31 weeks and refusing to go into work

[Fatandtired12]

Hi all,
So I did post something similar asking for advice.

I'm currently 31 weeks pregnant with my second. For the past week I've felt awful (some kind of flu bug I think) u dud one shift Tuesday and it felt like I was going to pass out.
Yesterday I was meant to be working but had to call out sick. I still felt like shit and to top it off I woke up at 5am having to empty my bladder and bowel (sorry tmi). (My body was and still seems to be purging anything and everything in my stomach, when I wiped first thing there was a yellowish mucus on the paper but I was tested for infections a few days ago and It was negative plus it was only there on the first time of wiping. I had this overwhelming panic that baby was getting ready to make an early appearance. I also felt like I had to get as much done as I could to set up for baby as I thought he had seemed to move lower and had become more active
This morning I woke up feeling a bit better flu wise, it's mainly a cough and blocked nose now but called out sick this morning as I'm exhausted, my back won't stop hurting, my bump feels tender and I still can't hold onto any liquid or anything solid. I can't explain it but it just feels like something is going to happen soon.
But now I think I'm being unreasonable for missing a shift over something I just feel and thinking I should have just powered through my shift today.

If you have a bug you should stay off work surely? Why work passing it on to others?

@Revelatio
That was my first though, especially since I work in hospitality but my boss is annoyed that I've called out sick two days in a row

If you have the norovirus bug, which is sickness and diarrhoea it’s highly contagious so I would stay off work until you can hold food down and stopped being sick and needing to go to the toilet way too often. Your stomach and back are going to hurt due to all the extra pressure on your body. Make sure you stay dehydrated and eat soft food for a couple of days.

You can't keep down liquids or Solids. Even if not pregnant I would call in sick.

Have you contacted your GP or MAU?

If you’re unwell then you aren’t unreasonable taking a sick day.

You shouldn’t even think about going in to work.
How is your boss “annoyed”? It’s unlawful discrimination under the equality act to treat you unfavourably due to pregnancy related illness. They should watch what they say and do else you could have a case against them.

Being pregnant is irrelevant, you are sick with a stomach bug and shouldn't be at work. Two or three days off sick would be very normal, don't worry if you still need that other day. Hope you feel better soon OP!

In hospitality, you are not supposed to go to work for 48 hours after any bug. People disrespecting that advice are what causes the constant circulation of viruses. You've called in sick, so just stay home. Your boss might feel frustrated that they need to arrange cover, but that's life.

Worth calling GP or midwife to discuss your symptoms, and make sure you stay hydrated.

My boss sent me a message telling me its hard for them with a young child and working full time but she's covered my shift. To which I am thankful and I do appreciate it's hard when there are young children involved. Also I am.a hypocrite in terms of last weekend we were serverly understaffed for a weekend as there had been someone who quit unexpectedly with no one to cover, and my boss took the day off leaving me and a teenager run the floor.
I will admit I got very annoyed as there was a complaint online which lead to one of my bosses calling and chewing us out when we did everything we could to ensure the best service we could, as I made a point that I'm almost 8 months pregnant, it was just me and a 16 year old running a busy restaurant while we were understaffed due to someone leaving and my boss taking an unexpected day off.
So I think that's where I'm a bit of a dick

I agree with others. regardless of your pregnancy if you've a suspected stomach virus - you shouldn't be at work serving food to customers.

It sounds like your place of work generally struggles to cover periods of absence (as per your update this has happened before). You are not the manager so this is not your problem its a problem that more senior managers need to resolve. After all - the nearer you get to your due date - they will have to be covering your absence anyway. They should be planning for that already so cover for you should be becoming less of an issue.

I would however say that you can set expectations a bit. Explain you've had a stomach bug and you will not be back into work until fully recovered - at least 3/4 days from the onset of symptoms. That will help them manage the situation and cover your shift.

Dont hesitate to go to GP or midwife if you don't start improving soon. Take care of yourself and try not to worry about work.

