Finding the perfect and ergonomic office chair is challenging enough for normal office workers, but this can be particularly more difficult for pregnant women. During pregnancy, sitting in a chair for prolonged periods of time may feel uncomfortable. It can cause back pain, may put pressure on various parts of your back and body, and may even cause numbness sometimes. If you’re pregnant and want to get through the entire day a little bit easier, finding the right office chair plays a crucial role.
Below, we will discuss the different aspects that you need to take a look at to find the best-suited office chair to at least help and ease your pregnancy a little bit more.
Lumbar Support
Whether you’re working at the office or working from home, finding the chair that has excellent lumbar support is one of the first things that you need to take into consideration. Because of the growing baby inside your tummy, gravity alone can put a strain on your lower back. What you can do on your end, is to make sure that you use a chair that provides excellent lower back support. With it, the strains you feel on your lower back are lessened, making it a tad bit more comfortable for you.
Lumbar support also plays a crucial role in ensuring that you maintain a proper posture. As your belly gets bigger, it’s true that it is easier to slouch than to sit up straight. But with the right support and chair, you can both maintain a good posture, and still, feel less pressure on your lower back. This is also known to play a significant role in minimizing the pain that you feel on your neck and shoulders. Win-win!
Chair Height
When it comes to ergonomics and comfort, the chair height is the next thing that you need to take into consideration. While some office chairs have a fixed height, you may want to opt and look for one that lets you adjust the height up and down. The wrong chair height can cause strain on your entire body, so you want something that you can adjust where your feet lays well-rested on the floor.
Have you ever sat on a chair and just stood up immediately because it’s unbearable? It’s probably the height. Make sure that the chair isn’t too high, or too low – just right so your feet rest flat on the floor. Opting for an adjustable chair height is crucial because the height may also depend on the shoes that you are wearing, so keep that in mind.
Adjustable Arms
If your work requires you to sit in front of your computer, and your job requires a lot of typing, you may also want to look at an office chair that has adjustable arms. Keep in mind that the perfect height of your arms should be at a 90-degree angle. This way, you can prevent discomfort or pain in your wrists, shoulders, and arms.
Armrests that are too high can cause shoulder pains, and armrests that are too low can cause wrist pain. Having said that, you may want to look for office chairs that let you adjust not just the angle of the arms, but also the height itself. This way, you can find the perfect setting based on your height, chair height, and office table at the same time.
Materials Used
Is it made of leather? Is the material breathable? If you’re living in a humid environment, where the weather is often sunny than cold, you may want to opt for more breathable materials. Stray away from leather as they get to stick to your skin especially during hot temperatures. While we know that most people like doing their shopping online these days if you’re looking for an office chair to help with your pregnancy, you may want to test the chair out yourself.
Sit on it – feel the materials, see the adjustments and just have a taste of what it feels like. See if you are comfortable with it that you can sit on there for 8 hours every single day. Sometimes, you may not find the right chair at first. You may have to sit on multiple chairs before you find the “perfect one”. And that’s fine! Remember, you’ll be sitting on it for your entire pregnancy and you want to make these 9 months as bearable as much as possible.
Reclining Position
During your pregnancy, you may find it a little bit more exhausting – and it’s a bonus if you can find a fully-reclinable office chair. It’s not a must, but it’s a good added feature that you can look for. Some of these office chairs can recline up to 45 degrees, some even more. How far it can recline now depends on you.
In summary, if you are pregnant, investing in an excellent chair can save you from endless back pain complaints. You may even use it even after pregnancy, so don’t think of it as a waste of money, but rather a great investment.