*Apologies for any offence caused* Any teachers know about time off for pregnancy related illness? TIA

[CC2018]

Hi all. Hoping not to cause any offence with a pregnancy related post. I just wanted to ask any teachers out there how they dealt with pregnancy related illness and how supportive were your schools? I've had sickness from week 5 and now at 16 weeks it seems to be getting worse rather than calming down. I've tried all the old remedies, ginger, dry biscuit in bed, avoided tried and spicy foods, smaller meals, mints but nothing has worked. I'm sick several times as soon as I wake up and straight after breakfast. I am sometimes sick mid morning or early afternoon (so far this has only happened between lessons or during PPA time). I am then sick a few times in the evening after dinner. Doctor has given me some tablets to help but they haven't made much of an impact. Work have been pretty great about everything so far as they know i'm a high risk ivf pregnancy and have lupus. Due to this I am having a lot of appointments to monitor blood and baby's growth. I'm just concerned they might get fed up with me taking time off. So far I had to request to go home after coming down with a severe head cold that made my blood pressure very low as I was struggling to keep down fluids. I basically taught a lesson then asked permission to go home and had the following Monday off. Then at one of my hospital appointments they requested more bloods after taking a lot at the appointment I had 4 days before and my veins were very bruised. Basically they tried all my veins numerous times (4 people had a go) and after nearly an hour they tried to call an anaesthetist but all were in surgery. In the end a lead midwife had one last go and had to press down on my vein to get the blood to flow. By this point I was bruised, in pain and frustrated so ended up in tears. I'm notoriously difficult to get blood from (despite years of regular blood tests I have tiny veins, that are set deep and very thin) so I always warn them before hand I might cause an issue. I'd only requested the morning off work for this particular appointment but had to call the school to ask for the rest of the afternoon to be covered as I was very drained and on the verge of passing out. School were very understanding and sorted it. Now today I am off work again because of sickness which has been pretty bad over the last week or so and having to deal with some challenges at work last week while going through this have left me very drained and tired. My head teacher has been amazing and told me to do whatever I need to do for the baby but I don't want to feel like I'm pushing it with time off. I have been sick a lot today and still feel tired so I am debating whether I go in tomorrow. I am very grateful for our pregnancy after a 3 year struggle and eventual success with 1st ivf and just want to-do what's right for the baby but also not feel like I'm being an inconvenience at work. Sorry for the long post, i'm a worrier and this is our 1st pregnancy, thanks in advance x

[destiny121]

Ahhh bless you, im not a teacher but just wanted to say you are pregnant and with pregnancy comes sickness... some are good it’s hardly any sicknesses and some are awful which your experiencing... however the most important thing is your baby.... take all the time off in the world if you need it.... how long have you worked at the school? What’s your previous record like with attendance and sick days? I can bet you have an impeccable record so therefore any time off is well deserved and. Your not pushing it one bit.... put you your Health and baby first and take as much time as you need.... xxx

[CC2018 in reply to destiny121]

Thanks hun. The school know I have lupus, an auto immube disease, which I have to have regular hospital appointments for. My attendance record isn't perfect (I was unfortunate to get Norovirus over the Xmas period my first year there which totally wiped out my immune system for a year and I ended up with a chest infection every month for 8 months). Last year my attendance was much better and I would like to keep it that way but I also wabt to ensure I stay healthy for the baby. I hope you and your little one are well. Thanks for your advice xx

[destiny121 in reply to CC2018]

Im ok lovely... my sickness has gone now thank god... 20 week scan coming up in a few weeks... time is literally flying by..... regarding your time off I appreciate you’ve had lots of time off but it’s been because of your health so I really wouldn’t worry and stress about it... xx

[CC2018 in reply to destiny121]

Thanks hun. Glad your sickness has stopped as I know you had your fair share to start with. My sister had it quite bad with both of hers yet oddly enough my mum never had it at all with us. My sister in law is due her 2nd very soon and said she had it up to 16 weeks with both. I don' t care how long I have it as long as baby is okay, it just means I'm exhausted at work and i'm nervous about passing out. Roll on the 20 weeks scan! Xx

[destiny121 in reply to CC2018]

Yes rolll on 20 weeks 😊😊😊

[Lovefood1984]

I can’t comment on being a teacher but I can sympathise with your position. I know you’ve been to the GP once before but could you try another different medication? I’ve had nausea since day 1 that was so bad I spent the week in bed drinking less than 500mls a day before I got meds, I weaned off at 16 weeks only to go back on at 20 weeks as my appetite/fluid intake was awful and I felt really rough again (non functional rough) Although the meds haven’t solved everything I’d now consider myself ‘functioning but nauseous’ Hopefully they can get you to the same point 🤞 xxx

[CC2018 in reply to Lovefood1984]

Thanks for the advice! Glad to hear you're feeling better too. I'm just worried about my blood pressure getting too low again and passing out. Xx

[Lovefood1984 in reply to CC2018]

Can’t wait to get this little one out and get my body back 😂 (although I do enjoy the feeling of it moving around) I’m lucky I’ve only had a couple of funny turns, one an attack of vertigo that lasted 24hrs after standing at the rugby for a couple of hours and a fainting feeling standing still for a while in someone’s office, does make you anxious though, I hope you can sit plenty when teaching. Wishing you all the best for the rest of your pregnancy xxx

[Dunla]

I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been feeling so unwell. It must be so hard to teach lessons when you’re feeling so sick. It is great to hear your school have been so understanding though. I think as a teacher it’s hard not to feel guilty about having time off but it’s so important to put your health first at the moment. You are definitely not an inconvenience to anyone. I’m a worrier as well so I know where you’re coming from. Do try to get some rest today and don’t even think about going in tomorrow if you’re feeling rotten xx

[CC2018 in reply to Dunla]

Thank you. When I told my HOD about the ivf and the pregnancy I felt guilty because I have quite a few exam classes. Silly isn't it? It would be nice to get through the day without the worry you might throw up in front of your class xx

[Dunla in reply to CC2018]

I know exactly what you mean. You do feel such a sense of responsibility to your pupils and colleagues. Oh no, worst nightmare to vomit in front of a class 🤭Take good care xx

[Lizzielizzielizzie]

Your head is right, you must do whatever you need to do for baby. It’s not about you and your job any more. You are entitled to time off for pregnancy related illness and will be paid. Your pupils will get a raw deal anyway if you’re in school and not coping, and it’s your senior leadership’s job to cover your lessons- that’s what they are paid for so try not to feel guilty. Also please ask them for a pregnancy risk assessment. You may even want to ask them to refer you to occupational health for a plan which will help you to be able to cope with work, but to be honest I think at the moment you just need to get signed off. As an assistant head I would say that it’s much easier to organise good cover if you know someone will be off for at least a week or two rather than having people ring in to say they need to be off for the rest of the day when you thought you only needed cover for a half day etc, and having to send people home is hardest to manage of all.

My head really means it when he says I must do what is best for my baby- he knows the struggle I’ve had to get to this point and I know he won’t be holding any time off against me. I think your head sounds the same. Take the time off and get well again. Hopefully the sickness will ease off as you get into second trimester x

[CC2018]

Thank you. It's reassuring to hear from someone who works in the same situation. I'm back in hospital next Friday but fortunately it's an INSET day so no cover required. My sickness has calmed down a bit today but it keeps coming and going in waves. I hope your pregnancy is going well x