The Second Trimestival: Navigating Festival Season While Pregnant.

By Rachael Tetty, Senior Account Manager

Given my experience working on brand experience projects, it comes as no surprise that this wasn’t my first festival season. However, it was my first time experiencing it whilst preggers.

Fortunately, my first trimester passed with relatively little discomfort, handling meetings and calls with the assistance of multiple packs of prawn cocktail crisps! (Thank you, Walkers.)

Fast forward a few months and my second trimester arrived just as festival season did. Although I initially had some natural concerns, I felt FANTASTIC, and with the support of a great team around me, I was determined to stay as involved as possible in brand experience events from British Summer Time to Taste.

But, it was at this point I thought; despite having worked in experiential marketing for the past 5 years, I hadn’t actually come across many stories about delivering events ‘in my condition’, so I wanted to change that.

These are just a few of my personal top tips on navigating brand-land to ensure you finish your own ‘Trimestival’ season with a flourish.

Inform suppliers and anyone on-site in advance about your pregnancy

The days leading up to an event can be chaotic, so the more people who are aware of your pregnancy, the less likely you’ll find yourself in situations where you’re asked to perform physically demanding tasks.

Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance

Being on-site and occasionally requesting help with tasks like lifting or moving items is a pleasant reminder that there’s still kindness in the world. Most people are willing to lend a hand when asked.

Your role on-site is not redundant just because you can’t handle the physical aspects

Ensuring the ever-changing details of live production are attended to is crucial for delivering exceptional results to clients. As an account handler, you’re in a unique position to make sure everything comes together – focussing on this is also a great swap for all that lifting 😉

Listen to your body

I was fortunate to experience a positive second trimester with ample energy for on-site work, however, this may not be the case for everyone. Don’t hesitate to voice your concerns. Only you know how you’re feeling and what you’re comfortable with, and your instincts will usually guide you in the right direction.

Whilst I’m no expert, I hope this helps in some way, and would love to see more of the same from you all no matter what industry you’re in. But for now, I’ll leave you with my working mum-to-be mantra; Just because we’re pregnant doesn’t mean we can’t plan, pitch, promote… or party!