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?

Updated guidance today www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-pregnant-employees/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-pregnant-employees#:~:text=Pregnant%20women%20of%20any%20gestation,guides%20for%20different%20industries.

Gmb says vulnerable employees must be protected in non facing roles or work from home. They list pregnant women as on the vulnerable list. Or get your doctor to sign you off, that's what a few of my colleagues have done. All of us at work were completely happy with them doing this to protect themselves and their babies.

@RedToothBrush

I'm not sure how you can be so confident that the risks to pregnant women are so low, given the complete lack of research/data around negative birth outcomes in pregnancy. It just doesn't exist. The guidance for pregnant women is intentionally vague, probably because of this. Given that pregnant women have been advised to take particular precaution in the third trimester throughout the pandemic, it is reasonable for women who are currently pregnant to expect that there is evidence something has actually changed if they are suddenly not going to be afforded any protection when the level of virus in the community is so high...

I work at a small secondary school where I worked throughout my pregnancy and up to 32 weeks (when summer holiday started) my school did not mention working from home at 28 weeks, even when most of the other pregnant friends I have at other schools did get to work from home.

My health and safety assessment didn't even consider it. I had caught Covid and miscarried a year earlier so I was super careful and avoided being too close to the kids and asked for masks to be worn when they're nearby. Good luck it isn't easy, but if the guidance advises WFH at 28 weeks, push for it!

Hi all,

I am a teacher as well and started working from home last week as I am in my third trimester. Now that guidelines have changed, the school wants me back in the school. Has anyone else been in this situation? I am not able to see advice form the union as I am foolishly not part of one. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

@Lo2022

Hi all,

I am a teacher as well and started working from home last week as I am in my third trimester. Now that guidelines have changed, the school wants me back in the school. Has anyone else been in this situation? I am not able to see advice form the union as I am foolishly not part of one. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I would join a union asap and contact them, since you'll be going on MAT leave soon, you won't need to pay once you start your leave for the whole duration of being off work!

Bumping for you @Lo2022. Shitty situation.

I was third trimester last summer and asked to work from home, which was reluctantly agreed to as it was union and government guidelines at the time. Still got a letter from GP and midwife as there was a bit of resistance initially.

I spent my second trimester teaching in N95 masks and insisting students kept their distance. N95 £10 for 5 from Boots. Worth it.

If GP/ midwife/ consultant recommend working from home due to personal circumstances, this has to be considered as part of a personal risk assessment, regardless of current government stance.

I would ask for a classroom that can be ventilated plus a suitable hospital grade air purifier.

you may have explained already OP but you are saying your classroom is unventilated...are you teaching in a windowless room???if so that's something to approach your employer about. It's always hard being at the vanguard of any changes in guidance and to be moving towards a place of no regular testing/isolation etc is going to be very hard for a lot of people but I think your expectation that the workplace risk assessment was about stopping you catching covid at all is perhaps unrealistic and doesn't reflect the current situation ... otherwise they would have had to let you work from home as soon as you announced you were pregnant. Regarding your risk per se its important to realise that you have reduced your risk significantly by being triple jabbed...plus as you have already caught Covid in pregnancy you will have longer duration of immunity then people who are triple jabbed but have never been exposed - so Covid is no longer a novel virus to your body . I can hear you are worried about your booster "wearing off" but there's are other parts if the immune system at play other than just measurable antibodies...and actually being around Covid on an ongoing basis actually primes your immune system further. Unless you have other underlying conditions(??) from an employers perspective you are no longer at the same level of risk as an unvaccinated pregnant employee, so it will become increasingly hard for vaccinated pregnant women with no other identified risk to ask an employer to make special provisions over and above other staff that could have equal claim to special provision because of their health status.

that said it is worth during this transition period putting your concerns about your pregnancy risks in writing ,asking for an updated risk assessment and asking about working from home in your third trimester...then your employer can respond ,you may have a favourable outcome you never know. At the end of the day you have the choice of starting your maternity leave or approaching your GP about being signed off ,experiencing undue stress and anxiety during pregnancy is not conducive to a healthy pregnancy either .

I think the bottom line OP is that you've had a booster, and now an additional "booster" by way of natural immunity. The risks for you are very low, and you are unlikely to catch it again before the baby is born (bar a new variant but if this happened, we would probably see new restrictions in line with risks).

Try to relax.

Just a little update as I was reminiscing on this thread. I caught it 3 times in the end (twice while pregnant!) My baby was ok though despite everything - thankfully.

Just had a notification that this thread had been updated and its took me right back to my pregnancy! I caught it twice too and my baby is now a healthy 4 year old.