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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not want to go on this trip while pregnant?

34 replies

DemonsInMyHead · 09/04/2014 00:16

School trip, 5 adults (1 staff, rest volunteers), 35 kids (secondary age). First aider needed on the coach. I am first aid trained and have been asked to go. I'd be in overall charge of everything. I will be 33 weeks pregnant.

AIBU to refuse to go? I know it's unlikely the baby would come then but I am already uncomfortable and working almost 24/7 for three days will pretty much do me in I think, and if I have any pregnancy issues they'd be left without a first aider anyway. There are other first aid trained staff but not that deal with the kids with the same frequency / have the same experience (though the volunteers do have that, just not the first aid).

OP posts:

toastandmarmiterocks · 09/04/2014 00:21

When is it? Given enough warning they can get a different first aider. If you are stressing about it now then you need to quickly nip it in the bud.

Not sure if my sentences are making sense, sorry, I'm stupid tired & should be asleep, not on mumsnet...

AdoraBell · 09/04/2014 00:22

YANBU at all and don't listen to anyone trying to guilt trip you into agreeing.

iloveny001 · 09/04/2014 00:36

BlackeyedSusan · 09/04/2014 00:38

no. mutter things about risk assessments. contact your union if necessary.

TheJumped · 09/04/2014 00:39

I don't get 'I'm charge of everything' - are you the staff member, or just the 1st aider? 90% of the time the first aider doesn't have to actually do anything at all, so you sound a little but precious tbh.

MrsS1980 · 09/04/2014 00:47

Are you the trip leader? If so you would be in charge otherwise it is down to them. Also, are you sure you should be going? Our evc wouldn't let me go at6 months pregnant due to long periods on the coach. If you don't want to go - don't. You can't be directed to go on a school trip outside directed time.

nirishma · 09/04/2014 00:50

Uhh.. no! YADNBU. Surely an almost term pregnant first aider breaks every rule in the risk assessment book? You could seriously hurt yourself performing first aid - back, sprained muscle, and how on earth wpuld u find energy/ strength to perform cpr???

zipzap · 09/04/2014 00:50

Talk to your mw about it I'm pretty sure that if you don't think you will be up to it, she would agree with you.

Then tell school that you checked it out with your mw and she didn't think you should go so you are obviously not going to go against medical advice and you're sure that they will be able to find somebody else.

Much more difficult for anybody to argue against that than you saying you don't think that you'll be up to it as they can try to bluster or guilt you I to going by saying they were fine at 33 wks and had been out doing a marathon/ last minute supermarket Christmas shop/fundraing trek up everest /etc so you should be more than ok to do this.

Is there enough time for somebOdy going to be trained to be a first aider?

Original poster

DemonsInMyHead · 10/04/2014 00:03

It's at the beginning of May. I'd be the most senior member of staff there if I went - not trip leader, but I'd still end up being responsible (not that I'd be irresponsible!). It's the staying overnight for two nights, and the travelling, and the being permanently on duty that I'm worried about. I'm already really tired and getting horrible leg cramps / breathing issues / heartburn / disturbed sleep etc. I don't know what it's reasonable to do at that stage as this is my first child.

OP posts:

Nanny0gg · 10/04/2014 00:18

School trips are horrifically tiring, even with the best behaved pupils. You get very little rest and I highly doubt much chance to put your feet up at all. And if there's a lot of walking involved...

Refuse to go.

Nanny0gg · 10/04/2014 00:20

TheJumped

Have you ever been on a school residential?

And thinking about it, I wouldn't be especially happy with being the only member of staff and everyone else being a volunteer either. That ratio doesn't sound right.

toobreathless · 10/04/2014 00:24

Personally I wouldn't have had any problem doing this, but I'm a doctor & was working long weekends at 37 weeks plus & running walking briskly to emergencies etc.

But...

Pregnancy really suits me, I was physically very fit and well with it.

And....

It seems very short sighted of the school, they need a back up plan so that if you have to pull out last minute there is someone to step in and the trip goes ahead.

I think at 33 weeks it should really be your choice.

AdoraBell · 10/04/2014 00:25

I'm also unsure, okay amazed, at the ratio of pupils to actual teachers rather than just any adult, with all due respect to the volunteers. I assume teachers get paid for the days the are away and volunteers, well volunteer

OP do what zipzap suggested and see your MW.

ProcessYellowC · 10/04/2014 00:42

YANBU not to go. I was very well during my pregnancy but stopped working at 34 weeks, just couldn't handle commuting. I stayed fit right up to birth, but no way could I have sat on a coach for a few hours and slept in a strange bed.

Are the school being arsey at the moment? Do you have to refuse or can you say you don't think it's sensible for you to go on the trip for these reasons?

MorganLeFey · 10/04/2014 08:09

Yeah, as with toobreathless - not sure it's first aid per se that's the problem as plenty of doctors are still on crash teams/work in the third trimester..!

But if you're feeling the pressure of the trip otherwise ask if the risk assessment with respect to your pregnancy has been done & get involved with your concerns? If you think your direct line manager is minimizing then try OccHealth, your Midwife or GP.

Tessdurbevilliespoon · 10/04/2014 08:17

YANBU just tell them you can't go, surely there must be another trained first aider they could ask with enough notice, I mean what would happen if God forbidden somebody got ill or hurt just before the trip? There must be procedures for that kind of thing.

CailinDana · 10/04/2014 08:19

Absolutely no way. No way. I am surprised the school are even considering this.

thebody · 10/04/2014 08:23

Please don't go.

As a mother whose dd was badly injured on a school trip you arnt just there to make up some risk assessment.

You are there to help in an emergency and if you feel you can't then why would you go? The children deserve someone who can.

In dds case the first aider was unconscious and the other teacher was dead. It happens.

These numbers sound dodgy to me too. Why are you the only qualified teacher for 35 kids.

Inertia · 10/04/2014 09:00

This whole trip sounds very badly planned. Why isn't the person who planned it going on the visit? Is it a school, because it doesn't sound as though it is — I can't imagine a school sending only one staff member.

It would be crazy to send a heavily pregnant woman as the only first aider and staff member. For comparison we took 70 children on a similar length residential, one of the staff was at a similar stage of pregnancy - but altogether we had 7 staff, of whom 2 were first aiders, and we tried to cover the duties of our pregnant colleague as much as possible.

Chocotrekkie · 10/04/2014 09:08

No way - I had a straight forward pregnancy until I went into labour at 32 weeks.

As a parent I wouldn't be overly happy with 1 heavily pregnant teacher and a load of volunteers running the trip tbh.

I would say that your midwife says "no" - they can't argue with that.

Booboostoo · 10/04/2014 09:17

Why don't they just send another member of staff to a first aid course?

TheJumped · 10/04/2014 09:19

Ah ok, it's a residential trip. I retract my YABU - not appropriate for you to do a residential. You didn't mention that bit in your OP - a day trip on a coach would have been fine. Also a bit at only having one staff member and the rest volunteers, for a residential trip that sounds dodgy and would put me off, pregnant or not!

threepiecesuite · 10/04/2014 09:20

I highly doubt that a school would allow this. We do use TAs and our own support staff but volunteers would be supplementary, not actually part of the numbers.

We had to give up breaktime playground duties at 6 months pg.

thebody · 10/04/2014 09:29

Op states school trip in her op.

GingerBlondecat · 10/04/2014 09:34

I vote - Don't Go

((((((((((Hug)))))))

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