To go off sick at 28 weeks pregnant?

[Hellskitchen24]

I’m a staff nurse working in a very heavy, high acuity role, on my feet most of the day, 12.5 hour shifts, plus 40 minutes to and from work by the time I’ve walked to to the car, driven, parked, walked to work etc. Up at 5:30am, back 20:30-21:00, so out the house 14+ hours a day. I do two on two off currently and have done this for the last 4 months without a break. I have no annual leave left and haven’t had any since October.

I am shattered. My back is killing me from the length of the shifts, the size of my pregnancy (I’m massive!), and existing back pain (from a car accident years ago). Obviously I cannot take anything beyond paracetamol which does nothing. I have sciatic pain shooting up my left leg, and pelvic girdle pain. I’m not sleeping at night properly; I’m lucky if I get 3 hours or so between shifts. I’m fatigued beyond belief. Even my days off don’t allow me to recover physically at present as just lying on the sofa all day isn’t possible in the real world. I had hyperemesis in the first trimester, lost weight, and barely ate or drank in 6 weeks. I’m still medicated for it now and get nausea in the evenings.

I am clinical hospital based so being office based or working from home isn’t an option. Would I be unreasonable to go off sick?

E exercise and eat right.

Thanks everyone. I have had a risk assessment done but naturally half of what they put in it is living in cloud cuckoo land due to demands of the service. No or limited manual handling for example; it’s impossible in my role, and I can’t expect my co workers to do all my manual handling as well as theirs.

My manager was fairly dismissive last time I said I was struggling. She told me she worked until 40 weeks. I assume it’s much easier to work until 40 weeks if, like her, you work very part time, don’t take patients, and do no manual handling.

I was intending to go off at 36 weeks anyway officially to start maternity. I believe they can’t they can’t trigger maternity to start before then anyway? But physically there is no way I can do another 8 weeks like this.

YANBU maternity leave triggers at 36 weeks automatically but you are entitled to sick leave before that. I was off sick towards the end of my second pregnancy as was having a very difficult pregnancy. Baby came at 37 weeks.

Honestly just go to the GP and get signed off. They'll do it. Then rest.

It infuriates me when managers who have been through it themselves can’t see past the fact that it can be harder for others. I once had one that really resented what I was entitled to purely because she had her kids when the standard was 4 months leave and she coped therefore she felt I should as well. My older male manager for me other pregnancy was just amazing in comparison

If your manager is not particularly helpful, go see your GP and get a note for amended duties until end of pregnancy, specifying which aspects you can no longer do as @Mama05070704 did. Alternatively just get signed off if you don’t trust them to deal with it right and don’t want the stress.

With first option management are bound to find you another role or you are off sick until end of pregnancy. Makes no difference to your pay or leave if you were going to stop at 36 weeks anyway.

I would discuss redeployment. if you go off sick, it will trigger your maternity early. not sure you are aware of it. I would want to avoid that!

It triggers it at 36 weeks. Not as soon as the sick leave starts.

I would take the next week off as self cert, and get to the GP and get signed off for as long as possible. Nobody can possibly view it as unreasonable!