To think the workload is too heavy for someone pregnant?

[EG12391]

I work nights in a residential care home, however it seems to be getting more and more like a nursing home, without the nurses!

I’m currently 22 weeks pregnant and have been having a tough pregnancy where I’ve been suffering badly from palpitations and breathlessness. I also miscarried in my last pregnancy and my workplace is aware of this.

Most of the shift is fairly easy going during the night, not too physically demanding as everyone is in bed. However, in the morning the night staff tend to be allocated the heavier residents to get up, as well as being allocated the most to get up also. And by heavier I mean the ones who aren’t able to stand up etc. So we have to physically assist, as well as using aids.

So I’m finding after every shift now I pull a muscle in my abdomen area and it’s so painful. I know if I was to work on days I would be on light duties and basically be a “floater”, that’s what the last person who was pregnant was, however I understand it is different on nights, but surely they should give myself and my colleague easier people to get up, or one less even?

The law says if the workload isn’t suitable then I should be given shifts that are more suitable, working days would be better physically, but I have a daughter at home and nights suit me childcare-wise so I’d rather not work days. And if they can’t find suitable work I should be sent home on full pay, well I know for a fact that wouldn’t happen, although that’s the law! And to be honest I wouldn’t want to burden them in that way, but I am finding it difficult and not fair that it’s interfering with my home life as I’m in so much pain after working and can’t play with my daughter!

Has anyone else experienced the same? And how did you go about it if so?

This is very risky for you and you need to ask your management to do an assessment of your role to see what changes need to be made. You need to stop doing the heavy lifting from now, and communicate this to colleagues too.

Being 25 weeks pregnant and working in a nursery, my manager took me off nappies a good 4-5 weeks ago because I shouldn't be lifting over 9kg and some of the kids are more than that. There's no way you should be lifting grown adults - especially not overweight ones! You're damaging yourself on a daily basis and it's affecting your ability to look after your daughter. In your position I'd point blank refuse to lift anyone. Yours and your baby's welfare are more important than getting the residents out of bed - leave it to someone else

I think you need to ask them to do a risk assessment. I understand that the night shift has different responsibilities than the day shift, but you need lighter duties. Why can't you discuss this with your line manager?

don’t you have lifting belts or something like a hoist to use when dealing with immobile residence?

Care worker here, we have lots of equipment types to aid moving and handling situations with residents, many of these aids aren't light and easy to use either unfortunately. They are safer yes, but often still physically hard to move.

Adjustments need to be made for you - you’re going to hurt yourself. You need to put yourself first and refuse to do the lifting. I work in a school - they won’t let me do break duty anymore or even lift a box of books pregnant, never mind a person…

@albapunk that’s pretty awful 😥

OP you need a risk assessment done and a chat with your manager. Nights are still hard work and they have a duty of care towards you as an employee.

It may be a case of assigning you to the less physically demanding patients on the shift.

It can be, but we need to use it for the safety of the residents. Our rooms have carpet which makes moving someone (especially someone who is very overwritten) in a hoist or stand aid extremely difficult and to even get the sling on for those machines can involve rolling the resident backward and forwards, or assisting them to sit etc.

Care is extremely physically demanding even with all the aids to help us sadly.

We do have hoists that we use with our residents, but we still have to physically assist with some residents to get them in the sitting position on the side of the bed, it’s not ideal really, some of them are more like nursing patients rather than residential!

My colleague is good that she tried to do most of the physical bits but its also not fair on her having to do a bit extra as it’s heavy work! And I’m still waiting to see a risk assessment (I don’t see my manager often!) but it’s been months now so I am thinking of coming in during the day when she’s in next to inform her that it’s getting difficult.

My supervisor who does the allocations always says she tried to give us the “easiest” doubles to get up, but none of the doubles are easy any more to be honest. And we still get more to get up than the day staff who have 3 residents each pair and they’re mostly “singles” too. It’s slightly annoying as there is one resident who will not wait for the day staff, she likes to get up at 6am, and she is the heaviest here, but then all the others we have are physically demanding as they don’t co-operate or are a bit frail, so even with a standing aid you sometimes have to be quick or hold them up to get the supports underneath them.

I think I was just a bit worried if it’s just me making a bit of an issue and being an inconvenience but with your replies it’s obvious it’s important that I do something about it and not carry on as I am. So I will definitely have a word when the Manager is next in, which is Tuesday, and I’m off until then anyway luckily.

Well a couple of things stand out here for me.You should not be given a list of anyone to get up....should be resident choice so should/could change daily. Also if your being injured I would say your not moving and handling correctly.

As someone who is pregnant and with possible bad back, or abdominal issues, you are entitled to access to work grants. Please contact human resources at your care home, or ring the DWP Access to work team. You could be entitled to a support worker who does the physically demanding tasks on your behalf. It would be fully funded as well.

Possibly true, but with being pregnant op is at higher risk of sustain injury due to the relaxing of ligaments etc. she could be doing every correctly and still gain an injury.

op, glad you’re going to talk to your manager.

