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Original poster

Not fit to do my job after maternity leave

37 replies

bluebellaa · 08/01/2023 11:03

I had a somewhat tough time during pregnancy with my health (PGP meant I couldn't even turn over in bed without being woken up by pain), and unfortunately the ride has been worse during postpartum.

My usual job is in front line health care requiring a lot of manual handling as well as autonomous decision making. My health during pregnancy wasn't brilliant (severe PGP meaning I couldn't turn over in bed without being woken up by pain, let alone walking much), but unfortunately my health has continued to deteriorate postpartum.

I am not currently fit to return to my previous role - I am now underweight and continuing to lose ~0.5kg per week, I am chronically sleep deprived (no more than 2 hours of consecutive sleep in 8 months), I'm getting back to back colds/viruses... there is no way I would be safe to treat patients for 12+ hours.

As DD gets older and things hopefully begin to improve naturally, I believe I will once again become fit to practice, but this is not going to happen before I'm due to return and I can't put a time frame on how long this is likely to be.

I don't want to be seen as taking the piss by going off sick and I'm getting increasingly worried I will be dismissed if I do so as it's an admission that I cannot do the job I was employed to do.

Any advice, please? Thank you.

OP posts:
Ohmych · 08/01/2023 11:05

If you're not fit to go back to work you will have to be signed off as sick until you are. Try not to feel guilty about it there's nothing you can do.

ditalini · 08/01/2023 11:06

You are sick so you need to take sick leave.

You may find that a referral to occupational health will allow you to access diagnostics and therapies more quickly than from outside the system as they will be keen to get you back into the workforce.

Overthebow · 08/01/2023 11:11

What is the main issue here, is it something wrong health wise or is it sleep deprivation from your DC? Make an appointment with your GP and talk it through with them?

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Treedecsandtinsel · 08/01/2023 11:17

Can you talk to work about any secondment opportunities? Could you do another role? Something in admin, training etc? Until your health improves? If not it sounds like going off sick is the option. A referral to occupational health would be helpful. I’d be honest with your manager and ask for an oh referral and take it from there.

why are you losing so much weight? My DS is 10 months now and I’ve started losing weight as I’m still bf but I’m upping my cheese and chocolate intake to compensate (tbf we just all had flu so he was bf more and I wasn’t eating). It does sound like you need to assess that.

Bettybbbb · 08/01/2023 11:23

Not the same but I really struggled with long days and nights after DC1 so I now work in a mostly non clinical education role with office hours. I couldn’t do a long day now. Especially with how it is at the moment. However if you are unfit to do your job then you are entitled to sick pay and hopefully OH can help redeploy or put a plan in place so it’s manageable.

Original poster
bluebellaa · 08/01/2023 11:52

Thank you all.

@Overthebow I'm not physically strong enough to lift heavy things anymore, I look like an elderly person who has had a long stint in hospital and now has a lot of muscle wastage. And I can't exercise to build it back because I'm already losing weight when I'm trying to put it back on. And I wouldn't be safe to be responsible for making clinical decisions for so long with the lack of sleep (I've also developed insomnia so now when DD wakes in the night, I can't get back to sleep for a long time).

@Treedecsandtinsel Potentially, but all shifts are 12 hours even in a non patient facing role. From knowledge of other colleagues, they're happy to redeploy you if you have some time frame for recovery, but I'm not sure they'd accommodate an unspecified length of time. As for losing weight, I don't know. I'm still BFing but I've tracked calories and should be putting weight on. I can't have bloods done till I stop being ill so as not to skew the results with acute inflammation, but it's been six weeks of being under the weather now.

@Bettybbbb I think a discussion with OH is probably the way to go, I might contact my employer sooner rather than later and try to get a referral so it at least looks like I've tried to be proactive. Thank you

OP posts:
Overthebow · 08/01/2023 11:59

Definitely go to your GP then, and OH. There might be something the GP can give you to help and there may be options such as a phased return that may suit you better than a full return.

Treedecsandtinsel · 08/01/2023 12:02

If you are bf then it’s pretty much impossible to track calories as who knows how much babies taking? Can you try using your calorie intake and take a good multivitamin. Drink shed loads of water.
I know if I don’t I feel run down and wobbly.

sleep will come. My now almost 4 year old was a terrible sleeper but is now pretty good. She woke every 45 min for a long time and I thought I’d probably die. I got really good at sleep deprivation and thankfully she got better. It will get better. When, no one knows, but it will (presuming no SEN).

i wouldn’t let not knowing when you will feel better from asking for changes to your job. It can always be reviewed as you go.

MajorCarolDanvers · 08/01/2023 12:04

Get a fit note from your GP. Give this to work an ask for an occupational health assessment.

This can then help work out what you can do, when and what support you need.

It may be you need longer to recover, or that you could move to another role.

Original poster
bluebellaa · 08/01/2023 12:25

@Treedecsandtinsel I've been eating in excess of 3,000kcals per day for a couple of months, with no exercise and being less than 50kg. The GP initially said it was BF related till I was able to give them a food diary and now they're suspecting it's not my intake.

What age did you start to see some improvement on the 45 minutes with DC? And no signs in other areas of SEN.

