A woman in Idaho has gone viral on social media after arguing that working in the early stages of pregnancy should be "100 percent illegal."
Speaking from the couch, Katie Williams, 35, took to Instagram to explain why she was unable to work while "deep in the trenches" of her first trimester.
Williams, who was 10 weeks pregnant at the time, said her brain didn't work and that she could eat only certain foods, such as bread, fruit and candy. "It is insane how not a lot of people talk about it," she added.
Williams, a full-time travel content creator and blogger, told Newsweek that the symptoms of her first trimester took a toll on her work.
"I could barely work. I couldn't travel, which my job requires. I had a hard time eating out because I couldn't keep anything down," she said.
Williams acknowledged that she likely had it easier than other working moms but said her brain fog was so intense that she couldn't focus on her work and was distracted by nausea all day.
"The fatigue is no joke. I would take three-hour naps during the day and couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to go into a factory or office job," she added.
Williams, who is pregnant for the first time, said she was shocked by how little she had heard about the severity of first-trimester symptoms.
"All I had heard of pregnancy leading up to this was that I would love it or have that 'pregnancy glow.' I had heard of morning sickness and thought I could handle a little sickness in the morning, but when I realized my sickness would be all day and I would get super hungry but not be able to eat anything or keep it down, I was just very surprised by it all," she said.
In her reel, Williams recognized the importance of being grateful for her pregnancy as many aspiring parents experience infertility. But she also acknowledged why gratitude may not always be the go-to response.
"It's like so hard to be grateful when you feel like you're hungover and wanna barf every second of every day," she said.
The reel, posted on her @travelingspud account, has received more than 300,000 views and garnered hundreds of comments, with viewers sharing similar experiences.
"I can't eat anything because I get nauseous but I'm always starving," one wrote. Another said working should be illegal throughout "the whole pregnancy and 2 years after."
Williams, who is due in March, told Newsweek that many women agreed with her feelings and that others said workplaces should be more lenient with pregnant women.
"Many are running to the bathroom to throw up in between meetings, or having to deal with food that makes them want to gag all day," she said. "I just think there needs to be more help for pregnant women in the workforce because it's like running a marathon every day."
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