I'm really surprised that you didn't realise how important it is to protect yourself and your baby, particularly after having had a miscarriage OP. I know that care homes are always desperate for staff, but they really shouldn't be expecting you to do heavy work at the moment, so having decided to have a word on Tuesday, do please make sure that they don't try and fob you off due to the pressures that management are under. Your priority is you and your baby, NOTHING is more important at this time. Hope the remainder of your pregnancy goes well.

I think you need to see a GP/physio and work out exactly what is going on with your ‘pulled abdominal muscle’ and how much you can safely lift. Pregnancy on its own doesn’t automatically mean you cannot operate a hoist etc. I quite safely and painlessly mobilised heavy patients up to 36 weeks pregnant.

@EG12391
Pulled abdomen muscle every shift? Please go on days instead, if you are able. I know we all have to go out to work, but if the placenta detaches it will be disastrous.

I am going to call my midwife on Monday to see if they can advise me why this is happening. But I do think it’s more or less the workload as I am fine when I’m not working and I am able to pick up my daughter, clean, carry things around with no problem.

When I come on shift we check on the residents, re-position those who aren’t able to move themselves (which is around 4 residents, most are overweight). Then lots of laundry to do so I am in and out of the laundry bending over frequently, carrying 5/6 baskets to the lift, then from the lift onto the floors they go on and sort. My colleague does the brushing, mopping, emptying bins of the lounges which is more work than the laundry and kitchen as I do. Then we check everyone again, re-position again. Those who need the toilet overnight that aren’t able to walk we use a stand aid with, however some of the residents aren’t able to stand up easy in the night so we have to give some assistance so involved bending down and using a bit of strength to assist. We get to sit down for a couple of hours and then from 6am until 8am it’s non-stop getting people up, and it always seems to be the heaviest people. But these are the ones who do like to get up in the morning, although there are singles who like to get up early, but as there’s two of us they give us the doubles.

The ones we get up are ones who are always awake from 6am so we never have to wake anyone up, but there are certainly easier residents to get up who are also awake early!

I always leave residents if they are still sleeping, totally unfair for them to be woken up and unsafe for them and myself as they would be unsteady. I know some carers will wake people up, my colleague and I definitely will not.

Even my bicep hurts at work from lifting laundry baskets (and they’re not heavy) so this is definitely true!! It’s definitely the relaxing of the ligaments etc. Rather than how I work as I couldn’t possible carry a laundry basket any safer!

I don’t think I suffered the same when I was carrying my daughter but that was 5 years ago when I was under my 30’s! Maybe things relax even more as we’re older 😬

It sounds very unsafe. Op, think of it this way- if you don’t work those shifts/tasks, the care home has to take care of those residents. If you don’t look after your baby, no one else will. So whatever they say about we’ll try, or we might be able to sort something next week … you need to say no I need a proper risk assessment before doing this work again, it is causing me pain. Can you get a gp appt? I’d want a gp note advising I can’t do this.

ignore the comments re technique! My first pregnancy i couldn’t walk any faster than slowly without stomach cramps for the first 5 months. It wasn’t my poor walking technique 🤨

Is your contract purely night shift? Or could it be a mixed of days and nights?
This is the key when you speak to your manager as if your contract says you can do day shifts this will be the lighter duties offered to you.
It doesn't sound as though night shifts are suitable for you physically and that I work in care and know that on nights the staffing significantly decreases so the rest of the staff are under more pressure if a team member cannot do the role fully.

Just don't do it. If something happens to you or baby you'd wish you hadn't done it.

I'm going through similar atm. Was told 'I know it's hard for you,' and I said, no, it's not that it's hard for me, I'm just not physically able to and I'm not willing to put myself and baby at risk. Sent a doctor's note a week later.

I hate when people act like you're being unreasonable for being inconvenienced rather than communicating your physical limitations.

Your manager should ve doing regular risk assessments. Is there an hr department you can ask about the procedures.
I work in a very large company so there are all sorts of standard forms to go through on a monthly basis.

Check every bit of your manual handling. Are you using slide sheets? Could your workplace put wendyletts on the beds of immobile patients who need assistance to reposition? Is the area you're working in giving you enough space to move around? If some individuals need 3 people, you need to use 3. You need to insist on a meeting with your manager and a risk assessment

Laundry should be in bags on wheels- so you can push them to the machine, no lifting involved. You should not be carrying laundry baskets.

First thing I’m doing on Monday is to try and book an appointment with my GP or Midwife preferably (although it’s near impossible getting hold of my midwife 🤔!!) but I’ll definitely be speaking with someone for a fit note.

I’d prefer not do days because it causes a lot of issues with school drop off/pick up with my daughter as we only have the one car and the day shifts run before until after those times so hopefully my Manager will go easy on my workload, as they should be doing anyway! I’ve decided to start my maternity as early as possible as it’s been a tough pregnancy so only 7 more weeks to go! I never had a single issue of pain / nausea / absolutely nothing when I was carrying my daughter and pregnancy was a walk in the park, not so much this time!