy. After a couple of hours, uncomfortable seats like this can start to seriously hurt.
You can ease a little bit of your pain by adding a small, thin cushion to sit on.
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You could also get a small foam pad and put that on your office chair to get rid of a little bit of the pressure on your buttocks and legs.
Conclusion
So, there it is – those are just a few things to remember about how to sit in an office chair during pregnancy.
Having the right posture can do wonders for your body and overall happiness while pregnant!
Carrying a tiny human inside of you for 9 months isn’t easy, so why not make it at least a little bit more comfortable by having the right sitting posture?
