Caught Covid at work and pregnant

[Mightbeokmightnot]

I’ve posted this in the staff room but had nothing so…

I’m currently 16 weeks pregnant and isolating because I caught covid at work (secondary school teacher).

I’d had a risk assessment done (which obviously didn’t work very well given I still caught covid). I’ve luckily not been too ill with it and I’m sure this will be down to being fully vaccinated and boosted.

However, given I managed to catch covid despite all the extra ‘measures’ they’d put in place to protect me (which were token tbh), I’m now feeling anxious about potentially having to be teaching face to face during my third trimester? Rather than feeling more relaxed because I’ve caught it and been ok it’s made me realise that catching it in my third trimester is a genuine possibility. Won’t my booster have worn off by 28 weeks? What if it affects me differently or my baby badly because of how far along I am?

I spoke to a midwife about WFH from 28 weeks today and was told ‘that’s a conversation between you and your employer, we can’t give any guidance at this time’.

AIBU to be feeling throughly p’d off that this is the situation vulnerable pregnant teachers are in or will it be ok?

What do you want your school to do in terms of extra measures? If you're expected to be in the classroom and the guidance says you can be in work (it does), what do you want them to do? Will they let you wear a face shield and/or covering at all times in lessons or will that affect how you teach? I don't mean to come across as nasty in any way, but if you step back and ask yourself what you expect them to do, what is your own answer?

I’m not pregnant but have family members with health issues so I teach in an fpp3 mask which is 99 per cent protective to stop me catching it and passing it onto them. Could you do similar?

Well, given that they can’t reduce the risk to me adequately enough (which has now been very much proven) - either let me work from home from 28 weeks or alter my role so that I’m not facing 300 students a week who don’t socially distance.

@Tillyloveslettuce thank you- I hadn’t actually thought of this. I’ve been wearing a standard mask but I’ll look at getting an fpp3

You could get signed off sick if it's making you particularly anxious. Maternity leave is forced from 36 weeks if you are signed off I think (it was still in 2020 when I had DD).

The extra protective mask is a good idea!

Hi OP. The problem with what you want is that it effectively means you not being able to do your job, as even if you teach remotely at the front of a class from a screen, the school still need to staff the class for supervision. You're effectively asking them to double staff you and that, when compared against how vulnerable you actually are in comparison to the rest of the school community, may well not be a decision that is 'reasonable'. I know it's absolutely not what you'd want to hear, but it's something they would be faced with when they already have fewer staff and lower budgets.
An FFP3 mask when fitted properly can work to actually stop the vius getting to your respiratory system and is used in healthcare settings where an aerosol is generated (e.g. medical drills, intubation/extubation) although you need to change them regularly and they're not cheap. You 'face fit' them by spraying a perfume nearby and see if you can smell it. If you can, they're not tight enough around the edges. They are definitely more uncomfortable than the normal face coverings though so you might find them more uncomfortable as time goes on and as the temp rises. Good luck and I hope you manage to find an acceptable compromise for you and them. x

Unfortunately your employer is unable to pause the global pandemic, and I doubt you can prove you got Covid from work.

Extra protective mask sounds like a great plan. Can you adjust lesson plans to allow you to socially distance more from students?

You vaccines will still protect you from serious illness etc later on even if it doesn't stop you from catching it in the first place (which it hasn't done now,anyway). I can imagine it will make you feel anxious, but think if having Covid as an extra booster.

@user1471504747 you clearly don’t work in HR. Just because my employer is unable to pause a global pandemic doesn’t mean I should forgo acceptable safe working conditions- occupational health and safety is a fundamental human right.

I was socially distancing as much as I possibly could but I still caught it. It’s not possible to socially distance adequately in my role and keep the students on task.

Thanks @Cookerhood - I’m just feeling especially anxious now and could do with some statistics/reassurance I suppose

You can ask for a face to face appt on your hospital antenatal clinic & can ask the obstetrician for a sick note stating you are to work from home. You can also ask your GP for this.

@Bigfathairyones we currently have pregnant staff in their third trimester working from home - following the guidance that was put in place around Christmas. So it is possible. But I do appreciate the dilemma they must face with fewer staff/lower budgets. I just don’t want my baby or I to be collateral damage so that they can save money. I might try to find some more information on how at risk I am in the third trimester given that I’m fully vaccinated, perhaps that will reassure me that I’m at lower risk of harm than I think.

@jevoudrais thanks- I can’t imagine doing this but I guess its an option if I’m not happy with my risk assessment by the third trimester (and cases are still high at my school)

@Bigfathairyones I’ll also get an ffp3 mask - although I will still have to take it off to give out instructions every now and again.

If you’re only 16 weeks now then by the time you get to your third trimester there will be no Covid measures anymore, no isolation, nothing. The guidance, even at the moment, does not specify working from home now. You could choose to take your maternity leave early if you don’t feel able to do your job because of pregnancy, I think you can take it from 29 weeks.

@AgathaMystery I’ll try my gp first - I was hoping for some more support/guidance from the midwife but it felt like she was absolving herself of any decision making or responsibility.

A risk assessment is to establish and reduce the risk but it won't stop you catching COVID.

Have a chat with them and explain your anxious, maybe they could give you different duties but not sure how you can do your job wfh now schools are back in.

You could get signed off sick if your anxious.

@Overthebow exactly- so I’ll potentially have even more covid positive students in my classroom. Looking on the gov website, ‘The current government guidance and union guidance states that Pregnant workers should continue working only if the risk assessment advises it is safe to do so after suitable control measures have been put in place. Pregnant workers should be involved in the risk assessment process and be satisfied that their continued working in the area does not put them or their baby at risk.

Where a significant health and safety risk is identified for pregnant workers, employers should adjust the working conditions or hours to remove the risk, where reasonably practicable to do so, or offer alternative work on the same terms and conditions. If this cannot be done, employers should suspend pregnant workers on full pay. This is in line with normal requirements‘ so no I wouldn’t have to take maternity leave early.

How do you know you caught covid at work and not anywhere else?

What did your employer actually say when you asked if you could work from home from 28 weeks? Was it a flat no?

@Amichelle84 I’ll have a chat with hr when I go back and explain why I’m anxious. I’ll see how I get on. Hopefully I’ll feel less anxious by my third trimester.

[quote Mightbeokmightnot]@AgathaMystery I’ll try my gp first - I was hoping for some more support/guidance from the midwife but it felt like she was absolving herself of any decision making or responsibility.[/quote]
Because it isn't her responsibility and she has no power over your employer to dictate they need you to work from home. There will be zero measures in place in terms of isolating etc when you're in the third trimester more or less, so although a GP may write you a note outlining you need to wfh I'm not sure what you want them to do right now.

@WorriedGiraffe they have said that it will definitely be looked into as an option and that no one is going to force me in if I’m uncomfortable with it. Which is promising. But with the guidance and the school risk assessment changing all the time it’s making me feel anxious that they’ll backtrack on this.

Yanbu, op. I live in Germany and they sign off pregnant ladies as soon as they announce their pregnancy. As others have said an ffp2 mask are the safest and I'd talk to your work again about WFH

Maybe see if you can get them to put something in writing asap then? I’d honestly be very surprised if the GP can give you a letter telling your employer to let you work from home, especially as no covid measures will be in place. But getting a paper trail in place with your employers early on may help you put pressure on later on if needed.