My boss sent me a message telling me its hard for them with a young child and working full time but she's covered my shift

And? She's the boss when staff are sick she needs to find cover if there is no-one else then the buck stops with her.

There is a YouTube/Tiktok channel by Ben Askins who calls out poor bosses so you are not alone.

@OlderandwiserMaybe
I'm due to see my midwife on the 13th for a check up as little one is a little on the small side to what they were expecting, he's between the 10th and 30th percentile. Which is why I'm a little worried about the possibility of him making an earlier appearance

My cover for maternity has been hired and trained already but it seems they arent working out like my manager had hoped ( refusing to cover extra shifts, doing what is considered the bare minimum while on shift). I can't help but feel bad for having to go on maternity next month but im already suffering with spd and now the unexplained panic of baby possibly coming sooner has me anxious

Look, your priorities are you and that baby.

You're ill so even not pregnant, you shouldn't be doing a hospitality job and spreading your germs around.

But you ARE pregnant, and heavily, so you also have to make sure your body is able to do the basics.

Right now that means you drinking little and often, if you can get any isotonic drinks suitable in pregnancy do so, rest and sleep. Ready salted crisps.

Also listen to your body. I lost my plug at 32 weeks, baby came at 35. It was a big lump of mucus and terrified me because I didn't know what it meant. You don't have to wait until the 13th. If you get any cramps or changes in movement or further discharge or anything that just doesn't feel right, call the maternity unit.

Reply to your boss and say "I know, I'm so grateful, I understand how hard it is being understaffed but I cannot work in this condition. I'm going to try and get some sleep, I'll check in with you on X day"

You are being unreasonable for calling 'out' sick. Please call 'in' sick. 😷

You absolutely cannot work somewhere serving food if you have a stomach bug, pregnant or not!

You are not completely over a stomach bug, so you should not be in work, pregnant or not. Your boss may be annoyed, but it would be rather worse for them if you had gone in, given it to a couple of others and left them with two staff short at the weekend. If they think about it, they will probably realise that, and perhaps you just got the knee-jerk annoyance.

My cover for maternity has been hired and trained already but it seems they arent working out like my manager had hoped ( refusing to cover extra shifts, doing what is considered the bare minimum while on shift).

Did you hire them?

So it's not your problem that they see how shit your boss and company are.

You need to take care of yourself and your baby.

Your managers staffing issues are not your problem. If you feel things are not right with baby go to the hospital and A&E and likely you will be sent up to the Mat unit for monitoring - maybe even call midwife and see if they can get you referred straight in.

Being pregnant isn't important here...you have got d&v why on earth would you go to work and spread it to colleagues and members of the public. Call in sick

Stomach bugs can cause you to go into early labour, so stay home until you are fully well. If movement changes or you start to get pain and tightenings at the top of your bump (the bottom can just be cramps from your virus) go and get them to monitor you. I had a random tummy bug at 31 weeks, started seeing stars and worried it was my blood pressure increasing, but they did the swab, and my labour had started! Luckily a very gross mag sulfate drip stopped it, but don't hesitate to get help if you aren't feeling quite right.

Seriously, don't worry about it. I get it, It's hard when you're in a small team working shifts, I work in a similar environment, but you're unwell and you need to be at home. It happens, you can't help it and you have nothing to feel bad about. In my experience you don't get any thanks for forcing yourself in anyway so I really wouldn't bother!

Hope you feel better soon

Just keep an eye on your hydration- that can be tricky in pregnancy with an upset stomach.

@Fatandtired12 I don't want to scare you but when we were anticipating the early arrival of my twins we were told to watch out for mucus plug and diarrhoea as early signs of labour - it could be the body getting ready. It would really be worth calling your midwife/perhaps going into the maternity centre or day assessment unit if you have one at your hospital just for a check - hopefully it will just put your mind at rest!

Surely if you're managing a restaurant, you know it's a legal requirement that any food handler who experiences vomiting or diarrhea cannot come into work for 48 hours from the last bout?

https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/fitnesstoworkguide.pdf