To call in sick for the rest of my nights?

[Jilkie]

I am a health care worker doing night shifts this week.
I felt really run down last week and found out at the weekend I am pregnant.
I am just finishing my second night and I am completely and utterly exhausted. I stopped at a green light on the way home. I have two more to go.
I feel like I should pull myself together and definitely feel a bit of letting the side down but I don't know how I'm going to cope doing the next two nights. I'm only sleeping in short fitful bursts in the day. My abdomen is cramping up. I'm thinking about calling in sick but feel like a wet wipe for doing so. I am on annual leave next week so after these shifts I'll get some rest. WIBU?

I used to be unable to sleep during the day. Then I discovered that this was because there were levels of tiredness I had been previously unaware of, and what I had previously thought of as a "9" on a scale of 1-10 of tiredness was in fact just a 3.

Whilst you're definitely unreasonable to lie (sick leave shouldn't be abused when you aren't sick) it may be that lettimg down your employers and clients at no notice is the only thing you can do if you physically cannot fulfil the obligations of your contract. Admitting that is not unreasonable. Doing so by claiming to be sick means you will be profiting monetarily from lying about why,, because sick leave entitles you to sick pay, and that is unreasonable.

If you’re that tired I’d argue that you ARE sick. Is this your first pregnancy? And congratulations!

If you're having abdo pain and are feeling run down to the point you feel unable to do your job then I would ring in sick. I also work in healthcare and over the years I've realised how dangerous it is to go to work when you don't feel like you're firing on all cylinders.

Congratulations by the way!

I think yanbu to call in sick .pregnancy is hard going! Going forward can u see if you can do days for a while. Its for yours and baby's health. Congratulations to you.also8

If you’re not safe to work, you’re not safe to work.

I had to take time off with exhaustion early on in pregnancy. I couldn’t believe how utterly drained I was, I couldn’t function properly. It got a lot better fairly quickly.

OP is in the early stages of pregnancy and has cramping while being exhausted? She can absolutely use sick. Stop with the profiting monetarily from lying business, and letting clients and employers down, that's unfair. OP if you're too exhausted and you are having cramps call in sick. Also consider telling your work early on, they'll need to do your risk assessments for lifting and the like. Congratulations!

What makes this decision easy would be to ask yourself if you feel safe?
Safe calculating drug dosages? Safe to react to emergencies in good time? Safe to make critical decisions?
If not, then ring in sick.

Your safety and that of your patients is paramount here regardless of the reason (yours is perfectly reasonable by the way)

In a years time will you still be questioning your “wet wipe” reason? No, in the end, it’s 2 bloody nights, that’s it! 2 nights.

You will of course feel horrifically guilty because you sound like you really care, but the place won’t collapse.

HCA here. Call in sick today - with plenty of notice they'll easily get the position filled with bank staff.

I struggle with nights at the best of times, I can't sleep more than 2-3 hours during the day whatever I try. By the third night I'm a zombie. Add an early pregnancy on top and I'd be doing the same.

Go sick. Nobody will remember the two days you took sick in 2024, but they will remember that time you weren’t performing to your normal level. Plus, as a care worker you owe it to your patients to be 100%. I’d tell work you feel flu-like and you’re going to do a Covid test. There’s so much going around at the moment, nobody will bat an eyelid,
Congratulations on the pregnancy :)

YANBU to call in sick, OP. Those symptoms would definitely constitute being unwell, especially in a healthcare setting. The past poster who said sick leave shouldn’t be abused and it’s unreasonable to lie is being ridiculous. You’re not lying about being unwell at all imo (I am a healthcare professional too) Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I’m so glad I read this thread. I’m in the first trimester currently and have thought I might be dying. The exhaustion is something else. I’ve had to call in sick on a couple of occasions, not unreasonable at all.

If you’re so tired you’re stopping at green lights, you are not driving safely and shouldn’t be on the road.
that certainly means you shouldn’t be doing anything in the medical field.
this is absolutely sick leave!

Definitely call in sick! If you’re so exhausted you make a mistake, or crash your car, no one will defend you. You need to look after yourself and baby - call and tell them you have D+V and get some rest. Many congratulations on your pregnancy!

So you'd be expecting your colleagues to cover you? Maybe they don't want to do more than their fair share of nights. Maybe they're tired too.

If you're stopping at green lights and you can't preform as normal call in sick. Tiredness/cramps/feeling drained are all signs of becoming very quickly burnt out which could end up with you of for longer. Do it early and they will find cover with bank staff. At the end of the day you need to look after you and now your unborn baby. Congratulations on your pregnancy.. now go get some rest x

Please call in sick, you need to look after you! Nights are tough especially when you're not feeling well so please prioritise you!
Early pregnancy is exhausting xx

As someone who spent years trying to run an operation with night cover if you spoke to me I would say to take the time off sick however annoying it is for your managers to find cover.

They should do a health risk assessment as a night worker anyway and definitely assess you now you’re pregnant.

You may be OK after first trimester. I remember being newly pregnant with twins and so tired I once lay down on the landing after going upstairs and fell asleep.

Check the maternity policy! When I worked in a hospital you could request for days only during pregnancy. In the meantime if you're not well enough to work (for whatever reason) you're not well enough to work. Contact ASAP and review policy in meantime

Um, what does this have to do with the OP? She is quite clearly unwell and is absolutely entitled to call in ill. Why should she be concerned about whether or not her colleagues want to do more nights- surely that is HR or her line managers responsibility. She’s not taking sick leave to go on holiday or something fgs!

I say the above as a health professional by the way. What a bizarre response

You shouldn't be driving if you're that tired. So dangerous and irresponsible.

Take care of yourself and call in sick. Don't worry about what your team or manager will think, your priority is your health and wellbeing.

When back at work I would suggest as PP said to check the maternity policy and confidentially enquire with HR on requesting day shifts only whilst pregnant. Even if its stated in the policy I would ask them how this is implemented and have others successfully had their requests agreed. Arm yourself with the info then have a talk with your line manager.

I had this issue during pregnancy because I couldn't take sleeping tablets so back to back nights were awful. 4 nights in a row back to back while pregnant sounds grim. I would call in, you don't sound safe to work and the cramps is concerning. I know you probably don't want to talk to work so early but if your rota is unsustainable while pregnant it might not be the worst thing to have a chat with your SCN and get a risk assessment done. It's better for them to know it advance that you are struggling and have shifts covered and better for you not worrying that you are letting everyone down.

@pavementgerms if management recognised that x amount of people love nights and y amount of people detest them and stopped making everyone do a rotating rota for 'fairness' then nights would all be covered happily.

You sound like a GP i had who in the early stages of one of my pregnancies declared she could not sign me off-sick as pregnancy is not an illness.

I could not stand, was so weak, vomiting more than 15 times a day, could not drink, did not even consider eating and had not passed any urine for almost 48hrs.

The OP is sick.

What a silly post.

Sounds like you are sick really and early pregnancy exhaustion is not to be ignored. Yes I would call in sick, I can’t imagine at this level of exhaustion your safe to react in emergencies or with patients properly. Call in and look after yourself. Congratulations on your pregnancy!