OP posts:
Treedecsandtinsel · 08/01/2023 12:35

Good GP has suggested further investigation. Don’t ask about DD’s sleep! She was a bit of a worst case scenario, which hopefully won’t happen to you. She weaned off bf at 2 years 8 months and it made no difference to her sleep. She’s almost 5 and either wakes once to down a pint of milk or not at all usually. She first slept through at 4. Before that she would wake either 1-2 times (fine) or loads and then get up from 3:30/4am.
hopefully that doesn’t happen with your LO. DS is so far a way better sleeper and so I think DD was just randomly bad at sleeping! Not a lot used to make much difference with DD. Co sleeping helped me get more sleep. Trying to keep DD naps before 2pm, trying to make sure she ate well and after potty training making sure she peed before bed. All that helped but nothing else really did. She just seemed to get the knack of sleeping as a developmental thing.

poobaloo · 08/01/2023 12:41

You need to contact occupational health now to get started with an assessment. They cant dismiss you for being unwell, or for not being able to say when you'll be well again. That's not how it works.
You will most likely need a referral from your manager to OH so speak to them first.

Florissant · 08/01/2023 12:48

poobaloo · 08/01/2023 12:41

You need to contact occupational health now to get started with an assessment. They cant dismiss you for being unwell, or for not being able to say when you'll be well again. That's not how it works.
You will most likely need a referral from your manager to OH so speak to them first.

No, but they can dismiss an employee for not being capable of doing the work they were hired to do. And no company will offer open-ended sick leave.

eurochick · 08/01/2023 12:52

That sounds really tough. Has the GP tested your thyroid? Pregnancy can throw it out and it would explain a lot of your symptoms.

2022again · 08/01/2023 13:27

""I can't have bloods done till I stop being ill so as not to skew the results with acute inflammation, but it's been six weeks of being under the weather now.""" i get this but i really think the GP should be running your bloods at least given your symptoms...my thyroid was also likely triggered post partum (family tendency to thyroid issues) and the weight loss needs looking into asap.

RenegadeKeeblerElf · 08/01/2023 13:31

Definitely get your thyroid tested. Postpartum thyroiditis could explain your symptoms and is easily treated.

Augend23 · 08/01/2023 13:32

2022again · 08/01/2023 13:27

""I can't have bloods done till I stop being ill so as not to skew the results with acute inflammation, but it's been six weeks of being under the weather now.""" i get this but i really think the GP should be running your bloods at least given your symptoms...my thyroid was also likely triggered post partum (family tendency to thyroid issues) and the weight loss needs looking into asap.

I agree with this, if your immune system is stuffed you may not be properly well for a while. You can't keep not being investigated on that basis.

Augend23 · 08/01/2023 13:34

I'd also suggest that you might be able to be redeployed into an administrative role if you could work but not in your job?

TBH though you sound just ill and you aren't taking the piss if you're too ill to work. It's just bad luck. But you do need to be referred to occupational health and have a proper investigation by your GP.

Notsuchacleverclogs · 08/01/2023 13:37

How old is your DC? You cannot safely remain on such little sleep whether you go back to work or not. Are they at an age where you can sleep train? You don't have to do Cry It Out / Ferber - there are gentler methods. We did something called Pick Up Put Down and after one night, DD was only having 2 night wakings. It changed my life and made me much more able to deal with everything else.

Original poster
bluebellaa · 08/01/2023 20:24

@Notsuchacleverclogs Sleep training wouldn't help, DD has always got upper wind and that's what causes her to stir in the night. She very rarely "wakes", just groans until she either resettles or is uncomfortable enough to cry. It's the groaning that disturbs me, but there's nothing I can do to not hear it without not hearing anything. And we've already been down the tongue tie, allergy, craniosacral therapy, etc, routes, none of which helped.

OP posts:
felulageller · 08/01/2023 20:27

If it's the NHS they'll redeploy you to another role if you exhaust sick leave. You can probably get a full years sick leave after mat leave.

Silverpining · 08/01/2023 20:37

bluebellaa · 08/01/2023 20:24

@Notsuchacleverclogs Sleep training wouldn't help, DD has always got upper wind and that's what causes her to stir in the night. She very rarely "wakes", just groans until she either resettles or is uncomfortable enough to cry. It's the groaning that disturbs me, but there's nothing I can do to not hear it without not hearing anything. And we've already been down the tongue tie, allergy, craniosacral therapy, etc, routes, none of which helped.

At 8 months her grumbling shouldn’t wake you as they should be in their own room

TakeYourFinalPosition · 08/01/2023 20:38

Silverpining · 08/01/2023 20:37

At 8 months her grumbling shouldn’t wake you as they should be in their own room

Show quote history

Current advice is that the earliest is 6 months, but 12 months is ideal.

Although I moved my baby earlier than that. And could probably still have heard him across the house if he was uncomfortable; it’s quiet at night here and I seem to have hawk hearing when it comes to him!

Original poster
bluebellaa · 08/01/2023 20:54

@Silverpining She is in her own room, I hear it on the monitor. Like I say, I either switch the monitor off (which I'm not going to do), or I hear it plus the times she can't resettle herself.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 08/01/2023 20:57

Having a baby can knacker your thyroid - I hope it's been double checked.

You get signed off sick, ask to be referred to occupational health.